Unix in Plain English

UNIX in Plain English, Second Edition takes the UNIX operating system -- which can be obtuse and complicated -- and breaks it down into easily understandable components that can be referenced in any number of ways: by command, by task, by DOS equivalent, and by type. No other instant UNIX command reference does this.

UNIX is an incredibly powerful operating system, but its power can be diminished when you have to wade through volumes of technical documentation just to answer a simple question. UNIX in Plain English, Second Edition is your answer. It is a reference for instant access to the UNIX commands and concepts that you use every day.

UNIX in Plain English, Second Edition addresses the frustration of every UNIX user by listing common computer tasks in plain English with the corresponding UNIX command. Another section cross-references DOS commands with their UNIX equivalents for those making the transition to UNIX. In addition to standard user and system-administration commands, there is coverage of Internet commands (as UNIX was the platform upon which the Internet was built), text-editing commands, and more.

A dictionary-like alphabetical list of Unix commands, Unix in Plain English, Second Edition, features a handy cross-reference that you can use to translate MS-DOS commands into their Unix equivalents.

The book is designed to remedy the problem of looking up one of Unix's cryptically named commands in an alphabetical list, which is often impossible unless you know which command does what you want. (After all, who would guess that xv displays image files?) That's why Reichard and Foster-Johnson have divided this book into sections, each containing a particular family of commands, such as printing commands, graphic commands, and Internet commands. Each command's name appears next to a brief description of what it does.

The reference also includes a "wish list" of tasks that people might want to accomplish in Unix, such as, "Change a file's date to the current date." Each wish appears next to the appropriate command. Assuming that many Unix newbies have experience with MS-DOS systems, there's also a table that lists every DOS 6.0 command and its Unix equivalent.

This book is an excellent choice for the new Unix user who knows what needs to be done, but is frustrated by Unix's seemingly arcane command set. Sometimes the options tables are hard to read, but altogether, this is a fine book. --David Wall