Customer Reviews

Learning the Unix Operating System (Nutshell Handbooks)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am an MCSE who is looking to expand my skills as an Administrator. I recognize that being Agnostic in which OS best suites a given situation is a must. So, I decided to take on the task of learning Unix - something that takes a looong time....unless you know where to start!

No matter what flavor of Unix (any System V or any *BSD version) this book will get you started in a jiffy. I sat down on an SGI running Irix 6.2 and started reading this book and perofrming the exercises. One of the most important things about this book over any other is that when you actually do these exercises you will learn more than you expected! Best of all it makes a good, quick reference to flip open when you forget something silly and need the answer quick. I GURANTEE this book will help anyone who is a Microsoft junkie that wants to start learning *ANY* version of Unix.

Although it's only 92 pages, you will understand mail, file and directory permissions, passwd, file management, printing files, pipes and filters, and multi-tasking. That's a lot of sh*t for such a small book.

This book is only a tiny part of your very first step to learning the UNIX system for the first time. Although it covers some very important basics of UNIX, it sure is not even close to being a source enough for a complete start to UNIX. This book is not intended for that, therefore if you are someone who would like to have a detailed start to UNIX, buy another book. It starts with some general information about UNIX and proceeds to teach how to log in and out, but covers only the most basic commands. There is too much general information which is more suitable for people who are not familiar with operating systems at all. It doesn't cover any commands for the editors in UNIX, which means you will have to purchase another book. It has around 7 chapters, which could be covered in 2 if you take out all the unnecessary text. It certainly is not suitable for a programmer wishing to get into UNIX fast and complete.

I needed a book that would tell me very quickly what I needed to know to make use of a UNIX shell, and more importantly, to have some idea what I was looking at when I saw UNIX-related commands on a screen. I have worked with many operating systems over the years, but somehow had missed UNIX.

This book did 100%++ of what I wanted it to do. The great thing about it is that I believe it would do the same thing for someone without a lot of systems background. A technical book of any kind that can talk clearly to both kinds of readers is a very rare thing!

Highly recommended!

I remember my first look at a UNIX terminal. A little '%' with a flashing cursor. I don't remember how long I stared at the little prompt not knowing what to do. Then I pressed some keys and things became much worse.

Now I'm surfing around dizzying hierarchies of file structures, able to get to the root and back again and make and edit text files. I bite my thumb at weird commands that used to seem as comprehensible as medieval scholasticism.

I wouldn't have been able to accomplish any of that without this little book that's as intimidating as a ladybug.

The most difficult part of the book, in fact, is actually finding a UNIX environment to log into. If you're not at a University or a fairly good-sized corporation (and if you don't know UNIX they won't let you near a command line anyway) you may wonder where to go. Linux, in most cases, is a good substitute; or check the web for free UNIX (or Linux) shell accounts. Combine your new-found account with this book and UNIX will no longer be a gut-wrenching incomprehensible monolith.

Don't consider yourself an expert, however, and don't stop there. UNIX may not be as difficult as some like to think it is, but it's also not easily mastered. Take this book, digest it, then move on to bigger tomes (there is no shortage of tomes in the land of UNIX, as you will find).

Lastly, the owl on the cover rules.

This book was written for the newbie who is using a unix terminal. He don't teach you the installation or config of unix, only gives you an overview of the fundamental commands and tasks (logging, windowing, managing files & directories, background processing and a little more). So if you are using a unix/linux preconfigured system and know nothing about unix, then buy this book or look the net (for there are very much like this and you don't need to pay), if not, forget!!!

For all the people who whined and pined about how this book didn't talk about anything: 1) Pick the book up. 2) Look at it's width. 3) Note that a 3/4cm book will not answer all your questinos about a 30-yearold, complex, multiuser, multitasking operating system! Honestly, what did you expect in 100 pages!? For everyone else who is new/practically new to the Unix OS, get this book. $10 will not break you. It then refers other books to you. I also recomend Unix in a Nutshell (and all the other books by O'Reilly, they're amazing) for some more indepth information on the Unix OS. Then it will talk about smaller parts of the OS and then you can get another O'Reilly book about that! I'm actually excited. So in short, one book will not tell you everything you need to know about anything!

I came into this with DOS, OS/2 and Windows experience (but no UNIX/Linux). This book and it's simple exercises will get you familiar with the most common essential commands in UNIX. It's best to read cover to cover and do the exercises while you go.

This is not a book for UNIX experts. This book is for people that have little or no experience on LINUX/UNIX. It is concise and doesn't waste your time while still teaching you the basics. People looking for more advanced reading should move on to Essential System Administration and UNIX Power tools (also Orielly books.)

Learning UNIX will definately get the new UNIX user off on the right foot and get you working with the interface.

I'm a big fan of O'Reilly, but this book doesn't cut it. If you're completely new to computers and new to UNIX, this book is probably a good one, but if you are remotely familiar with another O/S, skip this book. It is way too basic and only covers a handful of commands. "UNIX for dummies" is less condescending and covers more. For instance, the printing section says what to do if "my printout hasn't come out". It says "other users may have made a request to the printer ahead of you and your file should be printed in turn." Then "...check the printers connections and power switch" Duh. O'Reilly usually writes books for smart people, this is an exception.

People who have never used Unix will find it very intimidating, but this book will definitely change that. This book doesn't try to throw a lot of information at you, but rather, it gives you a nice, easy-going introduction to using Unix.

Some of the books strengths are its using of examples and illustrations. Using screens shots to show what the user will (or should) see helps the Unix shy better understand should happen when they do something. This book really does a good job in going step by step in order to accomplish. New users definitely won't feel like they will get lost.

The other strength is how the book covers errors that users might encounter, and how to deal with them. Afterall, new users will make mistakes, and it helps to have a book that will tell users why they got that error.

If you have a fair amount of experience in Unix, you should definitely read other books. If you are really new to Unix, then definitely read this book. You will definitely feel more confident when you are done. Even those who have learned Unix before just might learn sometihng new (I did). :)

Every UNIX Admin Group Should Have One... To loan to users

You are perceived to be a UNIX guru. People regularly come to you with great deference to ask you for advice and help. Someone apologizes for his/her lack of knowledge for the third or fourth time and asks about a basic command. You grab a thin book from the shelf. "Take a look at this book", you say, "You probably know most of what's in here, but maybe some of it will help you. Just give it back when you're done." With relief he/she clutches the book and thanks you several times. He/she almost bumps into your neighbor's cubicle wall as he/she walks away reading this book...

Buy this thin book and this may happen to you. Well, the first part you'll have to manage yourself, but no self-styled UNIX novice has been ungrateful to borrow this book. Anyone seen as a guru will find that this book will pay for itself as a time-saving loaner.

I must say, that perception plays a great deal in this case. The book is amazingly thin and sports an O'Reilly animal on the cover. Anyone in corporate IT will associate this book with the O'Reilly books the in-house experts have on their shelves. I have another book that I feel may be a bit better for UNIX beginners, but given a choice, people will grab this one.

One can't help but notice sections that are probably unnecessary for computer-savvy UNIX beginners, such as "working with a mouse" and the description of a directory structure. But these sections are brief and clear and the authors move on quickly to UNIX-specific items such as "Redirecting I/O".

I definitely prefer "UNIX: Visual QuickStart Guide" from Peachpit Press, so I'm compelled to give this book less than a perfect score. I must admit that people who borrow this book seem much more enthusiastic when they borrow it than when they return it. But they also seem ready to move on to heavier books, and that's well worth the price.