Linux in a Nutshell, Third Edition

What This Book Offers

Based originally on the classic O’Reilly & Associates quick reference, Unix in a Nutshell, this book has been expanded to include much information that is specific to Linux. The current edition includes chapters on package managers (which make it easy to install, update, and remove related software files), on the KDE and GNOME desktops, and on the fvwm window manager, as well as new commands and expanded discussions of several topics such as CVS and bash.

Linux in a Nutshell doesn’t teach you Linux--it is, after all, a quick reference—but novices as well as highly experienced users will find it of great value. When you have some idea what command you want but aren’t sure just how it works or what combinations of options give you the exact output required, this book is the place to turn. It is also an eye-opener: it can make you aware of options that you never knew about before.

Like computer systems from the age in which Unix was born (the early 1970s), Linux is mostly a command-driven system. Most versions of Linux provide a few graphical tools, and several commercial products are available, but none of these graphical utilities are central to Linux. That is why this book, like the traditional Unix in a Nutshell reference, focuses on the shell and on commands you run from the shell.

Of course, Linux offers a windowing system—a very rich and flexible one, as befits a rich and flexible operating system. But a lot of the time you’ll just open a simulated VT100 ...