Learning the Unix Operating System: A Concise Guide for the New User

by Jerry Peek, Grace Todino, John Strang

Overview

If you are new to Unix, this concise book will tell you just what you need to get started and no more. Unix was one of the first operating systems written in C, a high-level programming language, and its natural portability and low price made it a popular choice among universities. Initially, two main dialects of Unix existed: one produced by AT&T known as System V, and one developed at UC Berkeley and known as BSD. In recent years, many other dialects have been created, including the highly popular Linux operating system and the new Mac OS X (a derivative of BSD). Learning the Unix Operating System is a handy book for someone just starting with Unix or Linux, and it's an ideal primer for Mac and PC users of the Internet who need to know a little about Unix on the systems they visit. The fifth edition is the most effective introduction to Unix in print, covering Internet usage for email, file transfers, web browsing, and many major and minor updates to help the reader navigate the ever-expanding capabilities of the operating system:

• In response to the popularity of Linux, the book now focuses on the popular bash shell preferred by most Linux users.
• Since the release of the fourth edition, the Internet and its many functions has become part of most computer user's lives. A new chapter explains how to use ftp, pine for mail, and offers useful knowledge on how to surf the web.
• Today everyone is concerned about security. With this in mind, the author has included tips throughout the text on security basics, especially in the Internet and networking sections.

The book includes a completely updated quick reference card to make it easier for the reader to access the key functions of the command line.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596002619
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/01/2001
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	174
Sales rank:	501,502
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

is a long time user of the Unix operating system. He has acted as a Unix consultant, courseware developer, and instructor. He is one of the originating authors of Unix Power Tools and the author of Learning the Unix Operating System by O'Reilly.

John Strang now finds himself "a consumer—rather than a producer of Nutshells." He is currently a diagnostic radiologist (MD) at Stanford University. He is married to a pediatrician, Susie, and they have two children, Katie and Alex. John enjoys hiking, bicycling, and dabbling in other sciences. He plans to use his experience as an author at ORA to write his own book on radiology.

Table of Contents

Preface; The Unix Family of Operating Systems; Versions of Unix; Interfaces to Unix; What This Handbook Covers; What’s New in the Fifth Edition; Format; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Getting Started; 1.1 Working in the Unix Environment; 1.2 Syntax of Unix Command Lines; 1.3 Types of Commands; 1.4 The Unresponsive Terminal; Chapter 2: Using Window Systems; 2.1 Introduction to Windowing; 2.2 Starting X; 2.3 Running Programs; 2.4 Working with a Mouse; 2.5 Working with Windows; 2.6 Other Window Manager Features; 2.7 Unresponsive Windows; 2.8 Other X Window Programs; 2.9 Quitting; Chapter 3: Using Your Unix Account; 3.1 The Unix Filesystem; 3.2 Looking Inside Files with less; 3.3 Protecting and Sharing Files; 3.4 Graphical Filesystem Browsers; 3.5 Completing File and Directory Names; 3.6 Changing Your Password; 3.7 Customizing Your Account; Chapter 4: File Management; 4.1 File and Directory Names; 4.2 File and Directory Wildcards; 4.3 Creating and Editing Files; 4.4 Managing Your Files; 4.5 Printing Files; Chapter 5: Redirecting I/O; 5.1 Standard Input and Standard Output; 5.2 Pipes and Filters; Chapter 6: Using the Internet and Other Networks; 6.1 Remote Logins; 6.2 Windows from Other Computers; 6.3 Lynx, a Text-based Web Browser; 6.4 Transferring Files; 6.5 Electronic Mail; 6.6 Usenet News; 6.7 Interactive Chat; Chapter 7: Multitasking; 7.1 Running a Command in the Background; 7.2 Checking on a Process; 7.3 Cancelling a Process; Chapter 8: Where to Go from Here; 8.1 Documentation; 8.2 Shell Aliases and Functions; 8.3 Programming; 8.4 Using Unix on Non-Unix Systems; Glossary; Colophon;