Press releases

"Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther": Unlocking Mac OS X's Unix Core

Press release: January 14, 2004

Sebastopol, CA--Renowned for its friendliness, Mac OS X continues to delight old and new Mac fans with its combined ease of use and underlying strength. By no means simplistic, its intelligently designed operating system and user interface boast of sophistication and power, while still offering accessibility to even the most inexperienced computer users. But Mac OS X has gone one step further: it's turned unsuspecting Mac users into Unix users, too.

Perhaps some Mac users are already familiar with Unix, just not on the Mac. Or perhaps they've opened their Utilities folder, spotted the Terminal icon and double-clicked on it just for the heck of it. Suddenly faced with a command line interface, they ask, "What does this mean?" followed by the more pressing question, "Why on earth would I ever want to venture into this seemingly user-unfriendly territory?"

Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther (O'Reilly, US $19.95) by Dave Taylor and Brian Jepson answers these questions and more. This compact book provides a user-friendly tour of the Mac's Unix base for the uninitiated. Readers can safely explore Terminal and familiarize themselves with the command line, learning about the hundreds of Unix programs that come with the Mac. All the common commands are clearly explained with accompanying examples, exercises, and opportunities for experimentation. Readers will learn how to:

  • Launch, configure, and customize the Terminal application
  • Manage files and directories
  • Print from the Unix command line
  • Edit and create files with the vi editor
  • Understand pipes and filters
  • Use Fink to access a world of free Unix software
  • Unix continues to thrive as an operating system because of its power, flexibility, and simplicity, and the vast community that supports it. Mac OS X Panther makes it possible for users to run Unix programs side-by-side with native Mac programs on the Mac desktop. Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther makes the power of these programs fully accessible.

    Additional Resources:

  • Chapter 5, "Printing"
  • More information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and samples
  • A cover graphic in JPEG format
  • Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther
    Dave Taylor and Brian Jepson
    ISBN 0-596-00617-9, 168 pages, $19.95 US, $28.95 CA
    order@oreilly.com
    1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

    About O’Reilly

    O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

    Email a link to this press release