Learning the UNIX Operating System, Fifth Edition [Paperback]

Jerry Peek (Author), Grace Todino-Gonguet (Author), John Strang (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596002610 | ISBN-13: 978-0596002619 | Publication Date: January 15, 2002 | Edition: Fifth Edition

If you are new to Unix, this concise book will tell you just what you need to get started and no more. Unix was one of the first operating systems written in C, a high-level programming language, and its natural portability and low price made it a popular choice among universities. Initially, two main dialects of Unix existed: one produced by AT&T known as System V, and one developed at UC Berkeley and known as BSD. In recent years, many other dialects have been created, including the highly popular Linux operating system and the new Mac OS X (a derivative of BSD).

Learning the Unix Operating System is a handy book for someone just starting with Unix or Linux, and it's an ideal primer for Mac and PC users of the Internet who need to know a little about Unix on the systems they visit. The fifth edition is the most effective introduction to Unix in print, covering Internet usage for email, file transfers, web browsing, and many major and minor updates to help the reader navigate the ever-expanding capabilities of the operating system:

• In response to the popularity of Linux, the book now focuses on the popular bash shell preferred by most Linux users.
• Since the release of the fourth edition, the Internet and its many functions has become part of most computer user's lives. A new chapter explains how to use ftp, pine for mail, and offers useful knowledge on how to surf the web.
• Today everyone is concerned about security. With this in mind, the author has included tips throughout the text on security basics, especially in the Internet and networking sections.

The book includes a completely updated quick reference card to make it easier for the reader to access the key functions of the command line.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Part basic primer, part reference guide, this slim volume will make your life with UNIX much simpler. This book is specifically designed for those who are new to UNIX and contains neither introductory-level condescension nor advanced-level gibberish. Well-indexed and clearly mapped, Learning the UNIX Operating System will show you how to use and manage files and get your e-mail as well as how to perform more advanced tasks, such as redirecting standard input/output and multitasking your processes. Those new to the UNIX world will appreciate its concise presentation, and those reasonably familiar with UNIX will learn many new shortcuts, tricks, and tools. --Jennifer Buckendorff --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'Ah, what a lovely little book. My list of classics include: K&R, Pike and Kernighan's The Practice of Programming, their The Unix Programming Environment, The Perl Cookbook and The Awk Programming Language. To that list I can now add the current volume. What more can I say: this is a good buy, especially for anyone approaching Unix/Linux for the first time. Even older hands might find it useful to have a copy, if only to give away. It won't provide all that is needed but it is good starting point. I am convinced that computers are getting uglier by the day. This ugliness stems from a quest for glitz at the expense of simplicity and elegance. Like a breath of fresh air, 'Learning the Unix Operating System' is a reminder that it doesn't need to be that way. ' - Joe McCool, Learning the UNIX Operating System - Cvu, April

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Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; Fifth Edition edition (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596002610
• ISBN-13: 978-0596002619
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > APIs & Operating Environments
  • #18 in Books > Computers & Technology > Operating Systems > Unix
  • #36 in Books > Computers & Technology > Operating Systems > Linux

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The PERFECT book for the beginner!, June 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Learning the UNIX Operating System (In a Nutshell) (Paperback)

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.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only a starting step for learning the UNIX operating system., September 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Learning the Unix Operating System (Nutshell Handbooks) (Paperback)

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.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Virtually Perfect -- at least for me...., December 29, 1999

By 

Geoffrey Brown (Taconic, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning the UNIX Operating System (In a Nutshell) (Paperback)

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!