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Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours
Spencerian writes "The surge of Unix-derived operating systems such as Mac OS X, Linux, and the now-free Solaris is not slowing against the fortified but embattled breakwaters of the Microsoft operating system family. But new power users of other operating systems, including those just starting with Unix as well as the graphical interface of the operating system (such as the Mac OS Finder, or the navigators of KDE or Gnome), remain in need of a comprehensive primer for Unix that complements their previous knowledge. The fourth edition of Dave Taylor's "Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours" should remain on the top of the buy list for computer users in need of a strong Unix reference where they may find themselves managing or using the subtle variants of Unix flavors." Read the rest of Spencerians' review.
Sams Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours, 4th Edition
author
Dave Taylor
pages
518
publisher
Sams Publishing
rating
7.5 of 10
reviewer
Kevin H Spencer
ISBN
0-672-32814-3
summary
The fourth edition of Dave Taylor's "Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours" should remain on the top of the buy list for computer users in need of a strong Unix reference where they may find themselves managing or using the subtle variants of Unix flavors.
The format of this Sams book, as with other books in this "Teach Yourself...In 24 Hours" series has not changed. The book content does favor Windows or Macintosh users when describing, comparisons and contrasts of Unix tasks to those popular operating systems. Unless the reader has been a fan of very little-used operating systems in their past and somehow managed to avoid Mac OS, Windows or Linux, absorption of what is needed for each chapter shouldn't be difficult.
Each chapter is technically noted as a one-hour lesson, although the author acknowledges that many may need more than one hour to absorb some material and should take as much time as they need to understand what they need to know. Chapters include the Unix basics such as using text editors such as vi, moving and copying files, viewing file contents and locating files in the operating system, and topics scale upward to advanced shell programming and even Perl programming. Generally, most readers need not read from beginning to end, chapter to chapter. Despite the lesson-like mode of the book, "Teach Yourself Unix" is a reference.
The "Teach Yourself" books are not advanced reference books, however, and "Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours" is no exception. As someone that's used more and more Unix commands in the background of Mac OS X to make things easier or to circumvent limitations or flaws of the Mac OS X Finder, the previous editions of "Teach Yourself Unix" were handy references when I needed a quick and certain process to accomplish a task. Sometimes it's too easy for graphical interface users to moan and while when the Windows Explorer or Mac OS X desktops stick and slows to a crawl when managing something as simple as copying a file, forgetting that there is another way. This book contains the basics to manage these tasks without being too basic of a reference.
The author's breadth of knowledge in many Unix-derived systems such as BSD, Solaris, and Linux continue to extend themselves well in the lessons. Each chapter contains explanations and examples to aid those that need more information. Most Slashdot readers might find this level of detail a bit plodding, but some newbies to Unix may need this since Unix is not inherently a graphical operating system that's easy to understand by sight, so things need to be literally spelled out. Peppered throughout the book are sidenotes that keep the reader apprised of exceptions or proper etiquette when handling, discussing or pronouncing Unix tasks and terminology.
There's a marginally useful amount of back matter on the book, consisting of two appendices, one on frequently-asked Unix questions, and another more useful appendix on managing the Apache web server from a command line. The back cover has a simple command-line reference that's not bad, however, being Unix, the amount of commands and versatility seem a bit limited, so the command-line reference lacks a bit of punch. Some chapters seem a bit archaic and probably need to be reconsidered in a future edition--very few of us may have a need to send mail from the command line in this age of Yahoo Mail and the sheer number of mail services available on computers in schools, businesses, homes, and even from cell phones for jotting off a quick note to a comrade for quick answers. Full-time conversing by mail in Unix isn't something I feel anyone but the most hardcore Unix user will relish--and those users aren't the audience of this book.
This book is designed for new Unix users, but intermediate users will find "Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours" a handy reference when having to workaround GUI pitfalls or failures. This book's previous versions have saved my bacon in reinforcing my previous experience and skills at the command line when the Mac OS Finder seizes, leaving no graphical way to complete a task. Unfortunately, given the volume of information I must remember in using both Mac OS X and Windows XP, I, for one, can't remember every nuance of Unix needed, particularly since it's not as easily remembered as icons or menus. Perhaps the author may find that a fifth edition will need information on the long-awaited Windows Vista in the event it contains Unix parts and pieces."
