hi all; i am new to computers and would like to learn the about the linux systems, what books do you recommend i buy/read, i saw piles of them in the bookstore i just don't know enough as to where to begin or what to buy.
i am in my 50's and computers are for fun.
thank you

mino54.

please try and use better titles for your posts, this is a help site, so the fact that you want help should be a given. you've also not said what country you're in so we have no idea if certain titles would be available. there are book reviews in our dedicated section, linked to on the right side of this page.

Don't buy any book, them will be obsolete quickly.

I recommend you start on The Linux Documentation Project

paper books are a great way to get started and always will be. also most of tldp.org hasn't been substantially updated for years. tldp in itself won't teach you how to use linux, it'll teach you specific individual parts, which are unlikely to really mean much or mesh together for those new to Linux.


that linked site suggests otherwise...

O'Reilly has books for different distros and they are both: good for beginners and current, provided you read English.

Mino,

You could spend 100s or dollars on Linux books at local bookstores. I strongly recommend that you look for used ones at places like Amazon and Half.com. The distribution-specific books do go obsolete rather quickly, though.

The vast majority of Linux knowledge is freely available at sites all over the Internet. Try searching for specific topics using Google-Linux. This is a Google search engine dedicated to Linux topics.

One important aspect of the GNU/Linux operating system is the command line. This is a very important tool for Linux users. An invaluable source of information on usage of the command line can be found in the book RUTE Users Tutorial. It can be read and studied for free online. However, if you run across a paper copy of this book at a good price somewhere, buy it. It won't go obsolete any time soon.

HERE is a link to a site with other Linux related free books.

Have FUN!

~Eric

I've been in my 50s for just over 15 years now....

Linux in a Nutshell--O'Reilly

Bash Guide for Beginners by Machtelt Garrels (at TLDP.org)