Mac OS X for Unix Geeks [Paperback]

Brian Jepson (Author), Ernest E. Rothman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596003560 | ISBN-13: 978-0596003562 | Publication Date: October 2002 | Edition: 1

If you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X for its BSD core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly unfamiliar territory. Even if you're an experienced Mac user, Mac OS X is unlike earlier Macs, and it's radically different from the Unix you've used before, too.

Enter "Mac OS X for Unix Geeks" by Brian Jepson and Ernest E. Rothman, two Unix geeks who found themselves in the same place you are. Their new book is your guide to figuring out the BSD Unix system and Mac-specific components that are making your life difficult and to help ease you into the Unix inside Mac OS X. This concise book includes such topics as:

• A quick overview of the Terminal application
• Understanding Open Directory (LDAP) and NetInfo
• Issues related to using the GNU C Compiler 9GCC
• Library linking and porting Unix software
• An overview of Mac OS X?s filesystem and startup processes
• Creating and installing packages using Fink
• Building the Darwin kernel
• Running X Windows on top of Mac OS X

The book wraps up with a quick manpage-style reference to the "Missing Manual Pages"--commands that come with Mac OS X although there are no manpages.

If you find yourself disoriented by the new Mac environment, Mac OS X for Unix Geeks can help you acclimate yourself quickly to the familiar, yet foreign, Unix landscape.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's about time: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks arrives on the scene none too soon for UNIX aficionados who, having heard that the latest editions of Mac OS are based on a UNIX variant, want to see how the platform compares to more venerable versions of the eminently configurable operating system. This book highlights some key differences between the Darwin environment and more conventional UNIXs, enabling people with UNIX experience to take advantage of it as they learn the Mac OS X way of doing things at the command line.

This skinny volume neither aims to teach its readers UNIX nor introduce them to the Mac, but rather to show how Apple has implemented UNIX. It's a fast read that assumes--as the title implies--rather a lot of UNIX knowledge. With that requirement satisfied and this book in hand, you're likely to discover aspects of Aqua more quickly than you otherwise would have.

The authors spend lots of time explaining how administrative tasks--such as managing groups, users, and passwords--are handled in the Mac OS environment. They document netinfo fully, and call attention to its limitations (like its inability to create home directories for users) by explaining how to do the job on the command line. They also cover C programming in the Darwin universe at greater length than any other book does, providing explicit instructions for such important tasks as creating header files and linking static libraries. A guide to the command line (they call the reference section--groan--"The Missing Manpages") provides good value at this book's conclusion. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to get around in Darwin, the UNIX implementation built into Mac OS X. Sections deal with basic maneuvering at the command line, LDAP services, C programming, and graphical user interfaces under Aqua. There's a short section on building the kernel itself, but it's limited in scope.

Review

"Vital starting point for UNIX power-users new to Mac OS X." Computer Shopper, July (5 stars)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596003560
• ISBN-13: 978-0596003562
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,496,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Computers & Technology > Apple > Mac OS X UNIX

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great if you are coming from a technical background, October 30, 2002

By 

G. Suyderhoud (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks (Paperback)

I have been using Mac OS X since the first public beta, and have some other Unix experience. I must say, this book has taken me a long way towards applying the things I know about other Unix environments to Mac OS X. Despite my Mac OS X experience, I feel that this book has taught me a lot about the Darwin flavor of Unix. As an added bonus, the book's careful explinations have helped me to better understand the other Unix platforms I have worked with.

All and all, this was a good, if technical, book. Perfect for anybody who is interested in porting Unix software to Mac OS X, as well as the Unix admin who wants to get the most out of the new environment. However, unlike the title maintains, you don't have to be a Unix geek to get something worthwhile from the reading - though you may consider yourself one after carefully going through this book.

My only complaint is that the book leaves you wanting more information in some areas. Thankfully, it is always quick to point you to other O'Reilly titles that fill in the gaps.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful!, April 24, 2009

By 

Fred Westrom "Fred" (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks (Leopard) (Paperback)

I am very happy to have found this book. I have been using BSD and Linux based platforms for many years now, and I was a little bit blown away by how much there is to adjust to on OS X. This book provided a fantastic set of hints as to where I should look to discover the OS X way of doing things. Highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what the title announces, March 28, 2009

By 

J. Domingo (Valencia (SPAIN)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks (Leopard) (Paperback)

As the title say, this is a book to facilitate the transition of Unix
experts (or at least, proficient users) to OS X, and it certainly does.
We recently bought a Mac Pro to be used as a server but it came with the
usual OS X (not the server version) installed. I have worked before in
Linux an other Unices. Since our needs are restricted (serve file systems
via ssh, open remote desktops and serve web pages) the client version of
OS X (which, as Linux, is also server is some capabilities are enabled)
can be used. The book gives tips to make this and many other things,
apart from pointing to the most useful packages of software to be installed in a machine that is to be used for desktop, server and
programming.
Summarizing, an excellent book.