You can purchase Sams Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
The format of this Sams book, as with other books in this "Teach Yourself...In 24 Hours" series has not changed. The book content does favor Windows or Macintosh users when describing, comparisons and contrasts of Unix tasks to those popular operating systems. Unless the reader has been a fan of very little-used operating systems in their past and somehow managed to avoid Mac OS, Windows or Linux, absorption of what is needed for each chapter shouldn't be difficult.
Each chapter is technically noted as a one-hour lesson, although the author acknowledges that many may need more than one hour to absorb some material and should take as much time as they need to understand what they need to know. Chapters include the Unix basics such as using text editors such as vi, moving and copying files, viewing file contents and locating files in the operating system, and topics scale upward to advanced shell programming and even Perl programming. Generally, most readers need not read from beginning to end, chapter to chapter. Despite the lesson-like mode of the book, "Teach Yourself Unix" is a reference.
The "Teach Yourself" books are not advanced reference books, however, and "Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours" is no exception. As someone that's used more and more Unix commands in the background of Mac OS X to make things easier or to circumvent limitations or flaws of the Mac OS X Finder, the previous editions of "Teach Yourself Unix" were handy references when I needed a quick and certain process to accomplish a task. Sometimes it's too easy for graphical interface users to moan and while when the Windows Explorer or Mac OS X desktops stick and slows to a crawl when managing something as simple as copying a file, forgetting that there is another way. This book contains the basics to manage these tasks without being too basic of a reference.
The author's breadth of knowledge in many Unix-derived systems such as BSD, Solaris, and Linux continue to extend themselves well in the lessons. Each chapter contains explanations and examples to aid those that need more information. Most Slashdot readers might find this level of detail a bit plodding, but some newbies to Unix may need this since Unix is not inherently a graphical operating system that's easy to understand by sight, so things need to be literally spelled out. Peppered throughout the book are sidenotes that keep the reader apprised of exceptions or proper etiquette when handling, discussing or pronouncing Unix tasks and terminology.
There's a marginally useful amount of back matter on the book, consisting of two appendices, one on frequently-asked Unix questions, and another more useful appendix on managing the Apache web server from a command line. The back cover has a simple command-line reference that's not bad, however, being Unix, the amount of commands and versatility seem a bit limited, so the command-line reference lacks a bit of punch. Some chapters seem a bit archaic and probably need to be reconsidered in a future edition--very few of us may have a need to send mail from the command line in this age of Yahoo Mail and the sheer number of mail services available on computers in schools, businesses, homes, and even from cell phones for jotting off a quick note to a comrade for quick answers. Full-time conversing by mail in Unix isn't something I feel anyone but the most hardcore Unix user will relish--and those users aren't the audience of this book.
This book is designed for new Unix users, but intermediate users will find "Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours" a handy reference when having to workaround GUI pitfalls or failures. This book's previous versions have saved my bacon in reinforcing my previous experience and skills at the command line when the Mac OS Finder seizes, leaving no graphical way to complete a task. Unfortunately, given the volume of information I must remember in using both Mac OS X and Windows XP, I, for one, can't remember every nuance of Unix needed, particularly since it's not as easily remembered as icons or menus. Perhaps the author may find that a fifth edition will need information on the long-awaited Windows Vista in the event it contains Unix parts and pieces."
You can purchase Sams Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Sounds like a good start, but know that it'll only be a base to build on. As someone that has used Linux/*BSD/Unix for over 10 years, it's something that will provide a lifetime of learning. The challenge is what I love about it; think about it this way if you want to start with a book like this.
fak3r.com
but i thought it was called 'apropos'.. no no, it was 'man'! im sure of it!
...if you can. There's no substitute.
Autonomous Retard -- Is your camp safe? UnsafeCamp.com
if this wasnt a joke: post something non AC so i can find and shoot you. if it was: not funny. go get shot somewhere.
It's on my bookshelf next to Nuclear Powerplant Management for Dummies and Learn to Navigate Alaskan Bound Oil Tankers in 24 Hours. I hate these cheat your way to understanding book titles.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
You are an angry little person, aren't you?
