Reviews for The Complete Idiot's Guide to UNIX

1. DON'T GO ELSEWHERE, GET THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT TO START WITH UNIX

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 2008

   I bought this book in 2008 that is 10 years since it was first published but I can't describe how happy I am that I did! If you're after UNIX introduction, get this book (I bought used one for pennies) and you won't regret. Written to easy consume the material, full of down to earth examples and side notes this is an amazing book one can find on learning UNIX. I am glad I made this choice as UNIX is something I am a big fan of now!

2. A great building block

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, July 12rd, 2008

   This is a great way to start Unix. You could call this a no thrills introduction which will get you up to speed in no time. It's easy to read and understand and avoids a lot of wasteful jargon and still drives home the simplicity and complexity that can be found in Unix. For me this was a great building block (back then) for more advanced learning.

3. The only idiot is the one who missed this book

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, July 12th, 2005

   There is much more to this book than just beginning UNIX commands. There are dozens of beginning UNIX books. Many of them are quite good. This book however is one of the few that can start with the concepts and get you going on most of the major UNIX platforms. Yes every one will point out the differences in BSD and AT&T, however most systems are a combination. What I found interesting is the X Window information as the general public does not realize that UNIX has a GUI interface like CDE. This book also has a good treatment of networks. Again the general public does not realize that the Internet is almost purely UNIX. There are all sorts of things it forgot to leave out so you can have an excuse to buy more books.

4. Learn to know Unix quick with this book, Jan 22, 2002

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12nd, 2002

   This is a very well written and structured book on Unix, it takes an approach that gives a brief overview on its history including different variants around. It uses illustrative examples in a non-techie manner that even someone without prior knowledge to Unix would find this book to be a trove. After completing this book, then get another book Unix in a nutshell to further tie all the commands in place in terms of the scripting aspect.