UNIX System V: A Practical Guide (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Mark G. Sobell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 1994 | ISBN-10: 080537566X | ISBN-13: 978-0805375664 | Edition: 3

Reflecting the changes made in UNIX System V Release 4.2, the Third Edition of this bestseller is the most up-to-date and comprehensive reference available. For novice and experienced user alike, it provides a thorough introduction to UNIX, covering the operating system, utilities, shell programming, the vi editor, job control, system administration, and much more. New chapters include: Graphical User Interface (GUI), Networking, EMACS, and the KornShell. New appendices cover the POSIX standards and the version-specific features of AIX, HPUX, and SCO UNIX. More than 70 of the most frequently used UNIX utilities-including awk, make, SCCS, sed, and sort-are described in detail.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Thoroughly updated to reflect the changes made in Release 4.2, the third edition of this respected title presents Unix as it is used today. A thorough tutorial-based introduction to Unix, this book covers the operating system, utilities, shell programming, the vi editor, job control, system administration and much more.

Unix System V includes new chapters on Graphical User Interfaces, Networking, emacs, and the Korn Shell as well as new appendices on the Posix standards and the version- specific features of AIX, HPUX, and SCO Unix. In addition, the book describes more than 75 of the most frequently used Unix utilities such as awk, make, sccs, rcs, sed, and sort. This essential tutorial and reference guides readers through each chapter with the help of easy-to-follow examples, sample screens, command summaries, and chapter review exercises.

A separate version of the book is available bundled with the PC-based Coherent operating system.

Features

• New chapters discussing the Korn Shell, the emacs text editor, Networking, and Graphical User Interfaces.
• Coverage of the latest releases of UNIX as well as the POSIX Standards.
• An enhanced, step-by-step tutorial introduction to UNIX that incorporates examples, exercises, sample screens, and review questions.
• A demonstration of the use of UNIX for text editing, electronic mail, shell programming, and other applications, and present in-depth coverage of the make, SCCS, RCS, awk, and sed programming tools.
• An invaluable overview of the UNIX system in Chapter 1.
• Coverage of the Bourne, C, and Korn shells in detail and explain how to write shell programs (shell scripts).
• A reference to more than 75 of the most frequently used UNIX utilities in Part II.
• Clearly marked sections of optional advanced material for experienced UNIX users.

080537566XB04062001

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 (October 10, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080537566X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805375664
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Mark for a tremendous book., February 14, 1999

By A Customer

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

I agree, this is the standard. While it's getting just a little dated, the book has been very helpful to me as a new UNIX user and a student, NOT because it's simplistic, but because Sobell never gets technical just to be technical. There is an elegance to his style and examples that other authors need to follow. His writing is attitude-free and is focused on benefits to the reader, rather than trying to dazzle us with geeky, arcane details. Still, you can grow with this book and use it as a solid reference.

I found the chapter on C programming a godsend for those of us who learned using a gui-based IDE (integrated development environment). The shell script chapters were well-organized and had plenty of examples.

Contained within this book is an alphabetical command reference that could easily stand on its own as a separate book. There's also a superior index and thoughtful appendices on various flavors, regular expressions and GUIs.

For the third edition, I would like to see expanded coverage of Linux (particularly the Bash shell and the new desktops), as well as more details about mounting devices and communicating by modem. I'd also like to see an introduction to perl to go along with the info on awk, sed and shell scripts. Also, we need answers to the exercises presented at the end of each chapter.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have!, September 14, 1998

By 

Evan P. Davey (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

I tried books on the same topic by a number of different authors, but none come close to this title. If you are a computer science student, or simply interested in Unix, then this book is for you. Sobel has done an excellent job with the layout and style, making it easy to find the information you need. It contains clear and consise descriptions of each of the individual commands in the Unix operating system, as well as information on the Korn Shell, Bourne and C Shells (including explanations of how to write scripts), vi, emacs, and Networking. It also covers the X Window System, along with the programming tools make, SCCS, RCS, awk and sed. The book contains a wealth of examples, exercises, sample screens and review questions throughout, making it an ideal reference for any student or professional. If you are studying or using unix regularly, you need this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Unix books in the 1990's, November 26, 2005

By 

TLAW_DBA "OCP Oracle 6i/9i/10g, SCSA Solaris ... (Montreal, QC Canada) - See all my reviews

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

I used this book many years ago. The book is good and can be used as reference. It is still relevant in today's world. It does provide you a solid background on UNIX System.