Chris Negus is an excellent writer and one of the most knowledgeable Linux people to be found. He wrote "Linux Toys" in 2003 and he is the first to admit that it is now completely outmoded. "Linux Toys II" was published in 2005 and in only four years, it is showing its age. A testament to the rapidly evolving Linux and electronics worlds to be sure, but something of a disappointment to anyone hoping to expand their knowledge of Linux through the creation of practical projects.

The projects didn't require any great smarts to begin with: all the software needed was provided on the DV bound with the book.

Additional hardware was required for some of the projects and it is a pleasant surprise to how the prices of components have declined. For example, "Creating a Personal Video Recorder with Myth TV" was projected to cost $943. Today with a much more powerful CPU and bigger hard drives, the project would cost substantially less. But the reality is that MythTV is a far less appealing project today than it was yesterday because DVRs have become so commonplace. Also, the MythTV software has changed considerably.

The "Customizing A Live Linux Pen Drive" project was reasonably applicable in 2005. Today, directions for doing this project are everywhere and the process itself has become simplified as more publishers have adapted their software to flash drive.

Other projects such as setting up an Internet Radio Station and controlling X10 devices would have little appeal to most people.

Like I said, Chris Negus is an excellent writer, so there is something that can be learned from this book currently - but there is nothing here that can't be found in other books or on the web. I bought a used copy for a few dollars on Amazon, so I don't feel like I've wasted money. Still, having breezed through the book once, I don't think I'll be reading it again.

Jerry