| Overview
If you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X for its
Unix core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly unfamiliar
territory. Unix and Mac OS X are kissing cousins, but there are
enough pitfalls and minefields in going from one to another that
even a Unix guru can stumble, and most guides to Mac OS X are
written for Mac aficionados. For a Unix developer, approaching
Tiger from the Mac side is a bit like learning Russian by reading
the Russian side of a Russian-English dictionary. Fortunately,
O'Reilly has been the Unix authority for over 25 years, and in
Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks, that depth of understanding
shows. This is the book for Mac command-line fans. Completely
revised and updated to cover Mac OS X Tiger, this new edition helps
you quickly and painlessly get acclimated with Tiger's familiar-yet
foreign-Unix environment. Topics include:
Using the Terminal and understanding how it differs from an
xterm Using Directory Services, Open Directory (LDAP), and
NetInfo Compiling code with GCC 3 Library linking and porting Unix software Creating and installing packages with Fink Using DarwinPorts Search through metadata with Spotlight's command-line
utilities Building the Darwin kernel Running X Windows on top of Mac OS X, or better yet, run Mac OS
X on a Windows machine with PearPC!
Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks is the ideal survival guide
for taming the Unix side of Tiger. If you're a Unix geek with an
interest in Mac OS X, you'll find this clear, concise book
invaluable.
Editorial ReviewsProduct DescriptionIf you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X for its Unix core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly unfamiliar territory. Unix and Mac OS X are kissing cousins, but there are enough pitfalls and minefields in going from one to another that even a Unix guru can stumble, and most guides to Mac OS X are written for Mac aficionados. For a Unix developer, approaching Tiger from the Mac side is a bit like learning Russian by reading the Russian side of a Russian-English dictionary. Fortunately, O'Reilly has been the Unix authority for over 25 years, and in Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks, that depth of understanding shows. This is the book for Mac command-line fans. Completely revised and updated to cover Mac OS X Tiger, this new edition helps you quickly and painlessly get acclimated with Tiger's familiar-yet foreign-Unix environment. Topics include: - Using the Terminal and understanding how it differs from an xterm
- Using Directory Services, Open Directory (LDAP), and NetInfo
- Compiling code with GCC 3
- Library linking and porting Unix software
- Creating and installing packages with Fink
- Using DarwinPorts
- Search through metadata with Spotlight's command-line utilities
- Building the Darwin kernel
- Running X Windows on top of Mac OS X, or better yet, run Mac OS X on a Windows machine with PearPC!
Mac OS X Tiger for Unix Geeks is the ideal survival guide for taming the Unix side of Tiger. If you're a Unix geek with an interest in Mac OS X, you'll find this clear, concise book invaluable. |
Other Readers Also Read | Top Sellers in This Category | Browse Similar Topics | | | Top Level Categories:Sub-Categories: | | | | |
Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') Average Customer Rating: based on 11 reviews. Excellent book for the Mac Geek, 2006-02-01 Reviewer rating: I was a bit worried that the book would be more for beginners, but have been pleasantly surprised. I have been scripting on Linux and Unix machines for years and this is a great book for those who like working under the hood. | An advanced index to Tiger Unix, 2005-10-14 Reviewer rating: This book isn't for the average geek - if you're a geek but not a UNIX geek then don't buy this book. Even if you are a Unix geek the book is of potentially less value than you might expect... so let me adjust your expectations a bit.
Short and simple: it isn't a "Tiger Unix Bible". The majority of topics are just touched on or in many cases merely mentioned.
It also isn't a detailed coverage of Unix topics specific to Tiger. Apple has quite a few technologies of their own that they have woven into this flavor of UNIX. One might think that the book would cover at least those in depth. Nope. Even 10.4 specific topics that would be new to a 10.3 geek are typically "mentioned in depth". Assuming knowledge of Unix is one thing - but this book seems bent on assuming knowledge of the very topics it intends to introduce. That's probably just a fancy way of saying it covers a lot of geeky topics rather lightly.
If you're a true Unix geek you know how to deceipher man pages, hit all the usual blogs and find the information that's missing. And it's a lot easier to do if you know what the topics, commands and keywords are that you need to look at. For pointing me in the right direction I've found this book useful. Just don't expect more. | Excellent, 2005-10-11 Reviewer rating: Excellent. Very helpful. And even if you are a real geek who prefers to look up the man pages, or consult mailing list archives, you shouldn't dismiss this book too quickly. It covers the basics and goes on to less obvious matters. No matter how expert you already are, the chance is high that you shall find a great deal of useful material here. | very nice OS X UNIX book, 2005-09-25 Reviewer rating: OS X UNIX is amazingly friendly and accessible. Some people who had never used it before type commands and work with the operating system directly as a "cool guys" in movies! This book is very helpful and well written and it is serves as a very nice reference. I paired this book with that "UNIX Essentials" DVD I found here on Amazon and it is complete UNIX course recorded and this book and a video they contribute one another greatly. The book is very particular about the subjects that related to OS X and because there are some differences between OS X and other UNIXes it is nice to have a book that deals with it. | A Little Heady, But Not Unbearably So..., 2005-08-22 Reviewer rating: This isn't a book for beginners, but depending on what you are looking for it isn't totally advanced reading. Part I (Getting Around) is an assortment of 10 chapters - Inside the Terminal, Searching and Metadata, Startup, etc. - that are really just deeper dives. Once you have gotten past the "where's the terminal?" stage they provide good, useful information for any user who expects to spend time on the command line. Or who simply wants to know how things work.
But with Part II (Building Applications) the dive becomes much deeper, focusing on compiler requirements, libraries, frameworks, dynamic linking, and all the other minutia that a serious developer needs, especially one making the transition from the Unix world. If you are completely Mac based and are happy with Xcode you may find this is overkill. Later sections deal with Working with Packages, Serving and System Management, and some miscellaneous points.
Rothman and Jepson's writing style is a bit dry, and in the deeper sections they will often make assumptions about how well versed you are in Unix. Even in the Unix world there aren't a lot of people who are linking and loading experts and a little more effort at explaining the terms would have been appreciated. Come to think of it that's a standards fault anywhere in the Unix world - people keep assuming that the reason you are reading a book is that you already know what's in it - so I shouldn't complain.
Still, this is a good reference book. If I ever do want to create packages from the command line this will be my first stop. It belongs on the shelves of all Mac professionals, geeks or not. |
Some information above was provided using data from Amazon.com. View at Amazon > |
| |
|
|
