Applications

Sams Teach Yourself WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux in 24 Hours (Teach Yourself -- 24 Hours)

Format: Paperback
Author: Alan S. Golub
ReleaseDate: 23 August, 2000
Publisher: Sams
Rating:

A real find!
I highly recommend it. This resource was a real find! As someone with no experience with Linux, this book was perfect as it allowed me to gain a real understanding in a short period of time.

Excellent read and reference, especially on Quattro Pro
This one happens to be among the best I've ever read. I've used the SAMS teach yourself series to get started in many different fields, from web design to basic programming, and I've found them to vary widely in terms of quality. The pacing is just right. It starts with a quick overview of some of the issues involved in making the jump from Windows to Linux, followed by a quick tour of each application in the suite. Thereafter, the book quickly proceeds to tackle each application one by one.

The coverage of the applications is where the book really shines. The material progresses from rudimentary tasks to very advanced topics with respect to each application. The hours dedicated to WordPerfect 9 and Quattro Pro 9 were particularly helpful. The Quattro Pro material is simply the best spreadsheet application tutorial I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The hours build on each other very nicely, and everything is carefully explained and presented in the screenshots. There's also quite a bit of good humor here, too, which keeps the material from getting too dry.

Sometimes you've got to take the "24 Hours" reference in the title with a grain of salt. Not this time. I managed to work my way through each chapter in about an hour, usually including the exercises that appear at the end of each hour. Although I've had to go back to certain material to refresh my memory, the index is well-done, making the book very useful even after you've read it cover-to-cover.

All in all, an excellent, and relatively concise, introduction to using the most powerful office suite on the Linux platform. The authors' enthusiasm, knowledge, and teaching ability really shines through, making this a great tutorial for users of all levels.

Bridging The Gap
Particularly in using applications for word processing. Making the transition from the windows environment to Linux was not as smooth as I thought it would be. Alan Golub's book on Wordperfect 2000 was a pleasure and made the entire process fun and exciting.