| OverviewIf you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X
for its BSD core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly
unfamiliar territory. Even if you're an experienced Mac
user, Mac OS X is unlike earlier Macs, and it's radically
different from the Unix you've used before, too.
Enter "Mac OS X for Unix Geeks" by Brian Jepson and Ernest
E. Rothman, two Unix geeks who found themselves in the same
place you are. Their new book is your guide to figuring out
the BSD Unix system and Mac-specific components that are
making your life difficult and to help ease you into the
Unix inside Mac OS X. Editorial ReviewsAmazon.comIt's about time: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks arrives on the scene none too soon for UNIX aficionados who, having heard that the latest editions of Mac OS are based on a UNIX variant, want to see how the platform compares to more venerable versions of the eminently configurable operating system. This book highlights some key differences between the Darwin environment and more conventional UNIXs, enabling people with UNIX experience to take advantage of it as they learn the Mac OS X way of doing things at the command line. This skinny volume neither aims to teach its readers UNIX nor introduce them to the Mac, but rather to show how Apple has implemented UNIX. It's a fast read that assumes--as the title implies--rather a lot of UNIX knowledge. With that requirement satisfied and this book in hand, you're likely to discover aspects of Aqua more quickly than you otherwise would have. The authors spend lots of time explaining how administrative tasks--such as managing groups, users, and passwords--are handled in the Mac OS environment. They document netinfo fully, and call attention to its limitations (like its inability to create home directories for users) by explaining how to do the job on the command line. They also cover C programming in the Darwin universe at greater length than any other book does, providing explicit instructions for such important tasks as creating header files and linking static libraries. A guide to the command line (they call the reference section--groan--"The Missing Manpages") provides good value at this book's conclusion. --David Wall Topics covered: How to get around in Darwin, the UNIX implementation built into Mac OS X. Sections deal with basic maneuvering at the command line, LDAP services, C programming, and graphical user interfaces under Aqua. There's a short section on building the kernel itself, but it's limited in scope. | Book DescriptionIf you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X for its BSD core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly unfamiliar territory. Even if you're an experienced Mac user, Mac OS X is unlike earlier Macs, and it's radically different from the Unix you've used before, too. Enter "Mac OS X for Unix Geeks" by Brian Jepson and Ernest E. Rothman, two Unix geeks who found themselves in the same place you are. Their new book is your guide to figuring out the BSD Unix system and Mac-specific components that are making your life difficult and to help ease you into the Unix inside Mac OS X. This concise book includes such topics as: - A quick overview of the Terminal application
- Understanding Open Directory (LDAP) and NetInfo
- Issues related to using the GNU C Compiler 9GCC
- Library linking and porting Unix software
- An overview of Mac OS X?s filesystem and startup processes
- Creating and installing packages using Fink
- Building the Darwin kernel
- Running X Windows on top of Mac OS X
The book wraps up with a quick manpage-style reference to the "Missing Manual Pages"--commands that come with Mac OS X although there are no manpages. If you find yourself disoriented by the new Mac environment, Mac OS X for Unix Geeks can help you acclimate yourself quickly to the familiar, yet foreign, Unix landscape. |
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Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') Average Customer Rating: based on 11 reviews. Good Mac introduction book for Linux/Unit user/developers, 2005-04-27 Reviewer rating: If you never touched mac before, like me, and have some experience with Linux/Unit programming, this is a very good book to start with.
In the first part of the book, it covers the some basic knowledge you need to know such as difference between mac os and unix, how to setup your environment, many useful links to the mac resources on the web, small tips about many mac tools you will find handy.
In the second part, which I'm reading right now, it covers some issues you may need to know in order to compile your Unix code, which I'm very interested to know and some other server config stuff.
In short, if you are Linux user and new to mac, this is a must-have book since it will tell you a little bit of everything. If you are already a mac geek, there is nothing new in this book.
After reading the book and playing with my new mac, I believe I will go with mac in the future. | Unix Geeks?, 2003-09-08 Reviewer rating: This is a very slight book, with only slightly useful information. There is way too much time teaching supposed "Unix Geeks" what a shell is, rather than just saying, "Here are the shells that are available..." I found this book insulting to my Unix-geekness and not very useful for my desire to understand OS X. Very disappointing, coming from O'Reilly. | I think MAC OS X HACKS ISBN 0596004605 ..., 2003-04-13 Reviewer rating: Don't buy this book. Most of the info is in the net. Much better if you get the MAC OS X Hacks by Dornfest (O'Reilly also) | Not enough stuff, 2003-04-08 Reviewer rating: I also agree I felt really cheated. There are a ton of topics regarding OSX from a Unix users's perspective I'd like to see covered and this book had about 5% of them. There is good information in the book its just not indexed well enough and there isn't anywhere near enough book to justify the title. Its more like a dozen good articles than a book. | Apt title, 2003-02-20 Reviewer rating: This book gives an old command-line hack like me a great start to getting a feel for Darwin/OS X. Lots of good nitty-gritty information, and pointers to where to find more. |
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