UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi all, i'm new here and to Unix and have a question about more help then I am getting. I live basically in Portland, OR and am attending college and have to take some Unix classes for my degree. Well class is fine and the help from the instructor is ok but I would like to receive more help then he is giving. I find Unix very intriguing and would like to learn more but I am feeling kind of starved for information...

Any help would be outstanding.

Thanks

So, you want information on Unix?
There is a dearth of info out there, but let's see if I can help point you in the right direction. IF you REALLY want to learn Unix/Linux, the best way is hands-on.
That being said, search the FAQ section of this forum for tips on how to download a *nix flavor. The distributor's website should have much information on the *nix that you choose.
Install, and then learn one great command:
man

type man man into the command line and start from there. Monitor these boards to learn more and don't forget to pay attention in class and pick your professor's brain.
Good Luck, the moderators here are great and I'm sure will be willing to help you out - Not with homework though

we've covered about 7 chapters in our book, which is really interesting, the biggest point is like you said the man page. my next question is which flavor should I pick? my instructor talks about Solaris and HP UX the most in class, but I don't know if these are Unix or Linux. I would perfer to get Unix but am not sure which would be better.

Thanks

check our FAQ.

you will find answers to all the questions you have asked.

as far as chooseing a distrobution just pickone. pick one that alot of people have and you will find alot of poeple to help w/ that.

freebsd
openbsd
fendora
slackware
solaris

take a pick.

OK I've gone through the FAQ several times and some of it actually helped, but I come up with broken links because most of the FAQ postings are from 2000 or 2001.

Solaris and HP-UX are both UNIX.

All the BSDs are also real UNIX, these are good options for you to get familiar with UNIX with no outlay and on cheap x86 hardware.
freebsd
openbsd
netbsd
Are all examples, freebsd is the most friendly to get going with IMHO.

There are far to many Linux flavours to give anywhere near a complete list, but distributions like Fedora, Mandrake and SUSE are all very good as a first step into the water.
But If you really want to learn Debian and Slackware allow you to really know your system and get down and dirty. They hide very little from you and dont impose (m)any bizarre patches or default configurations.
Slackware is rather similar to BSD in its installer and the way it inits and other little nuances.

NB. Linux != UNIX, Linux is unix-like. It was designed to operate like UNIX but does not have the same heritage. Linux is Posix compatible and can run ELF binaries and has numerous more similarities


As far as commercial unices go, I cannot provide you with much information. But unless your college has copies of them for students then I strongly doubt you will be able to afford most of them.
(Solaris x86 can be found cheaply on ebay)