Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference

paid for itself with 1 command within 2 days of delivery

This is an excellent reference text for Linux - although "In a Nutshell" is a bit dubious as it's nearly 1000 pages... Regardless, I purchased this nearly 5 yrs ago &, up until recently, I used it fairly often.After moving though, and having a personal library of 1000+ physical books, I had to pick and choose the books that would serve as my temporary consolidated library. Unfortunately, I wasn't using Linux at the time, & this went to storage. So, locating it is not as easy as it ideally should be, so my Linux reference is now relegated to web searches/forums.This was fine & my own problem; if I truly needed it, I'd simply purchase it again, right..? Maybe, but recently I discovered Kindle MatchBook - a great idea for those who have purchased the physical edition & are willing to pay a fee for converting it to the Kindle edition as well.Some might say 5 years ago! And the current price is so high! Ok, that's fine - however, I paid the high price already & am willing to pay the textbook MatchBook price... I'm not going to rent it, nor pay over 2x for the Kindle edition. And for some physical books I've purchased, the date of purchase is even further out and some are upwards of 4x the MatchBook textbook price. Indeed, my first purchase from Amazon was way back in 2001 - two physical books; 17 yrs & I can access them for the basic text MatchBook price.If the text simply didn't have the Kindle edition available, I could understand - but it does...further, they have a rental program setup to use it for a range of dates..? Maybe, but I already own the text, it's just inconvenient for me to access it...& I'm still willing to pay some fee...(?). So, unfortunately, I will give this very helpful text 3-stars until the publisher reevaluates how they offer their material to paying customers - very helpful, at the moment for me, is completely useless...

This used to be my "go to" reference for Linux, and sat on my desktop; but now, unfortunately it is hopelessly out of date. Latest copyright is 2009 . . . so much has changed since then. For example, ext3 is mentioned as something new and experimental but still backward compatible with ext2. ext4 is now well established as a file format and has been for a number of years. The same for GNU Arch . . . . no longer a supported package by GNU.My recommendation is to find a reference that is more current. The man pages are current and printable if so desired.

This is the Linux equivalent of the Webster's Dictionary for the English Language.Yes, there are the man pages. Yes, there is Google. And yes, I use both of those resources, too. BUT, I love the feel of holding a book. I write notes in it. I highlight in it. I take it for "light reading" on the train back and forth from home to work. No need to worry about batteries, either. It stands up to minor coffee spills, too.It's great for when you know the command but want to make sure you are using the right parameter(s), or when working with Bash Shell intricacies. Many good, simple examples. I strongly recommend this for anyone's professional "tool box".There are several other great Linux books that I have. But when anyone asks, "Which book should I buy first?", this is the one that I strongly suggest.

I have been asked quite a few times to recommend a book for the novice to learn Linux. This book is it. Effectively half the book is devoted to every command that typically comes standard on distributions. If you just look through those, say one or two commands a day and read the options you'll start to see what kind of capabilities Linux affords you.Anyone looking to understand the basics will need to know package management and this gives you yum and apt-get and rpm and dpkg so you get perspective on both the Redhat and the Debian package management methods.The bash shell, pattern matching vim (my favorite) and emacs basics to get you started. This book almost 1,000 pages and none of it wasted with useless info. Browse a couple commands a day and read the rest of the book cover to cover. You'll be rock'n Linux like a pro!

New one has new commands and capabilities. Use it all the time.

My original copy went missing during a recent fire induced move. Since I've got two active Linux servers and a laptop, I couldn't do without this reference.

Taught me everything I know about sed, bash scripting, and git. If you can dig up my git hub, you'll see. Although that information is presented as a possibly dense reference- not for the faint of heart. Of course, it's still good for the command reference, even if you aren't up to attacking the awesome sections in the back. It also has some good stuff on vi/vim. I can't remember off hand if it covers tabs, but it does marks and I'm almost positive macros. It also covers this other editor called emacs- but who uses that 😉. Well, besides for Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallmen.

This is a perfect book when you want to start working or work a lot with Linux systems. Comprehensive description of commands is usually followed by an example or two, depending on the complexity or usefulness. All the commands are grouped into chapters, with general ones in one and then more specific for programming, package managers, different shells etc. Newer editions contain some major changes, such as added chapter on revision control, to incorporate ongoing evolution of Linux.I have one warning though. I own 3rd edition paperback and 6th Kindle. Try to avoid Kindle edition if you can!! It is almost impossible to find a given command with one click - searching returns too many results. Index is totally useless in this case. Some entries have links, when others don't - definitely requires some major improvements. So 5 stars for book in general, but only 2 for Kindle edition.

A great reference to Linux commands providing detailed explanations on all commands - including command line options. A must have for anyone wanting to learn Linux!

This book is really excellent and first-class, putting all you need to know right at your fingertips. Not merely does it have a superb overview of Linux, it also has a concise guide to all the major commands in a Linux distribution. If you run Linux, you will find this book invaluable.

Every server admin I know has this book, this or UNIX in a nutshell are the back bone of the Linux/UNIX server admins library.

Had Unix in a nutshell for some years - pages had started to fall out. As I work more with Linux these days, I purchased this book. Its Great - what more can I say