As an open operating system, Unix can be improved on by anyone and everyone: individuals, companies, universities, and more. As a result, the very nature of Unix has been altered over the years by numerous extensions formulated in an assortment of versions. Today, Unix encompasses everything from Sun's Solaris to Apple's Mac OS X and more varieties of Linux than you can easily name.

The latest edition of this bestselling reference brings Unix into the 21st century. It's been reworked to keep current with the broader state of Unix in today's world and highlight the strengths of this operating system in all its various flavors.

Detailing all Unix commands and options, the informative guide provides generous descriptions and examples that put those commands in context. Here are some of the new features you'll find in Unix in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition:

• Solaris 10, the latest version of the SVR4-based operating system, GNU/Linux, and Mac OS X

• Bash shell (along with the 1988 and 1993 versions of ksh)

• tsch shell (instead of the original Berkeley csh)

• Package management programs, used for program installation on popular GNU/Linux systems, Solaris and Mac OS X

• GNU Emacs Version 21

• Introduction to source code management systems

• Concurrent versions system

• Subversion version control system

• GDB debugger

As Unix has progressed, certain commands that were once critical have fallen into disuse. To that end, the book has also dropped material that is no longer relevant, keeping it taut and current.

If you're a Unix user or programmer, you'll recognize the value of this complete, up-to-date Unix reference. With chapter overviews, specific examples, and detailed command.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 58 Ratings

The only game in town, but... - 2008-05-15
Reviewer Rating:
I've got two versions of this book: the blue cover version and the one that came in my CD bookshelf. I'm usually quite positive about nutshell books. Usually.

While this is pretty much the only one-stop Unix reference in town when you don't have the man pages to hand, there are some perplexing omissions from the "unix command" section. Nothing to do with networking, for example. No netstat, ifconfig, nslookup. Odd, in a world when a non-networked computer is surely a rarity. Yes, the stuff is probably in the networking O'Reilly books (mine are on order as I type) but you'd think in this day and age...

Yesterday I was flipping through and noticed there was no entry for "mount" or "umount" either.

You should probably own one of these if you have a job in the Unix computing biz, but before long you might find yourself asking "what will I need today that won't be in a nutshell?"

Seriously, O'Reilly should be looking into rewriting this little gem to make it properly comprehensive again.

The perfect reference - 2008-09-05
Reviewer Rating:
This is in my opinion the best UNIX reference book on the market today. If you need to program or work in the OS you should own this book.

From a learner/user perspective - 2008-04-21
Reviewer Rating:
Unix in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition

Not a useful book for someone who wants to learn unix. It can be used for reference for someone who already knows UNIX. I bought it hoping that it will be a good introduction and summary. Disappointed.

A Desktop Constant - 2009-02-25
Reviewer Rating:
This is a great reference book. My only complaint is that I wish there was a section covering some BSD commands and in the sections already present, some networking commands as well (like another reader already mentioned). Otherwise a great all-around book.

A wonderful reference book about Unix OS - 2008-11-24
Reviewer Rating:
Let me start off by saying that if you are looking for a introductory book about Unix and you have no experience with Unix OS whatsoever, this is not a book for you. If you are new to Unix OS, then you should consider buying the O'Reilly book,"Learning the Unix Operating System."

Like the cover page says, this book is a reference book. This book covers GNU/Linux OS, Mac OS, Solaris OS, Unix commands, Bash Shells, Korn Shells, package management, emacs editor, and many other information that are very useful to Unix programmers, system administrators, and Unix users.

If you have a bit of experience with Unix, this book should be a must.

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