Heavily visual books have become popular lately, but mainly for elementary subjects. In Setting Up a Linux Intranet Server Visual Black Book, a team of authors and designers brings the picture-intensive approach to Linux. It's a welcome move that simultaneously heralds Linux's improving ease of use and the willingness of the computing mainstream to investigate the operating system.

The authors have hit their subject at precisely the right angle too. By choosing to use the Visual Black Book style on Linux-based intranet servers, they nail the application that's most interesting to the small-office users who are their audience. This book will help the casual network administrator get a Linux machine working as a file, printer, Web, and electronic mail server.

The format relies on illustrating sequential steps with a combination of line drawings, screen shots, and command-line listings. The text that describes what's going on in the steps includes callouts, so there's never any question about what part of the illustration is relevant. The format isn't great for communicating conceptual information, but it will help you accomplish the basic tasks quickly and enable you to look into denser reference on a more solid footing. --David Wall

Topics covered: Building a local area network (LAN) server with Linux (Red Hat Linux 6 appears in the examples), installation, basic command-line operations, users and groups, and heterogeneous networking with information on Samba for Windows and netatalk for Mac OS. Coverage of specific services includes the Apache Web server and electronic mail with sendmail and qpopper. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Network gurus are giants among men-NOT!!!
I think the map metaphor is appropriate here: We want to get to point B; a simple map shows us the way. Does that mean we don't check our oil, inquire about road conditions, ask friends about traffic, etc.? I think not, and this book does NOT tell us to follow blindly. What it does is show that Linux server setup is NOT rocket science, and will get simpler as the distros mature. These self-styled gurus are puzzle phreaks, not problem solvers.

Best picture book to get Linux/Samba running
I'm glad I didn't read the reviews before getting this book. I needed to get Linux running first, then I'd learn it later. This book works exactly as planned. Pictures step you through getting Samba to work, and I took an old 486 and made it work on our network. Now I've got a box on which I can learn Linux, and it's already useful on my network.

The worst book about Linux that I have read to date.
I purchased this book knowing that there is a wealth of quality information available for free about Linux, but I was hoping that this would be a convenient reference documenting a variety of services authoritatively.

Sadly, this book is riddled with an apalling number of factual errors, near constant misleading comments, and nigh-unreadably strained English. The factual errors for the most part won't get the reader into trouble right away (though there are some worrying errors), but this added to the cookbook approach can provide either a dangerous feeling of adequacy or a voodoo approach to system administration - "I just did it this way because the book told me to".

I cannot encourage people to buy this book; it is very inconsistent in practices, it gives directions without rationale, and it gives no pointers to places where adequate documentation can be found.

I would give this book negative stars if I could, as I consider this book harmful to some and useful to none. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General   2. Client-Server Computing   3. Client-Server Computing - General   4. Client/server computing   5. Computer Bks - Operating Systems   6. Computer Books: General   7. Computers   8. Networking - Intranets & Extranets   9. Operating Systems - General   10. Operating Systems - Linux   

Subjects:  1. Art   2. Art & Art Instruction   3. Asian   4. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General   

Customer Reviews (2)

Every tradition has its history
Like many other good books, I'm puzzled why this is currently out of print. Kodera's work makes fascinating reading for anyone curious about Dogen's background in Sung China. A sterling translation of Dogen's Hokyo-Ki, supported by careful annotations and historical background material, this work formed the basis for Kodera's Ph.D. thesis at Columbia. Happily,it has the merit of being informative without ever being stuffy - not always the case with academic studies offered to the general market.

Rather more than what the title suggests, Kodera's work actually begins with an analysis of Dogen's background in the Buddhist centres of his native Japan, culminating in his search for the 'authentic teacher'in the temples of Sung China. The background of Ch'an or Zen in Sung China also comes in for assessment, and in fact, the translation of the Hokyo-Ki per se (a relatively short document), comprises a mere twenty-four pages, followed by copious annotations, an extensive glossary, bibliography - with the original kanji text. Minus Kodera's careful annotations, much about this text would remain obscure and the author's work helps to put it in proper context.

In this age of jet travel, we tend to forget the perils facing Buddhist monks who ventured across the sea in flimsy wooden boats - if needs be, vowing to 'bury their bones' in far-off lands - or risk being lost at sea, in order to acquire experience of the Dharma - and transmit it to their fellow men. Such, also, was Dogen's journey. Needless to say, the high point of Dogen's trip and mission, was his encounter with Master Tendo Nyojo (Tien Tung Ju Ching) on Mount T'ien-Tung. Depicted in highly moving terms, it was, of course, the defining moment in Dogen's career. Curiously, it seems that the crucial idiom - 'shinjin datsuraku' 'casting off mind and body' was in fact Dogen's homophonous reconstruction of his Chinese master's words, meaning to 'drop dust from the mind.' Be that as it may, this was the decisive encounter - for Dogen. Still, Dogen's earlier encounter with the Chinese 'Tenzo' or cook-monk, while still aboard the boat, was also crucial in its own way, the discovery that drying mushrooms for the community of monks, was no less Dharma-work, something re-stated by Dogen, when stressing the need for Zen-ki or 'total exertion' with the practice.

