From Book News, Inc.
This quick reference helps Linux administrators find the command they need, describes how it works, and identifies what combinations of options give the exact output required. It also reviews package managers, shells, editors, scripting tools, and desktop configuration. The fourth edition adds a section on the grand unified bootloader (GRUB).Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Description
Linux in a Nutshell, now in its fourth edition, has won awards in the Linux community as the most indispensable book about Linux. It is an essential desktop reference for the commands that users of Linux utilize every day, with the depth of information and the practical, succinct "In a Nutshell" format that made the previous editions so popular. Comprehensive but concise, Linux in a Nutshell covers all substantial user, programming, administration, and networking commands for the most common Linux distributions. It's several quick references rolled into one: sed, gawk, RCS, CVS, vi, Emacs, bash, tcsh, regular expressions, package management, bootloaders, and desktop environments are all covered in this clear, to-the-point volume, along with core command-line utilities. The fourth edition continues to track the major changes in bootloaders, the GNOME and KDE desktops, and general Unix commands. Several commands related to CDs and music reflect the evolution of multimedia on Linux. Coverage has been added for GRUB, which has become the default bootloader on several Linux distributions, and for vim, the popular and feature-loaded extension to vi. The addition of several new options to the iptables firewall command and new commands related to DNSSEC and ssh show the book's value as a security tool. With this book, you no longer have to grope through long manpages and info documents for the information you need; you'll find it here in clear language and an easy-to-read format. Contents include:Programming, system administration, networking, and user commands with complete lists of optionsGRUB, LILO, and Loadlin bootloadersShell syntax and variables for the bash, csh, and tcsh shellsPattern matchingEmacs, vi, and vim editing commandssed and gawk commandsThe GNOME and KDE desktops and the fvwm2 window managerRed Hat and Debian package managers

FROM OUR EDITORS

The authors offer concise, precise discussions of probably 98 percent of what you'll need to know to run or administer Linux on a day-to-day basis! The brand-new Third Edition reflects the latest Linux kernel and distributions, with scads of new coverage: GNOME and KDE configuration, dpkg Debian package manager, new commands, expanded coverage of the rpm Red Hat package manager, and more. Plus everything that made previous editions great: crisp, to-the-point coverage of 800+ commands, more than 100 pages on Linux shells, detailed help with Emacs, vi and sed editing, pattern matching, RCS and CVS revision and version control, and more -- all organized splendidly!

ANNOTATION

This excellent desktop reference reviews the basic commands and features found in popular Linux distributions. It's not a man page download, but a well organized guide and reference with explanations, parameters and options. For best understanding, you should be familiar with the Linux operating system, installation requirements and utilities. A basic understanding of shell scripts will also help. This is not a tutorial, but a guide and reference for intermediate to advanced users and programmers.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Linux in a Nutshell covers the core commands available on common Linux distributions. This isn't a scaled-down quick reference of common commands, but a complete reference to all user, programming, administration, and networking commands.

Contents include: Programming, system administration, and user commands with complete lists of options LILO and Loadlin (boot) options Shell syntax and variables for the bash, csh, and tcsh shells Pattern matching Emacs and vi editing commands se and gawk commands Common configuration tasks for the GNOME and KDE desktops and the fvwm2 window manager Red Hat and Debian package managers New material in the third edition includes common configuration tasks for the GNOME and KDE desktops and the fvwm2 window manager, the dpkg Debian package manager, an expanded investigation of the rpm Red Hat package manager and CVS, and many new commands.

Linux in a Nutshell is a must for any Linux user; it weighs less than a stack of manual pages, but delivers everything needed for common, day-to-day use. It also covers a wide range of GNU tools for Unix users who have GNU versions of standard Unix tools.

SYNOPSIS

This complete reference covers all user, programming, administration, and networking commands, with options, for common Linux distributions. It also documents a wide range of GNU tools. New material in the third edition includes common configuration tasks for the GNOME and KDE desktops and the fvwm2 window manager, the dpkgDebian package manager, expanded coverage of the rpm Red Hat package manager, and many new commands.

FROM THE CRITICS

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