The official press release on Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther from O’Reilly is now on the wires, and I thought everyone might enjoy reading it here too, since I’m lead author:
Beyond Panther–Unlocking Mac OS X’s Unix Core
O’Reilly Releases “Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther”Sebastopol, CA–Renowned for its friendliness, Mac OS X continues to
delight old and new Mac fans with its combined ease of use and underlying
strength. By no means simplistic, its intelligently designed operating
system and user interface boast of sophistication and power, while still
offering accessibility to even the most inexperienced computer users. But
Mac OS X has gone one step further: it’s turned unsuspecting Mac users
into Unix users, too.
Perhaps some Mac users are already familiar with Unix, just not on the
Mac. Or perhaps they’ve opened their Utilities folder, spotted the
Terminal icon and double-clicked on it just for the heck of it. Suddenly
faced with a command line interface, they ask, “What does this mean?”
followed by the more pressing question, “Why on earth would I ever want to
venture into this seemingly user-unfriendly territory?”“Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther” (O’Reilly, US $19.95) by Dave Taylor
and Brian Jepson answers these questions and more. This compact book
provides a user-friendly tour of the Mac’s Unix base for the uninitiated.
Readers can safely explore Terminal and familiarize themselves with the
command line, learning about the hundreds of Unix programs that come with
the Mac. All the common commands are clearly explained with accompanying
examples, exercises, and opportunities for experimentation. Readers will
learn how to:
- Launch, configure, and customize the Terminal application
- Manage files and directories
- Print from the Unix command line
- Edit and create files with the vi editor
- Understand pipes and filters
- Use Fink to access a world of free Unix software
Unix continues to thrive as an operating system because of its power,
flexibility, and simplicity, and the vast community that supports it. Mac
OS X Panther makes it possible for users to run Unix programs side-by-side
with native Mac programs on the Mac desktop. “Learning Unix for Mac OS X
Panther” makes the power of these programs fully accessible.Additional Resources:
Chapter 5, “Printing,” is available online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lunixpanther/chapter/index.htmlFor more information about the book, including Table of Contents, index,
author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lunixpanther/For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596006179.jpgLearning Unix for Mac OS X Panther
Dave Taylor and Brian Jepson
ISBN 0-596-00617-9, 168 pages, $19.95 US, $28.95 CA
order -at- oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com/About O’Reilly
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Now, let’s see how it does in the market, eh? 🙂
ps: if anyone is interested in a review copy of the book, please don’t hesitate to contact me and we can talk!