My only reservation about this text, concerns Dogen's rather jaundiced view of Rinzai Zen, in the person of Ta-hui Tsung Kao. Kodera acknowledges the infidelities in Dogen's account (i.e. the claim that Ta-hui advocated a 'dissolution of consciousness') but left it at that. Oddly, Hee Jin Kim (cf. Dogen; Mystical Realist) also raised the issue, only to drop it, leaving it unresolved. Prof. Yanagida Seizan - usually reliable, also ducked the issue (virtually in 'denial' over it) - attributing it to 'early senility.' Here, we must understand Dogen as a man of flesh and blood, rather than a flawless 'patriarch.' There is great beauty in Dogen's spiritual writings and poetry.We might also learn to understand him as a person, with his own hopes and fears. Hokyo-ki is part of that.

What would it have been like to study zen in China 1200AD?
I was lucky enough to run across this book in a used bookstore, having only read brief synopses of Dogen's life in other Zen books. I had not even realized such a biographical document in Dogen's own hand existed! So many touching details of the master/student spiritual relationship are revealed here; both stories that are timeless in their humanity, as well as stories that reveal the unique character of the Zen culture of 13th century China. Though, the famous story of 'body-mind drop-off' is not recounted by Dogen himself, as I was surprised to learn, other revealing anecdotes are - such as Dogen involuntarily weeping whenever he sees his teacher, and the teacher himself commenting on the auspiciousness of that sign. It is a true love story, in a way. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1200-1253   2. Biography   3. Dogen,   4. Japan   5. Priests, Zen   6. Zen Buddhism   7. Dogen   

Subjects:  1. Physics   2. Plasma spectroscopy   3. Science   4. Science/Mathematics   5. Plasma physics   

Customer Reviews (10)

Great for newbies
Great place for a complete newbie to start. And I would only use this book to gain understanding about what is involved in setting up a very basic webserver with Apache, Sendmail and DNS, not how to administer one. It is very easy to read and follow. You will learn a little about linux but your next book will need to be Kabir's "RedHat Linux Administrators Handbook" or something of the like.

However, it does have a major typ-o by referring to the vi editor as the vigr editor which could be very confusing to beginners.

The book gives a good explanation of how the internet works and how a webserver is used with some info on Proxy, intranet, T1 networks and troubleshooting. But it gives very little explanation why and how you do what you do.

Do what the book says. Use the CD that came with it and not the latest linux release and you should be ok. Remember, just for learning purposes.

If you already know how to set up Apache, DNS and Sendmail then try "Craig Hunt's Linux Library Series". Also, you will not learn how to install PHP with this book.

Absolutely Amazing
The book is a rare find. Despite several typos and two Japanese writers, the text is thoroughly readable. From the other reviews it's clear that the strengths of this text can be missed. Nevertheless, these writers have something going on: their writing is solid, thoughtful, and tight. Barring the flaws cited, all technical books should be of this caliber. Unfortunately, they aren't.

Waste of Time
The CDROM is entirely unloadable either via a boot disk or from itself. The number of mistakes in the book is amazing. It is entirely worthless considering I bought it to help my son learn how to set up an internet server and to use Linux! No more Coriolis Press books for me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General   2. Computer Bks - Operating Systems   3. Computer Books And Software   4. Computers   5. Hardware - Network Hardware   6. Internet   7. Internet - Hardware   8. Operating Systems - General   9. Operating Systems - Linux   10. Operating systems (Computers)   

Customer Reviews (2)

Great LITTLE Book
Remember its tiny - approx 4"x4" - but very well done.

Picture quality in "Treasures of the Uffizi"
Though a thin volume for a museum title, I am impressed by the picture quality of this book. The illustrations contain very little moire and are not page-split in the middle in many cases. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art   2. Art & Art Instruction   3. Catalogs   4. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General   5. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Museum   6. Florence   7. Galleria degli Uffizi   8. History - General   9. Italy   10. Painting   11. Permanent Collection Catalogs   

Subjects:  1. Electric Machines   2. Electric motors, Direct curren   3. Servomechanisms   

Subjects:  1. Architecture   2. Design - General   3. General   

Subjects:  1. 1914-   2. Consciousness   3. Eastern - General   4. Interior Design - General   5. Islam - General   6. Islamic Philosophy   7. Izutsu, Toshihiko,   8. Mind & Body   9. Philosophy   10. Philosophy, Islamic   11. Religion   12. Sufism   

Subjects:  1. 1848-1938   2. Art   3. Art & Art Instruction   4. Art Patronage   5. Art collections   6. Art, Japanese   7. Asian   8. Japan   9. Masuda, Takashi,   10. Private collections   11. Masuda, Takashi   

Customer Reviews (1)