My advice, get some sun. Have a fresh glass of orange juice. Go and find something very heavy to pick up then put it back down again.
You might also consider a way to flex the muscle between your legs with something other than your fiercely gripped right hand.
Relax... the ride is almost half over. Might as well try and at least enjoy some of it.
Just kidding :P
Yes, I agree. I don't think he will accomplish too much in the next few years of his presidency.
If you really want to understand unix you shouldn't get this book
Some time ago I found an old text book for sysadmins written in 94.
It skipped all that about guis and actually explained how to manage the OS via commandline.
I had been using gnome for some time, but after reading that book I finally understood what all those scary commands meant when I configured my wifi card.
% man man
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
I've found that the best way is to solve some particular problem. Example: add these four new disks from the JBOD enclosure to your linux system. This teaches about the physical device drivers, device files, volume mgmt, filesystem mgmt, and mounting them upon boot (which touches many important aspects of UNIX).
Working with someone else who can help point you in the right direction and solving a problem by yourself is much much better than a book.
The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. -- Calvin & Hobbes
When people talk about books titled "ten yourself something in NN hours/days" it always reminds me about this webpage.
And in fact that's the truth - you can't learn that something in few days. Progamming? unix administration? sailing? playing chess? Man... that takes years to master.
#
#\ @ ? Colonize Mars
#
It's easy to see why you got modded down -1 flamebait. You need to get the facts straight. A recent study shows the average IQ of the following groups:
Stupid gits: 56
Blithering morons: 48
Bumbling fools: 44.3
Fucking Idiots: 37
Bleeding halfwits: 29.1
Fucking Imbeciles: 26
You have to get to the level of inanimate objects or at the very least slow-moving vegetables as a basis for comparison with Dumbya before you can completely abolish all concerns for counterattacks.
No text.
...if it described how to configure your WiFi card in 1994!
Was it called "Configuring Not-Yet-Invented Hardware for Dummies" ?
I find all these "$THING for $PEOPLE" and "$THING in $QUANTITY of time" books insulting.
/usr/bin ; sudo rm -rf *" in 20 minutes. Can you learn to develop and debug shell scripts in 24 hours? I think not.
Sure you can learn how to type "cd
Nor do I think people can learn C or C++ or Java in 24 hours. It's just insulting. Now I know they don't literally mean one day, but even college classes run longer than 24 hours. In college you'll have a 50-60 hour class on "intro to C" followed by FIVE MORE SEMESTERS of classes that build on it.
I hate these books because they're retarded. I learned C primarily from "type and learn C" [I think by Sams] when I was 12. Then I proceeded to actually write programs [lots of them, 1000s of them]. I learned by doing and it took a long time. I wasn't half-way decent at "coding" until I was 19 and I'm just getting solid at proper development [well I'd say the last year has been really smooth].
For all of us who do take it serious and have been through a lot of training I find these books insulting. And no, it isn't because I sunk a boatload of cash into the courses like a MCSE. I think people are quite capable of teaching themselves how to use UNIX shells or C programming. I just don't think it's the sort of thing you can do over a weekend or two.
So fuck off already with the books that serve no purpose but to flood the market with a lot of "smart" people who turn out to be useless as the day is long.
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
But to really understand Unix it takes years. I even have a degree in CS and it took me at least 5 years to really 'get' it.
24 Unix!
It would be modeled after the hit American TV series with Mr. Sutherland in it. He'd have just 24 hours to learn Unix, or a bomb goes off yadda yadda. Each hour of the show would show him at the command line, or trying to get X Windows running, and about hour 15 someone should show him a Linux Live CD and nearly save the day.
It could be shot under the BSD license, and run on either a Mac or Intel processor, depending on what they'd think would get better ratings.
Any TV producers out there want to buy the rights to my idea?
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
The Hopeless Moron's Guide To
The Shallow Unteachable Twit's Manual For
Become Dangerous With Too Little Knowledge Of In 24 Hours
For The Brainless
For Assholes
Rich And Stupid is not so bad as Working For Rich And Stupid.
But he's way behind on speed. The current record holder is "Teach Yourself UNIX in 10 minutes".
You may also need "Advanced Speed Typing" and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment.
