Linux in a Nutshell - Softcover

Hekman, Jessica Perry

3.69

35 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1565921674 ISBN 13: 9781565921672

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, 1997

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Linux in a Nutshell covers the core commands available on common Linux distributions. This isn't a scaled-down quick reference of common commands, but a complete reference containing all user, programming, administration, and networking commands.Contents include:

Commands with complete lists of options
Shell syntax for the bash, csh, and tcsh shells
Pattern matching
emacs, vi, and ex editing commands
sed and gawk commands
Software development commands

This book also documents a wide range of GNU tools for UNIX users who have GNU versions of standard UNIX tools. You'll find all the essential commands you need to run your system, as well as all the commands that historically have been included on UNIX systems. Specialized packages included in most distributions of Linux are not covered.Linux in a Nutshell is a must for any Linux user; it weighs less than a stack of manual pages, but gives you everything you need for common, day-to-day use.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Linux in a Nutshell incorporates all the typical characteristics of a command reference. On the positive side, there's no extraneous narrative gunk to get between you and the specific piece of information you're searching for. On the negative side, there's no entry-level instruction here to guide the uninitiated. While that's not a bad thing, it should serve as a warning to Linux newbies: supplement this book with another if you don't know what you're doing.

Hekman devotes about a third of the book to Linux user commands that aren't part of specific shells, programming languages, applications, or the set of administrator commands. These commands are presented as straight man-page-style documentation in table form, listing commands, their switches, and succinct descriptions alphabetically. The author then goes on to document the three Linux shells--bash, csh, and tcsh--and the GNU utilities. The book's coverage of emacs, vi, pattern matching (regular expressions), sed, and gawk distinguishes it from its competitors. Hekman wraps up with more man-page-style documentation of programming commands and Linux's complete complement of administrator commands.

About the Author:

Hekman has a degree in Medieval History and Literature.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.