BSD Hacks

Chapter 9. Grokking BSD

Introduction

Heinlein fans will recognize the word grok as the Martian word for “to be one with” or “thorough understanding.” Indeed, you will sometimes feel like a stranger in a strange land when learning Unix. As any Unix guru can attest, however, the rewards far outweigh the initial learning curve.

This final chapter is a hodgepodge of useful and sometimes amusing tidbits. A sure sign you’re on the right road to grokking BSD is when you’re able to see both the usefulness and the quirky humor that is inherent in all Unix systems.

How’d He Know That?

Make the most of your available resources.

Unless you’ve achieved Unix guru status, you probably find yourself asking “how did he know that?” whenever you’re around other Unix users or read a really cool snippet in a book. Here’s a little secret: he probably had to look it up. As I tell my students, “No one knows everything. Make sure the one thing you do know is where to go to get the information you need.”

Online Resources

If you’re using FreeBSD, there is no shortage of well-written documentation. If you haven’t already, bookmark the FreeBSD Documentation page at http://www.freebsd.org/docs.

There you’ll find hyperlinks to the four handbooks, the FAQ, how-to articles, online manpages, as well as other sources of information. There’s a very good chance that someone else has already documented what you want to do.

Keeping Offline Resources Up-to-Date

Online resources are great, but what if you don’t always have access ...