Linking Lean Manufacturing & Labor Relations
This book is an invaluable source of perspective on understanding the subtle linkage between driving world class manufacturing and human relations. Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld is clearly one of the pre-eminent scholars in the field of labor relations today and this book demonstrates his ability to diagnose and explain complex scenarios and relationships with ease and clarity. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics   2. Business / Economics / Finance   3. Business/Economics   4. Corporate & Business History - Strategies   5. Cross-cultural studies   6. International - General   7. Knowledge management   8. Management - General   9. Organizational Behavior In Business   10. Organizational learning   11. Production & Operations Management   12. Teams in the workplace   13. United States   14. International business   15. Japan   16. Operational research   17. Organizational theory & behaviour   18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Japan - History   2. Political History   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics   2. Business / Economics / Finance   3. Business/Economics   4. Economic History   5. Economic Theory   6. Business & Economics / Economic History   7. Economic theory & philosophy   8. Economics--History   

Customer Reviews (1)

befriending the seasons in the modern world
Along with Shiki and Santoka, Yamaguchi is a great haiku poet of the 20th century, and certainly the greatest living practitioner of this form which lasts for no more than the length of a single breath.

Universally recognized in his country, his haiku appear both in the ephemeral medium of morning newspapers and in inscriptions on black stones scattered throughout the islands of Japan. With many volumes in print, this is the definitive English language collection, carefully translated by Kodaira and Marks -- themselves accomplished poets.

Presented in Japanese and English, with the Japanese text in both Kanji/Kana and Romanji, and with the poet's notes for each haiku intact, there is no better introduction to modern haiku for English language readers.

Yamaguchi's haiku are modern in that they incorporate a great number of references to human affairs, sometimes omitting 'kigo' or season words, but are always rooted in the season and in nature -- even if that nature is influenced by human habitation:

Mysterious ground -
the ground I watch in the night
of a night ballgame

[from The Essence of Modern Haiku : 300 Poems by Seishi Yamaguchi] ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asian - General   2. General   3. Japanese Poetry   4. Poetry   

The outrage that, two decades ago, greeted the plan to restore Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel seems absurd, now that they're on view in all their glory. The 150 absolutely magnificent color plates in this big, beautiful book are eloquent testimony to the project's utter success. Even two small patches of background sky, the "before" picture, gray and streaked, and the "after" picture, blue and clear, are thrilling. Two photographs are used almost as bookends: One of the huge fresco of the Last Judgment after cleaning, and one taken of the whole wall, from the same perspective, before. It is difficult to describe how different the wall is now. Perhaps chief restorer Gianluigi Colalucci expresses it best when he writes, "Today... it is clear how distorting that dark and irregular veil of discoloration had been. It extinguished the colors and confused the forms as it dampened their impact. It revealed only monumentality, and that false, dark melancholy that had a facile hold on the human soul." Colalucci had been the first to touch Michelangelo's ceiling--with a handkerchief dampened with saliva--and discover a deep yellow beneath the soot of centuries, so it seems fitting that he also has the last word in this book. There are two other essays besides his, one by Loren Partridge, an interpretation of the Last Judgment, and one on the history, technique, and restoration, by the late Fabrizio Mancinelli, of the Papal Museums. --Peggy Moorman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Incredible, detailed look into this masterpiece
I must admit that for the longest time, my attention and focus, while studying Michelangelo, has been towards the Sistine Chapel. Most of the books I own on him devote numerous text and space to the ceiling, and a moderate take on the Last Judgement. It's not that I didn't appreciate the wall, or regard it as a masterpiece--truthfully, when I saw it in person, it floored me--I just didn't pay very much attention to it.

Boy, was I missing out. After finishing the companion book, Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration, I decided I should pick this one up as well (might as well complete the picture, so to speak).

First of all, this book does not disappoint. The pictures are sumptuous and provide phenomenal detail. The Last Judgement is a very "busy" painting, with Michelangelo including approximately 400 figures, so it is easy to feel overwhelmed. This book systematically breaks the painting down into its various sections, detailing the thoughts (spiritual and secular) behind the depictions, bringing the fresco into focus.

The book also describes the painstaking restoration the wall went through and its glorious results.

After reading this book, I have a renewed vision and appreciation for this work. When I saw it in Rome, the wall stunned, scared and thrilled me all at the same time; this book brought that all back. Simply put, I love this book and consider it to be an important piece to my collection.

Bravo. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art   2. Art & Art Instruction   3. Conservation and restoration   4. History - General   5. Individual Artist   6. Individual Painters - Renaissance   7. Judgment Day in art   8. Mural painting and decoration, Italian   9. Mural painting and decoration, Renaissance   10. Vatican City   11. Criticism and interpretation   12. Last Judgment   13. Michelangelo Buonarroti   

Subjects:  1. Data processing   2. Expert systems (Computer scien   3. Expert systems (Computer science)   4. Industrial applications   5. Nuclear Energy   6. Nuclear Engineering (Specific Aspects)   7. Nuclear power plants   8. Science/Mathematics   9. Technology   

Subjects:  1. Computer Systems   2. Computer architecture   3. Congresses   4. Josephson junctions   5. Magnetism   6. Parametrons   

Subjects:  1. Asian   2. General   3. Poetry   4. Translations into English   5. Tsujii, Takashi   

Subjects:  1. Education / Teaching   2. Study Aids   3. Study Guides   4. Teaching Methods & Materials - Workbooks   5. Workbooks