Oh yeah, Macs are just making such enormous inroads into the server world.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
The problem is that many people who first start out with the command line seem to view it as more of them having to simply type in obscure commands to correspond to the same steps they would take were they using a GUI. I've seen many people type: instead of simply typing mv ~/foo/foo.txt ~/bar.txt Of course this is a simple example, but I think that it illustrates my point that people are often locked into the GUI mindset. As such, even if they understand in the abstrace the use of piping and output redirection, etc, the difficulty is in understanding how to use those tools efficiently.
Famous Last Words: "hmm...wikipedia says it's edible"
The concept of how *nix works takes far longer than a day to get your head round, as is learning to use the keyboard as a command interface!
the only command someone who needs this book should know is shutdown -g0 -y.
I'm afraid I can't pull any punches on this one: any "teach yourself X in 24 hours" book is snake oil to get your money. It's there to take advantage of people with the wrong attitude - Unix (and most of IT along with it) evolves so continuously, it practically re-invents itself every five years (through BSD, Linux, Solaris, etc). Get it in your head that it's a "learn-it-once" thing and you end up ten years later still able to babble Apple 2 Basic and remembering that SIMM = "single inline memory module" and DIMM = "dual inline memory module", but having to scurry back to the docs every time you edit your Python script.
Save yourself $10.20 by buying the book here: Teach Yourself Unix in 24 Hours. And if you use the "secret" A9.com discount, you can save an extra 1.57%!
"Dude, dude!"
Yeah, this is going to blow that right out of the water.
Listen to this:
Teach Yourself Unix in . . . 23 . . . Hours
Get your tagline off my lawn.
errr. you are a secretary AND you browse slashdot.. hmm, sorry, not gonna bite...
you could have mentioned you were psychic beforehand :(
Of course this was wayyyyyy back in the day, i think it was 1996? what a joke, im still trying to teach myself linux lol, its alot easier now, then i remember trying to manually partition my packard bell (the only pc i had) to try to run slackware on it, mannn was it compliated downloading a package at a time on 56k, then once i had them it, it did not run =( supported nothing on the packedbell!!!
At the totally awesome BudUglly web design page: http://budugllydesign.com/archivebud/bud9609/bud.h tml/
Seriously check it out, I laughed for an hour at this site.
I think that the main reason why people think that Windows is easier to use than Unix is because most people are more familiar with Windows. I have a partion on my hardrive and I use windows XP and Ubuntu. In my opinion Ubuntu is just as easy to use as Windows XP, but it is far more powerfull. When i first started to use Ubuntu I found it frustrating because I was not used to using command line, since it is not often used in Windows. But as I got used to the command line I found that I could easily do things using the command line that would be much more difficult to do in Windows. This bookn is great becuase will help people get used to using Unix, and once people are used to Unix then they would most likely choose Unix instead of Windows.
Visit Tevlog
I don't even want to think what Unix would have been like if it had been created by Finns or Hawaiians.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
This is actually my favorite version:h tml/
http://budugllydesign.com/archivebud/bud9806/bud.
All the versions are available from their main site name.
... whatever that means, is this. I need a high-level description of how Unix works. I have a reasonable handle on how Windows works (at least on a conceptual basis), so if I run into a problem or would like to get something done, I have an idea the kind of tools I need.
I've only played with HP-UX and a couple of Linux flavors - and not long or thorough enough to know what's going on under the hood.
Some examples:
How does **nix boot? How does it interact with hardware? Is there a general hint to what all the directories are about or any memory aids for knowing what's in them? Permissions - any chance of an overview of what the bits mean, why they might be used and how they're actually used?
The books I've seem go right from a brief history of Unix to either installing it or talking about commands. I've got no problem learning the "how", but I really need to know the "why" before I will spend the valuable time re-learning my way around an OS. Until then, I'll be sticking with Windows.
Does anyone know any books that address the "how it all works together" part? I'll be happy to read man pages and cryptic HOWTOs once I know why I'm doing it.
Seriously, though, I think the worst one I'd ever seen was something along the lines of a "teach yourself to read" book. I didn't quite understand how that was supposed to work. But maybe it's like those ads in the newspaper saying "Learn to Read".. or the sign at the entrance to McDonald's telling you "Braille and Picture menus available upon request" (I'm sure all the blind and illiterate can read that sign just fine!).. or that Drive-thru ATM's have braille on the keys..
