Linspire 5.0: The No Nonsense
Guide! (No Nonsense Guide! series)
by Eric Grebler
Intended For The Non-Technical Linux User
A visual reference to the components of Linspire, a full-featured, Linux-
based operating system, this book demonstrates how Linspire 5.0 gives
users all of the functionality of Windows or Mac OS at a fraction of the
cost. Each set of step-by-step instructions is accompanied by a screen
capture showing exactly where to click to accomplish a project. Tips and
tricks that show the most efficient approaches for completing all varieties of
tasks are provided throughout, and for users upgrading to the latest
version of Linspire, instructions are provided on how to use the many new
features. Also included with the book is a Linspire Live CD-Rom that allows
users to test and enjoy the benefits of Linspire before committing to install
it on a computer.

Personal Review: Linspire 5.0: The No Nonsense Guide! (No
Nonsense Guide! series) by Eric Grebler
This book is a follow-on to Eric Grebler's earlier work that described
Linspire 4.x. But this is much more than a quick update with a few new
screenshots. In "Linspire 5.0: The No-Nonsense Guide", Eric and the
Mimosa Team have put together a new basic guide to using the very
popular applications of this very popular Linux distro.
Just about every page has one or two screenshots, so the book is
appealing visually. On the other hand, the wealth of screenshots has led
to a (relative) paucity of text.
In particular, the process of installation in chapter 1, provides no
information at all on what to do if things don't go as planned. The only
reference to disk partitioning is a single paragraph on page 18, saying
essentially "go and do a web search if you want to know about partitions.
Unless a user gets lucky with his hardware, this isn't adequate.
Similarly, chapter 9, "Connecting to the Internet" tells you how to type in
your PPP or PPPOE settings, but gives no information on how to
troubleshoot a balky connection. Fine if all goes well, but no help if
something doesn't work (there's a walk through of how to refresh a DHCP
lease - which will do nothing if the problem is "no connection").
Installing and configuring are the most challenging tasks for new users.
Users running applications will have a much smoother time, and in these
chapters no troubleshooting is needed or given. Grebler walks through the
use of KDE (including the pager or virtual desktop). He covers the
different programs in the Open Office suite, and the two apps that Linspire
donated to open source - the Lphoto and Lsongs clones of Apple's iPhoto
and iTunes. A new user would find it straightforward to use these
programs based on the information Eric presents.
Browsing, Instant Messaging, and network file sharing round out the book.
Eric describes how to get software through Linspire's Click'N'Run, but
omits any mention of the underlying Debian packaging and (free) apt-get
alternative.
Overall, the book is well designed, easy to read and reference, and full of
useful information about applications. You won't get anything more than
superficial information about Linux itself from this book - but for a very
large class of readers, new to Linux and lacking the confidence to try by
themselves, that is exactly what's needed.
I would say that this text is intended mainly for people who have bought a
PC that comes preinstalled with Linspire Linux, and who want to get
running with the minimum of learning about Linux. For this class of user,
this text is ideal, and I recommend it.

Disclaimer: I am the author of a different Linux textbook ("Peter van der
Linden's Guide to Linux", also based on the Linspire distro). But I think I
can give a fair shake of the stick to other writers, and describe their work
fairly for other readers.
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