With the growing popularity of Linux and the advent of Darwin, Unix has metamorphosed into something new and exciting. No longer perceived as a difficult operating system, more and more users are discovering the advantages of Unix for the first time. But whether you are a newcomer or a Unix power user, you'll find yourself thumbing through the goldmine of information in the new edition of Unix Power Tools to add to your store of knowledge. Want to try something new? Check this book first, and you're sure to find a tip or trick that will prevent you from learning things the hard way. The latest edition of this best-selling favorite is loaded with advice about almost every aspect of Unix, covering all the new technologies that users need to know. In addition to vital information on Linux, Darwin, and BSD, Unix Power Tools 3rd Edition now offers more coverage of bash, zsh, and other new shells, along with discussions about modern utilities and applications. Several sections focus on security and Internet access. And there is a new chapter on access to Unix from Windows, addressing the heterogeneous nature of systems today. You'll also find expanded coverage of software installation and packaging, as well as basic information on Perl and Python. Unix Power Tools 3rd Edition is a browser's book...like a magazine that you don't read from start to finish, but leaf through repeatedly until you realize that you've read it all. Bursting with cross-references, interesting sidebars explore syntax or point out other directions for exploration, including relevant technical details that might not be immediately apparent. The book includes articles abstracted from other O'Reilly books, new information that highlights program tricks and gotchas, tips posted to the Net over the years, and other accumulated wisdom. Affectionately referred to by readers as "the" Unix book, UNIX Power Tools provides access to information every Unix user is going to need to know. It will help you think creatively about UNIX, and will help you get to the point where you can analyze your own problems. Your own solutions won't be far behind.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 69 Ratings

True to the Unix philosophy - 2007-05-12
Reviewer Rating:
Here is a quote taken from _Unix_Power_Tools_ which demonstrates the
attitude, shared by the authors, that unix allows you to make things
easier. "''Ugh!', you say, 'that's just what I hate about UNIX. All
these long filenames and options I can't remember. Who wants to type
all that stuff!' Precisely. That's why UNIX makes it so easy to
create custom commands, in the form of aliases and shell scripts."

Unix Power Tools is true to the spirit and philosophy of unix in
focusing on the command line environment with its rich abundance of
command interpreters, shell languages, system utilities, commands, and
the like. This is the realm of real power.

The book is aimed squarely at the user who wants to learn what's under
the hood of the unix (and Linux) system. It's not about how to change
your wallpaper or install the latest media player, or configure your
desktop, although this new edition may touch on these topics, too.
It's really about using unix to greatest advantage, about tapping its
real power, the power of its simplicity, of its flexibility, of
tapping into I/O streams, and using the tool-box approach to solving
real problems. It's about using 'pipes', 'redirection', and
'filters', to automate the big jobs.

My copy of this book is tattered from all the use it's had over the
last ten years. I'm always hunting it down, as my associates at work
are constantly borrowing it to help them solve a problem. That's
okay, though. I am ordering another copy, just for me. I'm curious
to see this new edition, which I understand has broader coverage of
the various unix flavors, including Linux, which I run
at home.

I would recommend this book to those who find unix intimidating, as
well as to the unix enthusiast. For anyone who ever wondered what the
fuss over unix was about, this book will certainly bring on an
epiphany. For between these covers is the greatest accumulation of
unix wisdom and know-how to be found in any book. The shear volume is
enough to elicit awe. But that's only part of its value, because such
an enormous accumulation of material might normally overwhelm the
reader, leaving him frustrated and unenlightened. Happily, this book
is so well organized, and the material so pleasingly presented, that
anyone will find it a pleasure to browse through and to mine
repeatedly for those precious tips, tricks, and methods that make
using unix so rewarding.

This is admittedly a pound heavy volume, and might be expected to
contain a lot of chaff with the grain. I have not found it so. The
authors have chosen the material well, and know their subject so
intimately and thoroughly, that I am left with a feeling of profound
respect. This is, in short, a book that is worthy of its subject; a
truly great book for a great OS.

I read another reviewer who avers this is the one book he would take
with him to a deserted island. I concur. It has taught me more than
any other unix book, and has made my work more efficient, and most
importantly, more interesting. I paid full retail for my copy of
Power Tools, and at the time, I thought it was a lot, but it has
repaid me many times over. It's the most indispensable unix book on
my shelf; a real gem.

Ultimate toilet book for the intermediate linux user - 2009-08-14
Reviewer Rating:
There's really nothing I can say in this review that isn't blatantly obvious from skimming the table of contents/sample pages from the product page here. It's a good book for understanding the low-level aspects of the common linux variants and how to do mundane, useful tasks from the command line, and I leave it in the john so I can skim through it and learn something while making my communion with nature.

However, what I find incredibly annoying and distracting is the authors' need to mindlessly put their initials after each paragraph that they write. The cover of the book says it all - there are four authors, and they wrote the book. Great. Good for them. They wrote a book. There's no need to remind the reader of every little inch of text that each of the four authors has individually contributed. It seems unprofessional, childish, and I've never seen anything like it anywhere before. The subject is not rocket science (most of the topics documented have been living in *nix systems for ages) and they didn't create any of it; they're simply telling us about it.

I mean, did these people say to themselves, "Wow! look at me! I wrote the section called 'The Superuser (Root)' and there are my initials to tell the world (and my grandma) about it; signed, '-ML.'" It's not like 'ML' actually had anything at all to do with creation of the concept of the superuser, so why does he/she feel the need to point out specifically to us that they wrote 3 little paragraphs describing it? I mean, if 'ML' was doing such great things, he/she probably would be doing far better things in life than writing books that folks like me read in the toilet.

If I bought a car, and everyone who'd designed every little piece of it felt the compulsion to put their initials on each little piece, people would laugh at me in such a car...but luckily this book lives in my bathroom where few people see it.

The consequent addition of maybe 50 pages that all of this superfluous initialing has created (ah ha! now I understand why they did it!) costs a star. Otherwise it would be a solid 4 star effort.

The UNIX bible! - 2007-05-13
Reviewer Rating:
Back in 1995 I started working at a client and all the UNIX guys had this book on their desk. I was a newbie at that time and the book helped me out a lot. It was clear and to the point. There is so much useful information. Recently I got my own copy because I had to jump back into the UNIX world and having this book around make me feel like I can handle any task that may be required. This is a must have if you want to dabble or become a pro in UNIX.

Highly recommended. - 2009-01-31
Reviewer Rating:
This book is a pleasure to flip through.

Unix Masters share tips that they use to save time and be more effective.

These precious jewels of information are not easily found on forums or in man pages.

This is an excellent book for the intermediate unix admin on the path to becoming a unix master.

What a Wonderful Book! - 2007-10-02
Reviewer Rating:
I've worked in IT for 20+ years, and this is one of the best books I've found. What an index! And even the text of the book has reference "pointers" (for lack of a better term) sprinkled throughout it. Even if you don't initially find what you are looking for, you can usually read a couple of paragraphs and find a link to what you need. This book is a "keeper!"

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