Learning Unix for OS X: Going Deep With the Terminal and Shell

by Dave Taylor

Think your Mac is powerful now? Author Dave Taylor shows you how to get much more from your system by tapping into Unix, the robust operating system concealed beneath OS X’s beautiful user interface. Mountain Lion puts more than a thousand Unix commands at your fingertips - for finding and managing files, remotely accessing your Mac from other computers, and using a variety of freely downloadable open source applications. Take a friendly tour of the Unix command line and 50 of the most useful utilities, and quickly learn how to gain real control over your Mac.

Genres: Technology, Computers, Nonfiction, Programming, Reference

233 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since it was the ARPAnet and is recognized globally as an expert on technical and business topics. He has been published over a thousand times, launched four Internet-related startups, written more than twenty business and technical books and has an MBA and MS Ed.

He runs the popular YouTube consumer electronics review channel AskDaveTaylor, is a columnist for the Boulder Daily Camera and appears in other publications both online and in print. Dave teaches undergrad and graduate courses on marketing, public speaking, film, and media & society at the University of Denver, where he's also a recognized Leader in Teaching Excellence.

Based in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, Dave is an award-winning speaker, sought-after conference and workshop participant, and frequent guest on radio and podcast programs, an active member of his community and father to three young adults who are themselves also avid readers.

You can find Dave online at AskDaveTaylor.com and catch up on his latest film, game, and car reviews at PlanetDave.com.

Reviews

[Bjoern Rochel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview, but doesn't really go deep.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find the book one I need more attention to learn the subject. That can be really fun and enjoyable. I find I use this kind of book side by side my Mac to practice as I go along the lessons the book is teaching. I am completely new to the Unix side of Mac. I find the starting point relevant to me. The book is outdated in the Mac OS version but the Unix Terminal side is still applicable, which is all the book discusses. I grew up on Window’s DOS. I am finding the subject engaging and am curious how to apply myself more in the terminal.

I have been getting a lot out of learning about how the file system works in Unix. There is a lot of ways to customize how inputs are returned to you. There is more information you can find about the system through the terminal. I was already familiar with the way files follow a string of order in a directory. There is more I have learned around the syntax Unix uses to place files in its systems. There are certain characters to use for files in Unix on the terminal.

The book is like a lot of logic and math after the first few chapters. The tools stack up on each other and take a more experienced perspective to understand them all. Dipping my toes in the water is just the beginning as reading this book represents. I love how there are other branches of learning to explore presented in the book. There are further reading books mentioned.

I am glad to get through the book. A long time coming for this read. Now I can work through the Database book. I found the book uplifting. I got so excited by the possibility in Macs. The moving of files and how to work with new systems.

[Stephen Rynkiewicz]

A good omen on my first day at work was seeing a Mac on my desk. Good thing too, because I was handling both creative-suite production and back-end development. Macs are not only graphic-arts powerhouses, they're Unix terminals that can build open-source apps and keep web servers running. To bridge the OS X and Unix worlds, I've been using Dave Taylor's Learning Unix for Mac OS X and Chris Seiboldt's Mac Hacks. The former provides a good grounding in Unix capabilities within the Mac file system. The latter helps set up Mac firewalls, servers and shortcuts. They're both handy for developers who need to get under the hood.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good intro/review of the Unix command line.

[Ed Terrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising that reading a book about UNIX can be exciting. But it was all that and more. Great writing, great topic!

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

learned a few new tid-bits of Terminal. Mostly stuff I knew from Zed Shaw's tutorial 'n seminars I've attended.

[Emmet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some useful information but all of this could have been found online for free.