UNIX Book Recommendation


 
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# 1  
Old 08-08-2009
UNIX Book Recommendation

Hi! To begin with, I know there is a dedicated sub-forum for this, but I'm not able to create a new thread there, and I'm not able to find anything in the threads already there to suit my needs either.

This being said, I'm currently using Mac OS X Leopard, which is a great operating system, but I've always wanted to learn how to use UNIX-based operating system, without a GUI. I've chosen to study FreeBSD as this name comes the most often on the computer science boards/blogs I read.

What I'd like to be able to do is, mainly, programming (C/C++, Python, as well as Web Development, and, in the future, Java), but it would be nice to also be able to listen to music, browse the web (Lynx?), and... well... I'd like to know as much as possible about UNIX, so at some point, it would be nice to understand/have an opinion on all those kernel and such advanced discussions out there. I can't tell for sure, I'm too young (14), but I'm not pursuing a career as a system administrator, so I don't think I would need the specifics of it.

I'd also like to be be able to use my Mac's Terminal in order to do things which cannot be done through the GUI, or can be done better through the CLI. I've already got my foot wet with vim and I write all my C/C++/Python code with it.

I was thinking of downloading FreeBSD, and get The FreeBSD Handbook. I've downloaded the book, but I don't know what I should download from the FTP server. I've had a look over the documentation, and I think I should download 7.2-RELEASE-i386-dvd1.iso.gz from here. My Mac is a last generation MBP, so I have to download the ISO for the i386 architecture, right? And the image I pointed out to is the one which has to be burned on one DVD, right?

As for the part of UNIX for OS X, I found this book. Is it going to help me after using the OS and the handbook?

And what else would you recommend me to do/read/study?

Thanks a lot in advance!
# 2  
Old 08-09-2009
The subforum with the book recommendations is writable for the staff only. If someone has a good recommendation to make it will be transferred there upon review. In other words: you have were absolutely correct in placing your question here.

If you want to learn the general principles about kernel workings i suggest you do not read a book about Unix but about operating systems principles. I took the most out of Prof. Andrew Tanenbaums "Modern Operating Systems" (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007, ISBN 0136006639, 9780136006633), which covers all these principles. It explains the basic problems (processes competing for resources, management of filespace, etc.) every OS is a (different) solution to.

If you want to see these principles in action i suggest reading "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation" (Prentice-Hall, 1987, ISBN 136374069, 9780136374060). it was the book which started Linux when Linus Torvalds took the commented source code for an OS it includes and used this to start developing his own OS. Originally the book was written as a script to Prof. Tanenbaums lecture about OS design. The first volume is laying out the principles of kernel architecture (things like "how does a scheduler work"), the second volume is a commented source code for a Unix-like kernel called "Minix", which puts the knowledge of vol.1 into practice.

I hope this helps.

bakunin
# 3  
Old 08-09-2009
Well... for now, I was just trying to get FreeBSD installed and go through the handbook (which is pretty decently written). I get an error when it has to write the files on disk.

I've downloaded 7.2-RELEASE-i386-disc1.iso from here. Everything goes well until it's got to write the files to the disk. Check the screenshot for the exact conditions.

I use almost the standard configuration. On the Options window of the sysinstall Main Menu I choose NFS Secure and NFS version 3. Then I perform a Standard installation with all the features, and the partitioning part is always done pressing A for the defaults, and the boot flag is set on the FreeBSD partition. I've got 10GB for it.

I'd also like to mention that I'm performing the installation from the VirtualBox, as I don't have a printed documentation, and I don't think I would do by myself when I encounter a new step which I don't understand the built-in Help for.

What is causing this error? Could you please help me? Thank you in advance! Is the image corrupt? Should I re-download it, or try an MD5 check?
UNIX Book Recommendation-picture-1png
# 4  
Old 08-09-2009
Could be a corrupt image or bad burn.

Does the problem persist if you do the install w/o documentation?

Also, are you using the host CDROM directly, or mounting the .iso? I installed 7.2-RELEASE on VirtualBox not long ago without any issues. (No NFS however.)

Last edited by glen.barber; 08-09-2009 at 12:18 PM.. Reason: Fixed punctuation.
# 5  
Old 08-09-2009
@glen.barber I can't thank you enough! I removed the NFS formatting, and I got the CONGRATULATIONS! message Smilie Thanks A BILLION!

Last edited by cezar.elnazli; 08-09-2009 at 10:12 PM..
# 6  
Old 09-03-2009
Glad to help. :-)
 
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