Re: Summer Reading
Nate wrote:
I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on a good linux book.
I have linux for non-geeks, but it is lacking in detail. I guess I
should face the fact that I am a geek and find something a little
bit more meaty. Has Oprah suggested anything?
It really depends on what you want to learn.
I'd recommend some exposure to classic Unix: "Unix as she was". You
might find something worthwhile in your local library. And the classic
interface to Unix, what you interact with, is the shell.
It's not that shells and shell scripts haven't advanced in the past ten
years, but that a lot of effort was put in then to understanding what
you could do with a shell, so much of the good material dates back some
time.
Take the time to understand what's available. For example, look at
regexps: don't worry about the details, but learn what is possible.
Then, when you need them, you'd probably have to look the details up
anyway...
I like my "Version 1 Unix CD Bookshelf" from O'Reilly, with the "Unix
Power Tools" and "Unix in a Nutshell". (You probably only need one
"*x
in a Nutshell": they're rather similar). The current Bookshelf has less
about command line power and more about DNS and Sendmail. That might be
better for you, but it's symptomatic of the decline in interest in
classic Unix as an operating environment.
Some on-line stuff:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/upt3/chapter/ch28.pdf is a chapter from
the current Unix Power Tools, and worth reading.
I'd recommend Eric Raymond's "The Art of Unix Programming" at
http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/html/ as a generic introduction
to the way Unix does things.
http://home.comcast.net/~j.p.h/cus-faq.html : the comp.unix.shells FAQ.
http://rhols66.adsl.netsonic.fi/era/unix/shell.html
is a version of the original Bourne shell tutorial, and still very good.
(If it's not obvious, bash is a GNU program that extends the Bourne
shell). It's not that long, and covers most of what you could do with
the Bourne shell.
Some advanced pages: these are more "soak in the atmosphere" type pages,
where you learn what is valued, and what is derided, and why.
The Useless Use of Cat Awards: dedicated to stamping out over-
complicated shell programming.
http://rhols66.adsl.netsonic.fi/era/unix/award.html
Csh Programming Considered Harmful.
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/unix-faq/shell/csh-whynot/
Learn the mindset. Everything else is details.
Hope this helps,
James.
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