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This seems like the best place to ask the question. Are there any books (textbooks, preferably) that are quality enough to go from the basics of installing to more advanced topics with Ubuntu. I ask this because I posed the question to the Linux professor at my college about switching from Fedora Core to Ubuntu for the Linux set of classes and she said she doesn't know of any textbook that could be used for the class. Any ideas?
There is one book about ubuntu. you can check it at amazone.
http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Ubun.../dp/1590596277
From the comments, it seems good. But I did not read it. ^_^ I just refer to the online resources in wiki, forum and etc. All problems can be solved
I looked into textbooks when I was first investigating Ubuntu and while there are a few out there by the usual suspects (just check the computers/programming section of your local bookstore) the best one to me seemed to be the "official" Ubuntu handbook put out by canonical. In the end though I didn't end up buying any of them. The truth is that Ubuntu is updated so often (every six months) that much of the information in the books was out of date and few of the latest features were highlighted. Additionally the best information is really on sites like this or (perhaps more in line with what you are looking for) the ubuntu wiki. Even some of the info there can be outdated but at least the stuff is cross referenced and updated more often than a printed book. Unless you really need to have the text in your hand I'd suggest relying on the wiki and community information, even printing out some pages yourself before buying any of the actual printed books. Good luck! -joe
I agree that things are updated too much to be completely relevant by the time you read the book. Especially in the classroom where it'd be used for a year or two before it'd be updated to a newer edition. It's not really feasible though for a teacher to say, "Okay, for today's lesson we'll be going to so-and-so's blog on how to install the Avant Window Navigator."
I'll keep looking around and throw some ideas at my teacher though. Ubuntu has taken a commanding lead in user-friendly Linux, so I feel like it should be the one that's taught.
Does it have to be a print textbook? The Ubuntu Documentation Team spends quite a bit of time writing documentation both for inclusion in the Gnome Help Center and also on the help wiki at http://help.ubuntu.com/community . Since print books become outdated so fast perhaps it's better to use a different media. The other thing you can do is just go with LTS releases which are about every 2 years. I know most of my textbooks changed once a year anyway :-)
-LaserJock
I have just purchased "Hacking Ubuntu". by Dr Neal Krawetz
ISBN: 9780470108727 PUBLISHED by Wiley Publishing.
I have not finished the whole book yet - but what I have read is 'just what I need' I think it is certainly worth a look. - Would certainly pass as a 'text book' I am certain.