1. Chapter 1 Korn Shell Basics

   1. What Is a Shell?

   2. Scope of This Book

   3. History of UNIX Shells

   4. Getting the Korn Shell

   5. Interactive Shell Use

   6. Files

   7. Input and Output

   8. Background Jobs

   9. Special Characters and Quoting

2. Chapter 2 Command-line Editing

   1. Enabling Command-line Editing

   2. The History File

   3. Emacs Editing Mode

   4. Vi Editing Mode

   5. The fc Command

   6. Finger Habits

3. Chapter 3 Customizing Your Environment

   1. The .profile File

   2. Aliases

   3. Options

   4. Shell Variables

   5. Customization and Subprocesses

   6. Customization Hints

4. Chapter 4 Basic Shell Programming

   1. Shell Scripts and Functions

   2. Shell Variables

   3. String Operators

   4. Command Substitution

   5. Advanced Examples: pushd and popd

5. Chapter 5 Flow Control

   1. if/else

   2. for

   3. case

   4. select

   5. while and until

6. Chapter 6 Command-line Options and Typed Variables

   1. Command-line Options

   2. Integer Variables and Arithmetic

   3. Arrays

7. Chapter 7 Input/Output and Command-line Processing

   1. I/O Redirectors

   2. String I/O

   3. Command-line Processing

8. Chapter 8 Process Handling

   1. Process IDs and Job Numbers

   2. Job Control

   3. Signals

   4. trap

   5. Coroutines

   6. Subshells

9. Chapter 9 Debugging Shell Programs

   1. Basic Debugging Aids

   2. A Korn Shell Debugger

10. Chapter 10 Korn Shell Administration

    1. Installing the Korn Shell as the Standard Shell

    2. Environment Customization

    3. System Security Features

1. Appendix A Related Shells

   1. The Bourne Shell

   2. The IEEE 1003.2 POSIX Shell Standard

   3. wksh

   4. pdksh

   5. bash

   6. Workalikes on PC Platforms

   7. The Future of the Korn Shell

2. Appendix B Reference Lists

   1. Invocation Options

   2. Built-in Commands and Keywords

   3. Built-in Shell Variables

   4. Test Operators

   5. Options

   6. Typeset Options

   7. Emacs Mode Commands

   8. Vi Control Mode Commands

3. Appendix C Obtaining Sample Programs

   1. FTP

   2. FTPMAIL

   3. BITFTP

   4. UUCP

4. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal featured on the cover of Learning the Korn Shell is the hawksbill turtle. The name "hawksbill" refers to its prominent hooked beak. This marine reptile is one of the smaller sea turtles, having a carapace (upper shell) length of about two feet and weighing about one hundred pounds. Among pelagic turtles, the hawksbill alone has the tendency to feed and breed in the same area, preferring the tropical shoals and reefs of the world's oceans.

Primarily carnivorous, the hawksbill feeds on crabs, fish, sponges, and jellyfish. The turtle's flesh can be poisonous; in some places fishermen test for poison by throwing the turtle's liver to the crows. If the birds reject the liver, the hawksbill is toxic.

The hawksbill turtle is the sole source of authentic "tortoiseshell" which comes from the scutes, or outer layer of the carapace. Tortoiseshell has been harvested through the years--from ancient Egypt to the present--and is highly valued for its beauty and plasticity. As a result, the hawksbill is endangered. Illegal trade continues to threaten this species' existence. UNIX and its attendant programs can be unruly beasts. Nutshell Handbooks(R) help you tame them.

...

Edie Freedman designed this cover and the entire UNIX bestiary that appears on other Nutshell Handbooks. The beasts themselves are adapted from 19th-century engravings from the Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover layout was produced with QuarkXPress 3.1 using the ITC Garamond font.

The inside layout was formatted in sqtroff by Lenny Muellner using ITC Garamond Light and ITC Garamond Book fonts, and was designed by Edie Freedman. The figures were created in Aldus Freehand 3.1 by Chris Reilley. The colophon was written by Michael Kalantarian.