| This is a book about Linux, a free, open source operating system that's changing the world of
computing. In this book, we show how you can completely change the way you work with
computers by exploring a powerful and free operating system. Linux goes against
the traditional computing mainstream, being developed by a loosely organized group of
thousands of volunteers across the Internet. Linux started as a real underground movement —
guerrilla hacking, if you will — and brings a lot of excitement, discovery, and selfempowerment
back into today's corporate-dominated computing culture. We invite you to
dive in, enjoy yourself, and join the throng of people who know what it means to tweak your
dot clocks and rdev your kernel image.
The Zen quote at the beginning of this preface summarizes our philosophy in this book. We're
targeting readers who are inquisitive and creative enough to delve full-tilt into the world of
Linux, and who want to get at the heart of the system. Linux represents a rebellion against
commercial operating systems, and many of its users like living on the edge of the latest
technological trends. Of course, the casual reader can set up and run a Linux system (or
hundreds of them!) without much trouble, but the purpose of this book is to dig more deeply
into the system — to bring you completely into the Linux mentality, to reach Linux
"enlightenment." Rather than gloss over messy details, we explain the concepts by which the
system actually works so that you can troubleshoot problems on your own. By sharing the
accumulated expertise of several Linux experts, we hope to give you enough confidence to
call yourself a true Linux Guru. (Your first koan: what is the sound of one user hacking?) |