What a world! What a world!
24 hours is nonsense. I'd say 24 days for the basics and 24 months for a better mastery of the basics is a more reasonable estimate. Unix is *not* KDE and how to burn a CD or play a game in KDE. Unix is posix, bash, sed, awk, perl, vim, and so on.
Only if you're also using this book.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Conversation between me and friend:
Me: What else should I put on my resume?
Friend: Can you use grep?
Me: Yeah kind of
Friend: Bam! Instant Unix admin!
EvilCON - Made Famous by
...had it been titled "Unix: Dummy to Diletante in 24 Hours."
Those who can, do. Those who can't, write technology blogs.
Indeed, getting a solid Sun machine is a fantastic way of learning UNIX. Solaris is a very mature UNIX-based system, and it is even open sourced these days. Solaris integrates very well with Sun hardware, but of course that's not a surprise.
You can obtain used SPARC-based Sun workstations relatively cheaply these days from a number of sources, and their newer Operton-based workstations are quite fantastic. If you do happen to find that Solaris isn't to your liking, you can always install Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD or FreeBSD.
Sun workstations make a fantastic system for learning UNIX.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
Go ask Sprint.
Sprint is using Xserves for all of their video streaming.
24 hours? Why so long? ;-)
Im about to teach you any unix in one (I repreat one) 3 second video giude. I'd just plain say "Don't" to anyone who wants to get to knowing it in 24 hours
Power users would rather benefit from proper manpages. I found that unices have much better manpages than linux. It is possible to learn how to properly use sed and awk from manpages on unix. I don t think this is true of linux.
If solaris is free, what about merging it all in LDP ?
...is free on the Net. Introduction to Linux: A Hands-On Guide at the Linux Documentation Project. Print the PDF, save a trip to the bookstore. Doesn't assume (much) prior knowledge, yet omits all the trivial "Here's how to burn a CD in K3B" nonsense.
Penny - plain text accounting
You need a book such as "The Design and Implementation of the 4.4BSD Operating System". I believe there is a more recent edition which focuses on FreeBSD. There are many other books out there, too, focusing on the internals of systems like Linux, Solaris and OpenServer.
They explain how each portion of the system works, in addition to how they work together. And then they explain exactly why.
You should be able to find such books at a university bookstore.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
Sometimes all people need is a little push to get them started. If all that book does is to effectively intro some commands and some ideas into the head of someone who never used unix, I think it is sucessful.
Most of the replies to this article go something like "You can't learn anything in 24 hours" or "If you use this book you shouldn't use Unix". The first type of reply is valid, but this review points out in several places that this book is useful as a reference guide, not just as a lesson-based learning method. And "Learn $THING$ in $TIME$" is a whole lot catchier and more profitable than "Figure It Out Yourself". Everybody needs to start somewhere, and for some folks, getting a book that will get them to do something meaningful at a command line is a GREAT start! As for the people who post the second type of comment: Get back under your bridge, troll. Seriously, not everybody here at slashdot has been programming C for a decade and uses lynx to surf. I'm sure a lot of people will find this book useful to them, just as "Learn Personal Hygiene in 24 Hours" would be useful to you.
To see a list of all the great command that you can learn about with man simply hit your tab button twice.
[Tab] [Tab]
what?
but oh well.
24 hours? Meh. I think everyone should wait and buy my upcoming book "Teach Yourself UNIX in 23 Hours". I mean, when you see both of them on the shelf, right next to each other, you're definitely going to buy the 23-hour book. Why waste that extra hour?!?! Right? *
* theme of this joke shamelessly stolen from the 8-Minute Abs vs. 7-Minute Abs scene in "There's Something About Mary"
I'll bite:
-Linux isn't designed for boot time, it's designed for stability. Boot time can drop significantly if you turn off HW-auto-detection, but distros out of the box don't handle that especially well
-If you are having speed issues after boot, that could be a configuration (esp. graphics) problem. My old Pentium III 450 couldn't run XP with any speed at all, yet it ran Linux great. My (slightly newer) Celeron 2GHz couldn't really run XP with less than 512MB of RAM, Debian Linux ran on 256 happily with OO.org, GNOME, and Firefox running non-stop, as well as rhythmbox.
