Ubuntu Unleashed 2013 Edition is filled with unique and advanced information for everyone who wants to make the most of the Ubuntu Linux operating system. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated by a long-time Ubuntu community leader to reflect the exciting new Ubuntu 12.10 (“Quantal Quetzal”) and the forthcoming Ubuntu 13.04. Former Ubuntu Forum administrator Matthew Helmke covers all you need to know about Ubuntu 12.10/13.04 installation, configuration, productivity, multimedia, development, system administration, server operations, networking, virtualization, security, DevOps, and more—including intermediate-to-advanced techniques you won’t find in any other book. Helmke presents up-to-the-minute introductions to Ubuntu’s key productivity and Web development tools, programming languages, hardware support, and more. You’ll find new or improved coverage of navigation via Unity Dash, wireless networking, VPNs, software repositories, new NoSQL database options, virtualization and cloud services, new programming languages and development tools, monitoring, troubleshooting, and more. Configure and customize the Unity desktop and make the most of the Dash Get started with multimedia and productivity applications, including LibreOffice Manage Linux services, users, and software packages Administer and run Ubuntu from the command line (with added coverage of stdin, stdout, sdterr, redirection, and file comparison) Automate tasks and use shell scripting Provide secure remote access and configure a secure VPN Manage kernels and modules Administer file, print, email, proxy, LDAP, and HTTP servers (Apache or alternatives) Learn about new options for managing large numbers of servers Work with databases (both SQL and the newest NoSQL alternatives) Get started with virtualization Build a private cloud with Juju and Charms Learn the basics about popular programming languages including Python, PHP, Perl, and new alternatives such as Go and Rust

Natety

It is easy to read,
If you have the 2012 Edition you can skip this one.

You will learn everything about Ubuntu and you will become a Linux power user.
The author assumes that you are comfortable with computers and know at least the basics of computing and networking.
If you are a novice then you will have to read this book slowly. (Even so you will learn)

You will learn:
GUI (Graphical User interface)
Terminal (Linux Commands)
Setting up Servers
Installing Software
Terminal Tricks
Troubleshooting Ubuntu.

It covers everything as promised.
Keep in mind that if you want to know about something else or about other commands in the commands (Arguments) the author shows you how to do this in the computer by calling the OS Documentation. Otherwise you will learn to use the most important and useful commands

I recommend this book :)

Qudanilyr

I am often disappointed with technical books but this one is very nice. Very clear and nicely written, and thorough. Even when some details on a topic are missing, this is indicated, so you can know what to search for elsewhere in case you need to. I installed Ubuntu on a Mac partition so I have it along with OSX on the same computer, and obviously the book does not cover something unusual like that, but this book was still very helpful for my install, along with the Mac-specific stuff I found on the web. An excellent reference not just for Ubuntu but Linux in general, especially Debian on which Ubuntu is based. Sure, all the info is on the web but I found it much more efficient to find what I need in this well-organized book, plus I can mark this up, etc. It is good for both beginners and more advanced users. Much recommended.

Golkis

The pressure is on! There's no way I could have gotten everything I need to from this book this fast, so I can't give it 5 stars. Yet.

I had checked a copy out of the public library a few months ago so I could make the best of my latest piece of home-made electronics, and it was enough to convince me I needed a copy to keep. Now I have one, and it's turning into a lot of fun (and lost sleep).

Bottom line, I know of no other basic guide to Ubunto that has more information in a pretty readable format.

Bloodhammer

Simply put, this is a solid primer for someone who is unfamiliar with Ubuntu or other Debian based distros, and perhaps for someone who has never used Linux. It is well written, comfortably sized in terms of content, and is fairly well organized. Probably not a book for the Linux expert, but for the rest of us, it is a nice addition to the technical library.

Gribandis

Strongly recommended this book for beginners. It's easy to understand and follow. However, if you're an experienced unix/linux user and want to be the hardcore Linux, then find something else like "A Practical Guide to Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux" by Mark G. Sobell. I've been using Solaris for the past 12 years I finished this book in one weekend :-) It could be a quick refresh for an interview too.

salivan

There's a lot of good information about Ubuntu/Linux on the Internet, but I find that having a well-organized (and indexed) comprehensive 3-D book next to my computer is still a very valuable resource. There are, of course, many different flavors of Ubuntu and many different desktops (I'm using xfce), and this book doesn't address all the variations in any detail. Nevertheless, there's much to be learned from a more or less generic discussion of Ubuntu, and for the idiosyncrasies of each desktop variation, Google is still your friend.

Orevise

I'm a 20-year veteran of Windows-based computing. This was the second book I bought to support my first attempt to deploy a Linux-based IT infrastructure. It was more than good enough for me to set up a laptop, a server and a rudimentary Apache / PHP / MySQL web site. The first book, despite being only 18 months old, was hopelessly out of date. Enough has changed between Ubuntu's version 12 and 13 that few of the examples it offered were easy to follow. This book (Ubuntu Unleashed 2013) was vastly better in this respect, although not perfect. I get the sense that the Linux world changes quickly enough that it must be pretty difficult for books like this to keep up.

This book kept me employed, I was asked to make and ftp on Ubuntu Linux with authorization policies. The reason was we did not want mainstream ftp servers is because hacking them was well known. We mixed layers of different software languages with encryption. This book was a great help to me.