Unix Power Tools, Third Edition [Paperback]

Shelley Powers (Author), Jerry Peek (Author), Tim O'Reilly (Author), Mike Loukides (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0596003307 | ISBN-13: 978-0596003302 | Edition: 3rd

Very occasionally a book is written about or for Unix System Administration, or Unix in general. If the author or publishers get the mix right it receives acclaim. Very, very occasionally one of those books achieves legendary status, by finding its way onto 98% of all Unix Sysadmins book shelves. This book is one of those legendary tomes. Just about every Unix Sysadmin I know has a copy of this sitting alongside books like Evi Nemeth's "Unix Sys Admin Handbook". OK so it has a lot of information that isn't new to most sysadmins, but that's not where the beauty of the book lies. The real treasure is found in the countless nuggets of Unix info that have been long since forgotten, or yet to be learned. In my humble opinion, a true Unix Classic! If like me, you earn a living from Unix, then think of this book as a carpenter would his set of chisels. You don't use them for every job, but when needed, can prove invaluable.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The mark of a craftsman is his familiarity with his tools, the speed with which he can use them to solve simple problems, and his cleverness in using them to solve more complicated challenges. The latest edition of Unix Power Tools explores the standard Unix tools in greater depth than ever, and with better coverage of Linux, FreeBSD, and even the Darwin environment of Mac OS X. It's also been improved by the addition of sections on Perl and Python, programming languages that can often solve Unix problems more adeptly than any specific utility. This detail-filled book distinguishes itself from other guides for Unix gurus with its organizational structure (it's a series of articles that can be absorbed sequentially or individually) and carefully designed and executed index. Like its esteemed predecessors, this book is one you will keep handy.

The authors have achieved a nearly ideal balance in the pages of this book. It's not just a collection of recipes (such collections tend to leave you hanging if you want to do something a little differently), it's not just a book of documentation (books like that have application mainly as references for people who know a lot already), and it's not just a conceptual how-to guide. Unix Power Tools is all of those things, and the overall effect is impressive indeed. If you work with any flavor of Unix, whatever your level of experience, you will benefit by having this book. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to work efficiently, elegantly, and creatively with the Unix tool suite, as well as (to a lesser extent) with Perl and Python scripts. Tips and strategies on customization, document generation, process management, and networking abound in this wisdom-rich volume.

Review

"Highly recommended." - Tony Houghton, Cvu, June 2003

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1200 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; 3rd edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596003307
• ISBN-13: 978-0596003302
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 2.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Computers & Technology > Operating Systems > Unix > Shell

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Reference CAUTION MIGHT BE ADDICTIVE June 2, 2005

By Niloufer Tamboly

Format:Paperback

This is one of those books which I refer to often. Whether it is that thing about shell variables or just for finding some obscure command. It is a book which will go well with an expert as well a beginner trying to find her way around. The website has an awesome collection of tools which can be added easily to one's toolkit. What I like the most about this book is that it has covered all the popular flavors of UNIX so it will make a permanent place on the desk for itself. The chapters on security and internet access, groups a lot of commands and information making it very easy to use and find. Even though I was using UNIX for years and thought of myself as an advanced user, a power user if you may. I found this book humbling and learned at least three different ways of doing the same task.

Niloufer Tamboly, CISSP

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Power book for power users December 26, 2002

By Ales Kavsek

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the best technical book that I bought in the last 10 years, at least from the organizational and layout point of the view. It contains hundreds of short articles, page or two in length organized in a remarkable way of cross-referenced, alamanc-like book.

Articles are logically organized in chapters so you can read the book from cover to cover if you wish. However more likely you'll end up reading the book more randomly, following the cross-references. (I have some bad experience with the books organized in this way but this one is a clear exception.)

The book is written for beginners and experts alike, since I'm a Unix newbie I can only confirm that; I hate to say but the life of Unix SA would be much easier if the man pages would be organized in a similar way -- including examples that're almost never there.

I'm waiting for O'Reilly to update their "Unix CD Bookshelf" with third edition of this book because it's a little too heavy for carrying it with me.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars True to the Unix philosophy May 12, 2007

By Knight Hawk

Format:Paperback

Here is a quote taken from _Unix_Power_Tools_ which demonstrates the

attitude, shared by the authors, that unix allows you to make things

easier. "''Ugh!', you say, 'that's just what I hate about UNIX. All

these long filenames and options I can't remember. Who wants to type

all that stuff!' Precisely. That's why UNIX makes it so easy to

create custom commands, in the form of aliases and shell scripts."

Unix Power Tools is true to the spirit and philosophy of unix in

focusing on the command line environment with its rich abundance of

command interpreters, shell languages, system utilities, commands, and

the like. This is the realm of real power.

The book is aimed squarely at the user who wants to learn what's under

the hood of the unix (and Linux) system. It's not about how to change

your wallpaper or install the latest media player, or configure your

desktop, although this new edition may touch on these topics, too.

It's really about using unix to greatest advantage, about tapping its

real power, the power of its simplicity, of its flexibility, of

tapping into I/O streams, and using the tool-box approach to solving

real problems. It's about using 'pipes', 'redirection', and

'filters', to automate the big jobs.

My copy of this book is tattered from all the use it's had over the

last ten years. I'm always hunting it down, as my associates at work

are constantly borrowing it to help them solve a problem. That's

okay, though. I am ordering another copy, just for me. I'm curious

to see this new edition, which I understand has broader coverage of

the various unix flavors, including Linux, which I run

at home.

I would recommend this book to those who find unix intimidating, as

well as to the unix enthusiast. For anyone who ever wondered what the

fuss over unix was about, this book will certainly bring on an

epiphany. For between these covers is the greatest accumulation of

unix wisdom and know-how to be found in any book. The shear volume is

enough to elicit awe. But that's only part of its value, because such

an enormous accumulation of material might normally overwhelm the

reader, leaving him frustrated and unenlightened. Happily, this book

is so well organized, and the material so pleasingly presented, that

anyone will find it a pleasure to browse through and to mine

repeatedly for those precious tips, tricks, and methods that make

using unix so rewarding.

This is admittedly a pound heavy volume, and might be expected to

contain a lot of chaff with the grain. I have not found it so. The

authors have chosen the material well, and know their subject so

intimately and thoroughly, that I am left with a feeling of profound

respect. This is, in short, a book that is worthy of its subject; a

truly great book for a great OS.

I read another reviewer who avers this is the one book he would take

with him to a deserted island. I concur. It has taught me more than

any other unix book, and has made my work more efficient, and most

importantly, more interesting. I paid full retail for my copy of

Power Tools, and at the time, I thought it was a lot, but it has

repaid me many times over. It's the most indispensable unix book on

my shelf; a real gem.