-Linux systems rarely have AV software, and they don't really need them, SELinux adds a lot of protection against virii if you are really worried. The idea that everything needs AV software is microsoft-borne.
1) Insert Knoppix CD
2) Turn on computer
How hard is that? Doesn't even take 60 seconds. Poo on 24 hours!
What if you just want a functional knowledge? There's nothing wrong with that, nobody can be a master at everything, in fact most people can't master more than one thing. However that doesn't mean that they want to have NO knowledge.
Or what about if you work in a very related discipline and want to get some introductory knowledge? For example a Windows admin that is good with computers, troubleshooting, and so on but only has done it in a Windows domain. What they need is a primer to UNIX so they know where to get started. No that won't make them a master, but the same skills apply, it's a matter of learning the different way of doing things.
Don't know 'bout you, but I learned differential calculus quite a while before I even heard of Unix, and yes, it was easier, and in many ways much more interesting.
My first day of work and I got handed a stack of books. Unix sections 1, 2, 3; The C Programming Language; Troff/Nroff/MM; vi; B16 developers guide and B16sts users manual. (You probably have no idea what the last two are all about and are all the better for it....) Then I was given a desk with an HP 2621 wired up to a PDP-11/70 and told "Start reading. Come to see me if you have any questions." My first question was a very big "WTF am I _doing_ here?" which I wisely kept to myself.
Up until then my only software experience was Z80 assembler and MS Basic on C/PM and M/PM. I only knew that an 8086 was a 16 bit derivative of the 8080 and had no idea what an iAPX186 (80186) was. (The 11/70 was the dev host, the 80186 was the target.)
Fortunately I had a very good mentor and gained a second very good mentor after that. The rest is a very long winding road.
(You are standing in an open field before a small stone building with a wooden door. To the left of the building there is a metal grate on the ground. You hear running water.)
Damn straight. I developed tendonitus in the little finger of my left hand.
Stopped using emacs and changed to vi and the tendonitus went away.
YMMV
I do Windows support as a major part of my job and at this point I'm pretty good at it. I find that when a problem happens, I know how to troubleshoot it, what to look for, what to try and change, and so on. It's rare I encounter a Windows problem I can't solve pretty quickly, and I never seem to get perminantly stuck.
Not the case with UNIX. Now it's ok, I suppose, UNIX isn't my job, but I won't necessiraly have this job all my life and it'd be good to learn. However I know the basics, I don't have any trouble with manuvering around the command line, I understand basic security permissions, how to install software (in theory at least) and so on.
The problem I have is when something goes wrong, I can't seem to solve it. Some time ago on Slashdot I related my woes when trying to install the ATi driver in Fedora. I won't retyoe it but suffice to say I tried everything I could figure out to no avail. I couldn't figure out how to solve problems in UNIX because I don't understand it.
So I too, would like a book like that. Maybe something akin to "Windows Internals" (which is where I got my advanced understanding of how Windows works) from Microsoft, along with something about the application of that knowledge. The recommendation of "just use it and learn" doesn't seem to work. Perhaps I'm too impatient but I find in less than 24 hours I hit a problem that I can't seem to solve that is a show stopper for me (as in I can't do something that I need to do with my computer) and so migrate back to Windows.
I'm holding out for "Teach yourself neurosurgery in 24 hours".
'Type and Learn C' (iirc, by Tom Swan) was a really good book, it helped me a lot too when I was initially exploring the language. That and the online help in Borland's Turbo C++, which imho was highly impressive. OTOH, I also bought 'Type and Learn C++', but that was quite a disappointment - the entire book was an ongoing exercise in making an editor, so I couldn't jump from chapter to chapter as I wished, and due to several other things didn't get utilized remotely as much as the C book.
I do like the '24 hours' books in some cases when I want a quick intro to a topic, but 'Learn' is probably too strong a word - its more like 'Get Acquainted With', which is what I use them for.
n/t
How to learn how to learn about UNIX in 10 seconds!
