The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction

506 Pages·2019·7.11 MB·English

by  William Shotts

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2ND EDITION
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The Linux Command Line will take you from your first • Administer your system, from networking and
terminal keystrokes to writing full programs in the latest package installation to process management LL
A C O M P L E T E I N T R O D U C T I O N
version of bash, the most popular Linux shell. II
• Use standard input and output, redirection, and
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The second edition of this worldwide best seller pipelines
includes coverage of bash 4.x features like new re- UU
• Edit files with vi, the world’s most popular text editor
direction operators and shell expansions. An updated
W I L L I A M S H O T T S
XX
shell scripting section discusses modern, robust shell • Write shell scripts to automate common or boring tasks
scripting practices and ways of avoiding common
• Slice and dice text files with cut, paste, grep, patch,
types of potentially dangerous failures. CC
and sed
As with the first edition, you’ll learn timeless command OO
Once you’ve overcome your initial “shell shock,” you’ll
line skills like file navigation, environment configuration,
find that the command line is a natural and expressive MM
command chaining, and pattern matching with regular
way to communicate with your computer.
expressions. You’ll even explore the philosophy behind
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the many command line tools and the rich heritage that ABOUT THE AUTHOR
your Linux machine inherits from Unix supercomputers
William Shotts has been a software professional and AA
of yore—all handed down by generations of mouse-
avid Linux user for more than 15 years. He has an
shunning gurus. NN
extensive background in software development, including
As you work through the book’s short, easily digestible technical support, quality assurance, and documentation. DD
chapters, you’ll learn how to: He is also the creator of LinuxCommand.org, a Linux
education and advocacy site featuring news, reviews,
• Create and delete files, directories, and symlinks LL
and extensive support for using the Linux command line.
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COMPUTERS/LINSHELVE IN:
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The LInux Command LIne

T h e L i n u x
C o m m a n d L i n e
2n d ed iTi o n
a Complete introduction
by William Shotts
San Francisco
The Linux Command Line, 2nd ediTion. Copyright © 2019 by William Shotts.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.
ISBN-10: 1-59327-952-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-952-3
Publisher: William Pollock
Production Editors: Meg Sneeringer and Serena Yang
Cover Illustration: Octopod Studios
Developmental Editor: Chris Cleveland
Technical Reviewer: Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso
Copyeditor: Kim Wimpsett
Compositors: Britt Bogan and Meg Sneeringer
Proofreader: James Fraleigh
For information on distribution, translations, or bulk sales, please contact No Starch Press, Inc. directly:
No Starch Press, Inc.
245 8th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
phone: [phone]; [e-mail]
www.nostarch.com
The Library of Congress issued the following Cataloging-in-Publication Data for the first edition:
Shotts, William E.
The Linux command line: a complete introduction / William E. Shotts, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-389-7 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 1-59327-389-4 (pbk.)
1. Linux. 2. Scripting Languages (Computer science) 3. Operating systems (Computers) I. Title.
QA76.76.O63S5556 2011
005.4'32--dc23
2011029198
No Starch Press and the No Starch Press logo are registered trademarks of No Starch Press, Inc. Other
product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Rather
than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we are using the names only
in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the
trademark.
The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution
has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor No Starch Press, Inc. shall have any
liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by the information contained in it.
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About the Author
William Shotts has been a software professional for more than 30 years and
an avid Linux user for more than 20 years. He has an extensive background
in software development, including technical support, quality assurance,
and documentation. He is also the creator of LinuxCommand.org, a Linux
education and advocacy site featuring news, reviews, and extensive support
for using the Linux command line.
About the Technical Reviewer
Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso is a coder, mathematician, and hacker-errant. He
runs Debian GNU/Linux exclusively since 2002, both at home and at work.
Jordi has been involved with GNU Octave, a free numerical computing envi-
ronment largely compatible with Matlab, and with Mercurial, a distributed
version control system. He enjoys pure and applied mathematics, skating,
swimming, and knitting. Nowadays he thinks a lot about environmental
mapping, greenhouse gas emissions, and rhino conservation efforts.