Linux is linux, right? Why then this variant, which calls itself Knoppix, after its creator?
Sery explains that Knoppix has one main reason for being. It can be run from a bootable DVD, without having to install it on your machine. And, no surprise, just such a DVD is included with the book.
So if you have a Microsoft Windows machine, you can plug in this DVD, boot off it, without having to disturb your disk containing the Microsoft operating system. Sery shows the advantages of this. For one, you can "test drive" linux on your own machine, without having to overwrite the disk. No commitment. So if you have never used linux, and want to see what all the hoopla is about, this is a very simple way to get acquainted.
The book also shows, once you've booted into Knoppix, how to do common tasks in it. The KDE desktop is used. Different from what you might be used to under Microsoft, but the overall ideas are the same.
Sery also explains another major reason for Knoppix. It can be a valuable emergency boot, if your Microsoft or linux disk crashes. Or gets corrupted due to malware. The read-only nature of the Knoppix DVD means that you have a clean operating system you can boot from, without having to redo your disk, which undoubtedly has data that you want to preserve.