/usr/bin/ /usr/local/bin | xargs man
/usr/sbin
;)
from an xterm terminal (command line), type
ls
administrators - repeat with
most newer systems support 'info' as well as man - replace man with info above to try this
warning: on Linux or UNIX systems be sure to install the man and/or info pages first.
yes, I skipped pages (e.g. man 5 ), but do you REALLY think I was serious
anyhow, I coulda done a really nasty command string to do all that, but it isn't worth my time.
I had a boss with horrible carpal, even with one of those bowl-shaped kinesis keyboards he could only type for a couple hours a day. He blamed the damage on emacs and had gone to vi, but too late.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
So, does it include the ever popular command: # rm -r /bin/ladden ?
I bought the third edition in January 2004 when I started a new job with a Unix/Linux company. I found it very easy to get up to speed quickly, which is a testament to the quality of the book as my previous *nix experience was measured in minutes. I particularly appreciated the way it compared and contrasted *nix with Windows as that's my background. It won't teach you everything but it covers the basics and will get you working pretty well straight away. As noted above to become really effective you should get help from someone with a lot more experience, but this book will introduce most *nix concepts.
"I'd like to think oysters transcend national barriers Adrian"
A couple of books he must have read:-
1) Teach yourself How to be a president in 24 hours.
2) Teach yourself How to invade another country in 24 hours. (includes free cd in the back of the book, how to build your own Sam).
I hope you mean it's a pet peeve of yours, otherwise you're part of the problem.
Media that can be recorded and distributed can be recorded and distributed.
-kfg
...maybe he should be reviewing "Teach yourself mixed metaphors in 24 seconds"
Leadership for Dummies. Do we really want dummies for leaders?
DOH!
PS: Other related Dummies titles include areas such as Managing, Communicating Effectively, and Coaching & Mentoring. The Peter Principle is alive and well and living at Amazon.com
George W. Bush is a fucking idiot. Any thoughts?
Are you asking because that's as far as your thinking capacity can take you?
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda
That'll teach you not to mess with Unix in 24 hours.
"Show me your tables and I won't usually need your flow charts; they'll be obvious".
Well, 24 hours is hardly enough time to really learn unix. How abou this for an alternate and more truthful title:
:-)
"Teach Yourself How Little You Know About the Esoteric Universe that is Unix in 24 Hours"
Not that there's anything wrong with unix...but, c'mon! Even 24 days would barely scratch the surface. It takes YEARS to be that geeky.
I might know what I'm talkin' about, but then again, this is Slashdot...
If I could teach myself Unix in a year, I'd be ecstatic.
'24 hours' doesn't mean those hours are in a row.
See http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/. Currently sitting on VP Dick Cheney's knee, with a string coming out the back of his neck. Distant relative of Mortimer Snerd.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
Rather, people like you are. This mentality that UNIX/Linux is like some kind of priesthood that requires a decade of hard work and dedication before you are allowed to use it. This idea, that you either have to be a master, or you can just get the fuck out.
Newsflash: Most people do not want to become experts at computers, and will not do so. If you are someone who makes their money on computing knowledge, you'd better be happy about that fack. If everyone was a computer and programming wizard, there'd be no tech support jobs and almost no programming jobs because people would just DIY.
There is a field, a vast field, in between the ignorance and mastery of a subject. It's valuable to have learning resources at all levels of this. There's nothing wrong with someone who wants to know a little bit about UNIX, you know basic commands and tools for operation, and it's good that there are books to teach them that. If you want Linux to spread, you want people learning that. You want them to find it easy to learn the basics so they can use it, and make use of your services.
Computers are just tools, albeit powerful ones. Not everyone needs to be a grand-fucking-master with them to get use out of them.
I was taught by an instructor for a fighting sport that "only perfect practice makes perfect". I think this applies to almost any process.
I was taught by an instructor for a fighting sport that "only perfect practice makes perfect". I think this applies to almost any process.
Is this contrary to my statement somehow? Applying your comment to my statement, it appears that you mean that if someone never versed in fighting sports went in their backyard and started kicking a tree, practice will make perfect. Then, of course, they'll go up against someone who spent the year learning from a master (who himself learned from many masters), and practicing, and they'll get their asses royally kicked. Obviously doing matters, but doing to the exclusion of learning is wasted effort.
