Prentice Hall and SAMS Launch New Ubuntu Linux Books at LinuxWorld 2008

Business Wire, August 5, 2008

New Rough Cuts and Short Cuts Offer Quick Access to Hot Content

SAN FRANCISCO -- Prentice Hall and SAMS Publishing today announced the release of key titles for the open source community, including The Official Ubuntu Book, third edition and Ubuntu Unleashed: 2008 Edition, both of which provide definitive instruction on the new Ubuntu 8.04 Long Term Support (also known by the latest animal code name, "Hardy Heron").

Ubuntu is a community-developed, Linux-based operating system that is designed for laptops, desktops and servers.

The Official Ubuntu Book, third edition (www.informit.com/title/0137136684), authored by Benjamin Mako Hill, Corey Burger, Jonathan Jesse and Jono Bacon -- all leading Ubuntu community leaders -- covers Ubuntu from start to finish, including installation, configuration, desktop productivity, games, management, and support. It includes brand new content on Edubuntu (specially tailored for use in primary and secondary education) and the new Kubuntu Remix including KDE 4 (Kubuntu places an emphasis on graphical tools and making Linux easy to customize).

Ubuntu Unleashed: 2008 Edition, authored by Andrew Hudson and Paul Hudson, is part of a new innovative publishing model designed to help Ubuntu users keep up with software updates - and save the environment at the same time. For the first time, readers who purchase the book in 2008 can also elect to receive by mail a free DVD Upgrade Kit for Ubuntu 8.10- the software's next incarnation - and a corresponding PDF guide, rather than purchase an entirely new print edition. The best-selling Unleashed book series offers technically sophisticated references for professionals.

Both of these Ubuntu books and many more Prentice Hall and SAMS open source books and multimedia learning materials are available through Safari Books Online, the leading provider of on-demand digital libraries for technology and business professionals, at http://safari.informit.com. IT professionals unfamiliar with Safari Books Online can register for a 10-day free trial at the site.

In addition, a wide variety of PH and Sams books on open source and other technology topics will be available for purchase on-site at Pearson Booth #1529, such as Virtualization (dividing the resources of a computer into multiple environments); open source web development; and multimedia training products.

Not Only Books: Rough Cuts

Through Safari Books Online, SAMS has just released Rough Cuts for key upcoming PHP and MySQL titles. Rough Cuts provide access to an author's developing manuscript before the final product is published, and are regularly updated as new material becomes available. New Rough Cuts include:

-- PHP and MySQL Web Development, 4th Edition, authored by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson (http://safari.informit.com/9780672329166), scheduled to publish in September, 2008

-- MySQL, 4th Edition, authored by Paul DuBois (http://safari.informit.com/9780768678673), scheduled to publish in August, 2008

Not Only Books: Short Cuts

Also launching at LinuxWorld is the 2nd Edition of the best-selling eBook, InkScape: Guide to a Vector Drawing Program (Digital Short Cut), authored by Tavmjong Bah. This eBook serves as both an introduction to and reference for the Inkscape drawing program and is free of digital rights management (DRM), meaning there are no restrictions to hinder readers from consuming the content. Short Cuts are short, concise, PDF documents designed specifically for busy technical professionals. www.informit.com/shortcuts

Sample Chapters:

-- For a free sample chapter from Ubuntu Unleashed, "Ubuntu Command Line Quickstart," please visit: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1226928

-- For a free sample chapter from The Official Ubuntu Book, "Using Ubuntu on the Desktop," please visit: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1224620

More open source resources

-- Open Source Articles & Blogs: http://www.informit.com/topics/topic.aspx?st=66399

-- OnOpenSource video podcasts:

http://www.informit.com/podcasts/channel.aspx?c=1977eb71-4a34-42dd -a7d0-7952a08c527e (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

About Pearson Education

The global leader in educational and professional publishing, Pearson Education is home to such respected brands as Addison-Wesley Professional, Cisco Press, Exam Cram, IBM Press, Prentice Hall Professional, Que, and Sams Publishing, which have as their online publishing arm InformIT (www.informit.com) -The Trusted Technology Learning Source. In addition, Berkeley-based Peachpit (www.peachpit.com), the publishing partner for Adobe Press, Apple Certified, and others, publishes best-selling books for creative design professionals. Pearson is also co-founder, with O'Reilly Media Inc., of Safari Books Online (http://safari.informit.com), the premier on-demand technology content library providing thousands of expert reference materials through a single point of contact, including expert technology, creative and design, industry and management resources in video, audio and written formats. Pearson Education is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group."