Learning Unix for OS X: Going Deep With the Terminal and Shell 1st Edition

I have been looking for a book on using the terminal under OS X for some time now, so finding this gem by Dave Taylor was a real treat. (Most "command line" books focus on Linus and software installation.) Also, I am about to begin learning C (and C++) programming and I want to brush up on my Unix skills. Mr. Taylor hit on just about every major area including searching, I/O, file management, networking and a very strong intro to the vi text editor. I just wish he'd covered something about programming (like the make command), but I can pick that up elsewhere. So, if you're looking for a solid introduction to the Unix command line under OS X (and I think every Mac user should learn to use the terminal) I would say "look no further 'cause you found it".

I've been using Unix professionally since the late 70's. Having said that, I've been stuck on PC's for many years and was always wishing that I had a Unix command line for doing things. About a year ago, I bought a Mac Mini and have been loving having a Unix shell again! Many years of brain rot left me unsure of the fine details of some of my old favorites, and this book has been a nice dead tree version of the information that I need. The Mac's man pages are certainly a good resource, but sometimes I want something to hold in my hand and study for a while. Mr. Taylor did a nice job on this book, and I'm glad that I bought it.

Well organized, clearly written and usefully organized ... a great addition to my reference shelf.I switched from the various "Windows" embodiments about 4 years ago and have not yet touched bottom with my Mac ... a very rewarding journey. Because of the close connection between the Mac OS and Unix, I find close parallels between OS X "under the hood" and Unix: I am still exploring, with more to go.This book by Dave Taylor fits nicely into my interest zone and I am very pleased to have it ... if your interests parallel mine, I believe you will find it a rewarding addition to your book shelf.

Does get in to some very generic Unix/Linux/BSD info at many points, but does a great job on treatment of a lot of areas. Would have been nice if it focused on troubleshooting and support of common OSX issues that lend themselves toward a terminal solution, but this book is more about basic fluency. Some parts I would give a C+ to, some parts I would give an A+ to. The bulk of the book is more of an intro to using terminal overall. Great if you're not already familiar with using Unix/Linux/BSD even at the beginner level. Covers very few OS X-specific terminal commands though.

I wasn't knocked out by the book, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. I have forty years of programming experience and have worked with Unix on Sun Microsytems systems. Remember those? I got the book to refresh me on the Unix commands. The author did a good job of explaining them, in my case a little too simplistic. The level is probably perfect for a beginner.

Deep Dive - hardly!No inclusive information on sudo (beyond mentioning it - should of gone on to talk about editing the su-doers file via nano so selected standard users can use sudo), or viewing and editing with ACL attributes or extended permissions via the terminal commands. No mention of "+" and"@" on file names or sticky bit. And this is just in on topics touched on. Ok, on other shallow stuff but hardly a serious reference book for using Mac's Unix via the terminal.

I'd already bought the Macintosh Terminal pocket guide (big fan of the O'Reilly pocket guides here) and there's little in this book that you can't get in more distilled form there. That said, this is a good book for beginners who are totally new to the command line. If you already have a little familiarity and would like to know more about shell scripting, this isn't the book for you. It's not really about "going deep" - it's more of a context-rich dip into the shallow end of the pool.

As one who has always wanted to become skillful in use of the OS X Terminal Application, I am enjoying this book as an introduction to it. I hope that a future edition includes a CD, or link to a Website, providing video illustrations of much of the subject matter.

Perhaps not a review headline many would expect in a technical book review, but I can honestly say that this book was a pleasure to read through and I looked forward to reaching out for this 'light read' in the best sense of a potentially 'heavy' subject. I've been an Ubuntu Linux command line user for several years and bought this book as a way to understand the differences in OS X's command line that had been baffling me from time to time using OS X Server Mountain Lion. So, although I already knew quite a bit about what the author was talking about, I found his writing style and depth of knowledge a really pleasant way to consolidate and extend my knowledge.

I am not a programmer but have used unix based workstations for work in the nineties. I found this book a great way to bridge those early Unix experiences to being able to perform useful tasks today on a modern Mac. Would have liked another chapter or two of more advanced material but overall well worth it.

If you want to introduce in the world of the unix commands on Mac; this is your book. It is short, but very precise. I recommend it.

Dieses Buch ist ein guter Einstieg in die umfassenden Möglichkeiten von OS X über das Terminal. Schwerpunkt liegt auf Didaktik und Vermittlung der logischen Zusammenhänge. Sehr gelungen ist auch der "Ausflug" in Gebiete wie X11 Oberflächen. Dieses Buch ist geeignet für Compueraffine Nutzer, die in die Tiefe von Unix BSD einsteigen möchten. Danach hat man Appetit auf Mehr und sehr schön ist nach Selbstudium des Buches die Erkenntnis, das Unix nicht nur den absoluten Cracks vorbehalten ist, sondern auch von "Otto-Normalverbraucher" erlernt werden kann.

Un superbe livre qui aborde le système UNIX sous-jacent a OS X.Il aborde toutes les commandes UNIX et fait le parallele avec les outils de l'interface graphique.Un livre qui s'adresse particulierement aux utilisateurs avances et aux administrateurs systemes.La majorite du livre traite du Terminal dans OS X et souvent les commandes sont expliquees et documentees avec des exemples concrets de la vie de tous les jours. Un vrai guide pour celui qui souhaite apprendre UNIX sans se casser la tête. Ce livre est valable pour quasi toutes les versions de Mac OS X.Aucun regret quand a mon achat.A superb book that explains UNIX under OS X.The author explains all the UNIX commands and make a comparison with the tools in the graphical user interface. This book is made for advanced users or system administrators.Almost the entire book talks about Terminal in OS X and often all commands are explained and documented with day to day situations. A very good guide for the one who wants to learn UNIX without headache. This book covers almost all versions of Mac OS X.No regrets with this buy.