The old documentation *rocks.* It assumes no prior knowledge (page 3: "Before you start, make sure you know how to turn on your computer, put floppy disks in the floppy drive and reset your computer. If you are unfamiliar with these things, consult your hardware documentation.") and are extremely accessible. At the same time, they are quite advanced.
I always start with the *oldest* documentation I can find because it is the most clear and accessible. And I recommend this to everyone else.
However, if you must, these Teach yourself x in 24 hours aren't too bad. They just aren't that great either.
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
Is this the Dave Taylor of id Software/Crack.com fame?
If I recall correctly, he was id Software's resident "Unix Guru" for a time. What a change of pace.
IDDT forever =).
"It's on my bookshelf next to ... "
You are absolutely "on target". It is not possible to "learn" unix in 24 hours -- it is only possible to learn a few dozen procedures. The experience would be useful to the novice in learning "how" to learn about unix and cannot be considered a panacea. Comprehending unix is all about learning about all the tools available, how they can be strung together, and that there is often more than one correct method to achieve your task.
The largest hurdle that most unix newbies have is learning to embrace the command line -- the command line is the sysadmin's friend. This is in direct contention with the $monopolist$ world view, which dumbs admin tasks down and hides them behind a GUI.
I found that these books serve their purpose; and that is to teach something quick. But I think the quicker you learn it, the quicker it is forgotten. The reason I remember certain things about the Unix enviornment is because I took me a long time to figure out. And the learning process was grueling and harsh.
>I am a secretary
On the assumption that you're not just trolling, I'd be willing to bet your problems are more directly related to migrating to OpenOffice from MSOffice, than from WindowsXP to Linux.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
From "Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years"
...
"I did the following power search at Amazon.com:
pubdate: after 1992 and title: days and
(title: learn or title: teach yourself)
The conclusion is that either people are in a big rush to learn about computers, or that computers are somehow fabulously easier to learn than anything else. There are no books on how to learn Beethoven, or Quantum Physics, or even Dog Grooming in a few days."
Funny how this review on a book that tries to popularize unix gets slammed by the regular /. crowd for another round of ego boost. Yes, unix has a steep learning curve and this is the exactly the reason why most people simply do not bother with it. People want pretty pictures to click around with, not a black screen with a flashing white cursor. Having you guys going around flashing your unix e-penis isn't helping its adoption. IMO, unix based systems will always be the quirky OS on the side line. Once a while, a /. elitist will post a long winded essay on how the ignorant sheeple have failed to comprehend the full glory of unix then fall asleep smiling, knowing his infinite unix wisdom will never be surpassed.
Many programmers only write code and don't actually read code written by others. I've found that looking at someone's code reflects their personality. For example sloppy error handling == over confident.
To see the "best" of the worst code and to learn from mistakes by others see:
http://thedailywtf.com/Transmitting energy without a license.
Anyone who administers Unix systems should challenge this statement. It's the most basic way to have the system to page you or send you a text message.
Parity: What to do when the weekend comes.
Naw..... I'll just wait until I wake up, then jack-in and download it into my brain, thanks.
"...often I see someone post about a "problem" that reading the man pages..."
The behaviour you describe was also a problem for cro-magnon cave painters. Faint markings near the entance of these caves are said to be an example of the first primative attempts to create the acronym: RTFM. Since those early days humanity has attempted to standardised on TLA's and no longer has manually spray the "ink" with their mouths.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Wow.. here where I live, the cabs refuse to go to ATMs because of robberies. My wife does not drive and works late nights at Taco Bell, and I always have to make sure I take out cash for her ahead of time because the cab drivers absolutely refuse to stop at an ATM because they're afraid to get robbed. And it's not like she works in the city. It's a small town at the edge of the suburbs, just before you get to the more rural area where we live.
*.sys.*.admin Damn. I can't remember the sony rootkit joke. And is taht old now?
Why spread the glory out into 5 titles, when you can act NOW and buy;
The Hopeless Moron's Guide To The Shallow Unteachable Twit's Manual For Becoming Dangerous With Too Little Knowledge Of In 24 Hours For The Brainless from Assholes of Ahhhhhh.
I think we all know that this single book was the rules of conduct for whomever it was that died while dictating in that cave where one may attain the Holy Graile. Somhow, Slashdot has become one rathered and unending run-on sentence.
without prejudice