Beginning Unix

* Covering all aspects of the Unix operating system and assuming no prior knowledge of Unix, this book begins with the fundamentals and works from the ground up to some of the more advanced programming techniques
* The authors provide a wealth of real-world experience with the Unix operating system, delivering actual examples while showing some of the common misconceptions and errors that new users make ? Special emphasis is placed on the Apple Mac OS X environment as well as Linux, Solaris, and migrating from Windows to Unix
* A unique conversion section of the book details specific advice and instructions for transitioning Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux users

Beginning Unix

The Unix operating system is the basis for some of today''s most-used platforms, including Mac OS® X and Linux®. This book covers Unix basics for these as well as the more commonly recognized Sun Solaris and BSD.

First, you will learn Unix terminology, core concepts, methodology, and how to log in and out. You''ll progress to customizing your work environment and learning commands. Then you''ll be ready to learn to manage processes, handle security, automate tasks with shell scripting in Perl, install Unix programs, and back up your data. To facilitate the process, you can use the Knoppix distribution on the CD-ROM to work in a Unix environment without installing Unix.

What you will learn from this book

• Different configuration options in the Unix shell
• Advanced tools and commands, including regular expressions, Sed, and AWK
• Fundamental ways to enhance Unix system security
• Basic programming, including shell scripting and Perl programming
• Network administration and additional aspects of communicating with other operating systems
• How to convert Windows and Mac OS commands and concepts to Unix

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone interested in learning the concepts of the Unix operating system in any of its derivatives. It is designed for the absolute beginner, but it can also be a valuable refresher course for those with some knowledge of Unix and a useful resource for those who want to transfer knowledge from Mac OS or Windows to Unix or its derivatives.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

Paul Love (Cincinnati, OH), CISSP, CISA, CISM, Security+, has been in the IT field for 15 years. Paul holds a Masters of Science degree in Network Security and a Bachelor's in Information Systems. He has co-authored two Linux security books, contributed to multiple Linux/Unix books, and has been the technical editor for over 10 best selling Linux and Unix books. Paul also ran a successful Linux portal site during the dot com era and has been an avid Unix/Linux user and administrator both professionally and as a hobby for many years.

Joe Merlino (Boston, MA) is an experienced system administrator with Unix and Linux for more than a decade.

Craig Zimmerman (New York, NY) manages UNIX, Macintosh, and Windows systems for Spontaneous, a post-production company in New York City. He previously worked at Chiat/Day helping build the world's most famous virtual advertising agency, managing and networking Unix and Macintosh systems in multiple offices.

Jeremy C. Reed (Marysville, WA) is a programmer, a member of NetBSD, and has actively taught FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD administration classes for the past three years.

Paul Weinstein (Chicago, IL) has worked on various Unix-based computing platforms, from the mainframe (Harris HCX-9) to the desktop (Powerbook G4) and has developed applications on just about all of the current major branches of Unix in the course of the past 10 years. Recently he has been focusing a lot of his attention on developing and integrating Web-based systems using tools such as Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl, and in doing so has brought his unique understanding to a wide range of computing environments ranging from public elementary schools to pioneering open source companies. Currently, Paul works as President and Chief Consultant for the computer consulting firm Kepler Solutions, Inc.

David Mercer (Cape Town, South Africa) is a long-time Unix user and PHP programmer who contributed to Beginning PHP4 and Beginning PHP5. He has maintained a keen interest in all things open source ever since he managed to put together a working Beowulf cluster by nicking old computer parts from colleagues and assembling them under his desk.