Linux in a Nutshell, 5th Edition [Paperback]

Ellen Siever (Author), Aaron Weber (Author), Stephen Figgins (Author), Robert Love (Author), Arnold Robbins (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596009305 | ISBN-13: 978-0596009304 | Publication Date: August 3, 2005 | Edition: Fifth Edition

Over the last few years, Linux has grown both as an operating system and a tool for personal and business use. Simultaneously becoming more user friendly and more powerful as a back-end system, Linux has achieved new plateaus: the newer filesystems have solidified, new commands and tools have appeared and become standard, and the desktop--including new desktop environments--have proved to be viable, stable, and readily accessible to even those who don't consider themselves computer gurus.

Whether you're using Linux for personal software projects, for a small office or home office (often termed the SOHO environment), to provide services to a small group of colleagues, or to administer a site responsible for millions of email and web connections each day, you need quick access to information on a wide range of tools. This book covers all aspects of administering and making effective use of Linux systems. Among its topics are booting, package management, and revision control. But foremost in Linux in a Nutshell are the utilities and commands that make Linux one of the most powerful and flexible systems available.

Now in its fifth edition, Linux in a Nutshell brings users up-to-date with the current state of Linux. Considered by many to be the most complete and authoritative command reference for Linux available, the book covers all substantial user, programming, administration, and networking commands for the most common Linux distributions.

Comprehensive but concise, the fifth edition has been updated to cover new features of major Linux distributions. Configuration information for the rapidly growing commercial network services and community update services is one of the subjects covered for the first time.

But that's just the beginning. The book covers editors, shells, and LILO and GRUB boot options. There's also coverage of Apache, Samba, Postfix, sendmail, CVS, Subversion, Emacs, vi, sed, gawk, and much more. Everything that system administrators, developers, and power users need to know about Linux is referenced here, and they will turn to this book again and again.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is one desktop companion which confident Linux users simply cannot be without." Linux User, November 2003 "The best way to sum this book up is with the original reviewer's words: "If you don't lock your office, this will be the first thing that a techie colleague will steal!"." Linux Format, September "...anyone serious about Linux programming and administration needs this book...The authors are to be congratulated for the scope of coverage, as here's enough here about both the vi and Emacs editing systems, desktop set-ups and packages, as well as a nod to multimedia use. " - Gary Flood, IT Training, October 2004 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Ellen Siever is a writer and editor specializing in Linux and other open source topics. In addition to Linux in a Nutshell, she co-authored O'Reilly's Perl in a Nutshell. She is a long-time Linux and Unix user, and was a programmer for many years until she decided that writing about computers was more fun.

Aaron Weber is a technical writer for Novell, Inc. who wrote the section on GNOME in O'Reilly's Running Linux. He's also published in Interex Enterprise Solutions (interex.com) and Boston's Weekly Dig (www.weeklydig.com), and is the host of secretlyironic.com.

Stephen Figgins administrates Linux servers for Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, KS. He also writes, edits and consults on computing topics. He balances this with his study of nature. Through the Plainscraft school of living (http://www.plainscraft.com), he teaches wilderness awareness and survival skills including animal tracking, edible and medicinal plants and matchless fire making.

Robert Love is a contributing editor at Linux Journal and authored Linux Kernel Development (Sams). He works in Novell's Ximian Desktop Group as a kernel hacker and graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science.

Arnold Robbins is a professional programmer and technical author who has worked with Unix systems since 1980. As a member of the POSIX 1003.2 balloting group, he helped shape the POSIX standard for awk and is currently the maintainer of gawk (GNU project's version of awk) and its documentation. Arnold co-authored of the sixth edition of O'Reilly's Learning the vi Editor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 944 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; Fifth Edition edition (August 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596009305
• ISBN-13: 978-0596009304
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #779,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Computers & Technology > Operating Systems > Unix > Shell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference Manual, May 6, 2004

By 

Robert L. Stinnett (Boonville, MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Linux in a Nutshell (Paperback)

How many times have you been trying to find a particular command but just can't remember what it was called. How many times have you been typing in a command and forgot the options available?

Through this book, the author has taken many of the substaintial commands for users, admins, networking and programming and rolled them into a dictionary of sort for Linux users.

Sure, you can find out a lot about any command through the online man pages, but the author has taken the somewhat cryptic man pages and broken them down into simple, to the point, references laid out much like you would expect to find in a dictionary.

In addition, you'll find handy reference manuals for common utilities, such as emacs, vi, CVS, sed and awk. While each of these could fill a book in themselves, the author has broken them down to the bare basics to help you get up and running and understand basic operation of each.

All in all, a wonderful reference manual that will compliment more in-depth manuals on actual use and administration of a Linux system.

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is just what is should be, November 9, 2004

By 

Benjamin Rossen "Benjamin" (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Linux in a Nutshell (Paperback)

If you understand what "in a nutshell" means, then you shall be pleased with this book. It is not a tutorial, it is not a beginners' guide, it is not a theory book... it is a reference book, featuring entries that are succinct, to the point, sparse in places, but complete in breadth and indispensable.

I don't use Linux for my work station (Mac OS X) or for my servers (BSD UNIX) and so when I need to do something on a Linux box the UNIX commands at my fingertips sometimes don't work; then I turn to this book. Very handy.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your IT tool box would be empty without it, August 19, 2003

By 

Norman V. Bauer "I hope my reviews help you d... (Easton, Maryland, US of A) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Linux in a Nutshell (Paperback)

I have used Linux (nearly every major and some minor distributions) and I cannot tell you how many times this book has saved me. It is also great because a huge percentage of the commands covered also work just fine in UNIX (though I recommend UNIX in a nutshell too. I also have never bought a book from O'Rielly that was less than top notch. If you are a newbie or want to learn Linux in general BUY THIS BOOK WITH ANOTHER BOOK. Like all of the ....in a nutshell books it's reference book not a read cover-to-cover book....