Practical Guide to the UNIX System, A (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Mark G. Sobell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805375651 | ISBN-13: 978-0805375657 | Publication Date: August 19, 1994 | Edition: 3

The Third Edition of this invaluable tutorial and reference focuses on the Berkeley Software Distribution 4.3 and SunOS releases of UNIX, and includes appendices on the POSIX Standard and ULTRIX. Also added are chapters on Graphical User Interface, Networking, the EMACS text editor, and the KornShell. All three shells (Bourne, C, and Korn) are covered in full. Part I provides a step-by-step tutorial for anyone who wants to use UNIX for programming, e-mail, networking, or other applications. Numerous examples, exercises, and review questions contribute to "hands-on" learning of commands and functions. Part II covers more than 70 UNIX utility programs, with examples that are useful applications, making this the ideal reference for both novice and experienced UNIX users.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Combining the best of reference and tutorial guides, this bestselling book on Unix offers concise, readable coverage of SunOS 4.1.3 and Berkeley Software Distribution 4.3 (BSD). A Practical Guide to the Unix System, Third Edition is perfect for both novice and experienced users as it provides clear, straightforward coverage of a wide range of Unix commands and utilities. The book is divided into two parts. Part I provides a step-by-step tutorial for readers who want to use this operating system for programming, electronic mail, networking (including accessing the Internet), or other applications. Part II examines more than 75 Unix utility programs, with examples that are useful applications. In addition, appendixes cover the Posix Standards and the Ultrix version of Unix.

• Includes complete chapters on the Korn Shell, the emacs text editor, and the vi editor
• Contains a new chapter on Networking with coverage of many network structures and commands as well as detailed instruction on accessing the Internet using archie and gopher, how to transfer files using FTP, and a section on World Wide Web and Mosaic
• Provides a new chapter on Graphical User Interfaces that discusses GUI components, the X Window System, and using and customizing Motif
• Examines the make, SCCS, RCS, awk, and sed programming tools
• Features detailed chapters on the Bourne and C shells with explanations of how to write shell programs (shell scripts)
• Includes an in-depth chapter on the Korn shell that covers writing shell scripts and advanced concepts including recursion and the coprocess
• Offers a quick overview of the UNIX system in Chapter 1
• Provides coverage of text editing, electronic mail, shell programming, and other applications with examples, exercises, sample screens, and review questions incorporated throughout
• References 75 of the most frequently used UNIX utilities in Part II
• Includes clearly marked sections of optional advanced material for experienced UNIX users

0805375651B04062001

About the Author

Mark G. Sobell is president of Sobell Associates Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in UNIX/Linux training, support, and custom software development. He is the author of many best-selling UNIX and Linux books and has more than twenty-five years of experience working with UNIX and Linux.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 3 edition (August 19, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805375651
• ISBN-13: 978-0805375657
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Computers & Technology > Operating Systems > Unix

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, accurate, and professional., April 27, 1998

By 

Stephen J. Hanna (Cupertino, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practical Guide to the UNIX System, A (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

Sobell's Practical Guide to the Unix System is by far the best introduction to Unix available. While the book assumes no specific prior knowledge, it does assume that you are an intelligent reader and do not appreciate being patronized by "cute" language or attempts at humor. Rather, Sobell gets on with business, using good examples, clear prose, and accurate reference information. This is really two books in one: The first half is an introduction to important Unix concepts and applications (such as ex, vi, and troff); the second part is a handy thumb-indexed reference manual. My compliments--this is a model of good technical writing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic as Primer, but not good as Power User Guide, February 28, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practical Guide to the UNIX System, A (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

The book is well written in unemotional and descriptive style so there's no confusion.
A good thing about this book is that it is very patient;the author assumes that you have absolutely NO experience in computers. He is pretty elaborate even covering on how to enter a command in UNIX. He says it like this: Press the characters on the keyboard in a sequence that matches the name of the command you want to use and press ENTER button. NO ambiguity there.
But the only thing I don't really like about it is the chapter on system administration. It doesn't quite cover advanced topics such as setting up NFS, WWW servers, etc.. BUT the purpose of the book wasn't to tell you EVERYTHING. Rather, it is designed to get you comfortable with UNIX so you can advance if you want. But this book already has plenty of information to start doing some productive work in UNIX.
Overall, I recommend it if you have absolutely NO experience with UNIX and you just want an easy, no -frills guide.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for getting to know Unix's interesting ins and outs, November 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Practical Guide to the UNIX System, A (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

Mark Sobell manages to introduce a whole host of those great Unix utilities with non-descriptive names AND keep it readable. He will put you on the right track to being able to find your own way around Unix. I've read it, in fact, I took it on holiday with me, and strongly recommend it to those starting out in the Unix world, or those that have become a little rusty. It's perhaps a bit too technical for absolute beginners, but avid DOS users should not experience too much trouble getting to grips with the everyday Unix commands. The book has a clear layout too: Try it!!!