Linux Shells by Example (with CD-ROM)

By Kavitha M

In both Linux and Unix, becoming proficient at using shell scripts is an essential skill for both programmers and administrators. Filled with numerous exercises and examples, Ellie Quigley's Linux Shells by Example provides a comprehensive tutorial to two of the most popular Linux shells: the Bourne Again shell (bash) and the TC shell (tcsh). For any Linux user, this title is all you need to bring your shell-programming skills up to speed. This book opens with a tour of the history and function of traditional Unix shells (from Bourne, C, and Korn shells) before centering on Linux variants, bash and tcsh. The text then turns to three powerful utilities: grep (for file searching), sed (for noninteractive file editing), and gawk (which allows programmers to write powerful scripts that process files using regular expressions). There are dozens of sample commands to try out here. (With shell programming, the genius is truly in the details, and the only way to learn the shell is to try it out for yourself.) As an experienced teacher, the author provides a wealth of examples that take you through both the common and more esoteric features of these utilities. Instead of hard-to-decipher man pages, there she includes dozens of sample commands with correct syntax, plus clear explanations. The rest of this book looks at the bash and tcsh shells in detail, from interactive mode to shell programming with full coverage of the basics of writing reusable scripts. Final sections of Linux Shells by Example look at common Linux file and system commands for easy reference, and the book ends with a useful appendix on quoting styles for five different shells. In all, this book's clear presentation style and plentiful examples will help any Linux user become a competent shell user and script programmer. --Richard Dragan Topics covered: Survey of Unix shells (the Bourne, C, and Korn shells), survey of Linux shells (the Bourne Again and TC shells), processes, shell environments, tutorial for regular expressions, grep for file searches, the streamlined editor (sed), awk/nawk/gawk scripts, gawk basics and expressions, gawk programming (variables, arrays, flow control, built-in and user-defined functions), the bash and tcsh shells (interactive mode, programming tutorial for shell scripts), reference to common Linux/Unix utilities, comparison of shells, and tips for using correct quoting styles within shells. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0130147117
• ISBN13: 9780130147110
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
• Length: 761 Pages
• Weight: 3.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 7.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great reference and how-to

I bought this book several years ago and it's safe to say that I've opened it up a minimum of once a week since then. Every single page has example code in it and content ranges from elementary to expert. gawk and sed are archaic programs with difficult to remember semantics and syntax. This book comes off the shelf every time I have to process text or files or the output of a program or any other repetitive task that is...

Don't think twice, just get it.

New to 'nix? You need to learn the shell to become comfortable and proficient with the OS. There is no better book for the serious beginner/intermediate self-motivated learner. Ellie Quigley is a superb instructor and writer.

Excellent Book

I just started this book but have thumbed through all the chapters. The author is a very good writer and seems to be passionate about the subject unlike some of the authors that write dry tombs for O'Reilly. However, "Unix Power Tools", O'Reilly is not a dry tomb.Anyway, better know your way around linux before you get this book even though it starts very basic. This is a huge book, 761 pages. Great info...

This book will make your life easier

I found this book very easy to understand, but if you are looking for something more advance, this is not for you. The style of writing in this book is very easy to follow. Like what is written on the title, it has lots of examples, and an explanation always comes after the example. It is not only about shell, this book also has good basic knowledge and information about grep, sed, and awk. If you use Linux, and want to learn...

Useful script writing skills!!

I love the explanations of scripts in here... there are so many books that either give you a finished script or the same thing you find in the man pages... this book guides you to understanding the scripts that you write. The format of "Example" followed by "Explanation" lets you understand exactly what is going on. Skills developed cross over to other OSs like Solaris and HP with some minor differences.For those who come...