Customer Reviews

Bulletproof UNIX

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

it is an alright book for learning some little things, but don't feel like i learned much from this book as i could have from another

Really a good book for the students who are in the beginning stage of UNIX.

The content of this book is good and anyone from a beginner to experienced UNIX user will learn something from reading this book. However, I can't recommend it because the author writes this book as if he is speaking to 3rd graders. The author's tone seems to assume all readers of the book are clueless and need tiresome explanations about obvious points. The book is also filled with un-funny side commentary that is intended (I guess) to make the technical material more readable-but it fails miserably.

An example of how the author goes wrong is in chapter 11, where the UNIX "grep" command is covered. The author continually refers to the "grep" command as "she." I suppose he thinks that personifying a UNIX command will somehow make the material more enjoyable to his "3rd grade readers." He couldn't be more wrong! I find this style so annoying I want rip the pages from the book and send them mercilessly through a shredder!

So, unless you like to read technical books with the words "dummy" or "idiot" in the title, I would stay away from this one. There is no shortage of excellent UNIX books out there, so there is no reason to waste time with this one.

This book is EXCELLENT. I love the writing style!! I feel like I am in the room with the instructor and listening to him explain one person to another as opposed to snooty supergeek to clueless new user. This is the Unix book for people who want to learn Unix and is not meant as a reference book of all commands although the chapters cover an amazing amount of ground. If you want a reference of commands try "Unix in a Nutshell" (any edition before the 4th edition).
I find it invaluable to know WHY certain things were done so they make sense to me. For some reason then I can remember so much more easily later.
And OMG, can you believe the author has a sense of humor?? Whoa! You can actually stay awake when you are reading this.

Was exactly what I was looking for - a well written
text so I can learn UNIX. Book was in superb condition.

I had this book for a Unix introductory class. This book is obviously intended for those who have NO CLUE whatsoever as to what Unix is or that it even exists. Overall, if you've only heard about Unix and have no experience with it, AT ALL, then this is a very good book. Warning, if you have some experience with Unix (or Bash, really), even on a small level, then you will not gain much from this book. For what it is, its a good read. I'd recommend it to those who are new to the Unix operating system. Its a good starting point.

I'll admit up front that I am a biased reviewer; I returned to school at the age of 44, and Dr. Gottleber was my instructor for my very first Unix course at North Lake College.

This is NOT a book for the "seasoned" Unix user. This is a textbook for first year Unix students, or anyone that just wants to learn about the OS. Dr. Gottleber does an excellent job of presenting the material in a very easy to understand manner. If you read this book in its entirety, as well as do all of the exercises at the end of each chapter, you will be a power user in no time. I'll be passing this one on to my son.

I highly recommend this book.

Great Textbook, very readable writing style. You can feel the authors passion for his subject. A "must-have" for any Unix user!!!
W. Wyman Phoenix, AZ

Unfortunately, this book is just a basic intro to Unix.
Take a careful look at the TOC. Look at it before you buy.
Heed this warning that you will get almost no value from it.

This book talks too much details about the history of UNIX.As a student,I just want to be familiar with the commands of UNIX.Another ridiculous thing is that there is no way for students or users to get the solution of exercise at the end of each chapter.No answer solution attached in this BIG BOOK,only the instructor is allowed to buy it.
I really can't benefit from this book.