Learning the Unix Operating System, 5th Edition

Learning the Unix Operating System, 5th Edition

by John Strang, Grace Todino, Jerry Peek
Released October 2001
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596002619

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Book description

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.

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Table of contents

  1. A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
  2. Preface
    1. The Unix Family of Operating Systems
    2. Versions of Unix
    3. Interfaces to Unix
    4. What This Handbook Covers
    5. What’s New in the Fifth Edition
    6. Format
      1. Commands
      2. Examples
      3. Problem Checklist
      4. Exercises
      5. Comments and Questions
    7. Acknowledgments
  3. 1. Getting Started
    1. Working in the Unix Environment
      1. Connecting to the Unix Computer
      2. Logging in Nongraphically
        1. Problem checklist
      3. The Unix Shell
      4. Shells in a Window System
      5. The Shell Prompt
      6. Entering a Command Line
        1. date
        2. who
      7. Recalling Previous Commands
      8. Correcting a Command Line
      9. Logging Out
        1. Problem checklist
    2. Syntax of Unix Command Lines
      1. Exercise: entering a few commands
    3. Types of Commands
    4. The Unresponsive Terminal
  4. 2. Using Window Systems
    1. Introduction to Windowing
    2. Starting X
      1. A. Ready to Run X (with a Graphical Login)
      2. B. Starting X from a Standard Unix Session
        1. Problem checklist
      3. C. Starting the Window Manager
    3. Running Programs
      1. Setting Focus
      2. Terminal Windows
      3. Window Manager Menus
        1. Exercise: exploring your window system
        2. Problem checklist
    4. Working with a Mouse
      1. Pointer Shape
      2. Using a Mouse with xterm Windows
        1. Problem checklist
    5. Working with Windows
      1. Using the Titlebar
      2. Moving Windows and Icons
      3. Resizing Windows
      4. Stacking Windows
      5. The Window Menu
        1. Exercise
    6. Other Window Manager Features
      1. Panel
      2. Pagers and Virtual Desktops
    7. Unresponsive Windows
    8. Other X Window Programs
    9. Quitting
  5. 3. Using Your Unix Account
    1. The Unix Filesystem
      1. Your Home Directory
      2. Your Working Directory
      3. The Directory Tree
      4. Absolute Pathnames
      5. Relative Pathnames
        1. Pathname puzzle
        2. Relative pathnames up
      6. Changing Your Working Directory
        1. pwd
        2. cd
      7. Files in the Directory Tree
      8. Listing Files with ls
        1. Exercise: exploring the filesystem
    2. Looking Inside Files with less
    3. Protecting and Sharing Files
      1. Directory Access Permissions
      2. File Access Permissions
      3. Setting Permissions with chmod
      4. More Protection Under Linux
        1. Problem checklist
      5. Changing Group and Owner
    4. Graphical Filesystem Browsers
    5. Completing File and Directory Names
    6. Changing Your Password
    7. Customizing Your Account
  6. 4. File Management
    1. File and Directory Names
    2. File and Directory Wildcards
    3. Creating and Editing Files
      1. Text Editors and Word Processors
      2. The Pico Text Editor
        1. Pico tour
    4. Managing Your Files
      1. Creating Directories with mkdir
      2. Copying Files
        1. cp
        2. Problem checklist
        3. Copying files across a network
      3. Renaming and Moving Files with mv
      4. Finding Files
      5. Removing Files and Directories
        1. rm
        2. rmdir
        3. Problem checklist
      6. Files on Other Operating Systems
    5. Printing Files
      1. pr
      2. lp and lpr
        1. Problem checklist
      3. Viewing the Printer Queue
        1. lpstat and lpq
        2. cancel and lprm
        3. Exercise: manipulating files
  7. 5. Redirecting I/O
    1. Standard Input and Standard Output
      1. Putting Text in a File
        1. cat
        2. The > operator
        3. The >> operator
    2. Pipes and Filters
      1. grep
      2. sort
      3. Piping to a Pager
        1. Exercise: redirecting input/output
  8. 6. Using the Internet and Other Networks
    1. Remote Logins
      1. About Security
    2. Windows from Other Computers
    3. Lynx, a Text-based Web Browser
    4. Transferring Files
      1. scp and rcp
      2. FTP
        1. Command-line ftp
        2. FTP with a web browser
    5. Electronic Mail
      1. Addressing an Email Message
      2. Sending Mail from a Shell Prompt
      3. Reading Email with Pine
      4. Sending Email with Pine
        1. Pine address book
      5. Configuring Pine
        1. Exercise: sending and reading mail
    6. Usenet News
    7. Interactive Chat
      1. talk
      2. IRC
        1. Introducing IRC
        2. A sample IRC session
  9. 7. Multitasking
    1. Running a Command in the Background
    2. Checking on a Process
      1. ps
    3. Cancelling a Process
      1. kill
      2. Problem checklist
  10. 8. Where to Go from Here
    1. Documentation
      1. The man Command
        1. Problem checklist
      2. The info Command
      3. Documentation via the Internet
      4. Books
    2. Shell Aliases and Functions
    3. Programming
    4. Using Unix on Non-Unix Systems
      1. Under Microsoft Windows
      2. Mac OS X
  11. Glossary
  12. Index
  13. About the Authors
  14. Colophon
  15. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Learning the Unix Operating System, 5th Edition
  • Author(s): John Strang, Grace Todino, Jerry Peek
  • Release date: October 2001
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596002619