UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I know how to install Unix or Linux on my Mac using bootcamp, I installed the Ubuntu distribution of Linux on my Mac. Basically I'm looking for advice on what OS I should learn with. I am fiercely interested in programming, and am learning C++ and Python at the moment.

Anyways, everyone has been telling me if I want to really learn programming I need to switch to Unix or Linux. I am using a 64 bit intel mac, should I stick with Ubuntu Linux (I have to work out a lot of driver issues), or try Solaris 10? I want it to be a challenging OS that forces me to face more code (not so much GUI, and automated everything). I don't really know what I'm talking about lol, but, I hope you know what I am trying to say. Any advice regarding these questions, or good advice to have on the path and where(ish) the path should be pointed would be helpful?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I'm sorry if you feel like you killed 5 minutes of your life, and want them back. Maybe someday I will be able to write code that saves you LOTS of time =).

I am just curious, do you know that the Mac Operating System's kernel is based on Unix? It is Free BSD, and you can use almost all the same commands you would on a normal *nix box. All you have to do is open the Terminal (just like you would on a *nix box) and you can browse the file system, perform root user tasks and even program in the shells. Granted the GUI is different, but it would be a great way to get started.

MacOS is not based on UNIX, it is a (true) UNIX OSand is certified as such (reference) . To learn to program all you need is the toolchain for whatever language you want to write in.

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to open a terminal window on OSX and type "ls" instead of "dir". If I never see another DOS .BAT file again it will be too soon.

Yup OSX is Unix, but like all other flavors it's got unique quirks. If you want to play with the various distros, I'd suggest Parallels or VMWare so that you can install (and run!) multiple OS'es at the same time without rebooting nor installing from scratch.

Good luck with your programming. If you're taking suggestions, I could really use an aim-bot for Nexuiz.

Personally I would recommend Apple's Mac OS X and Xcode for your programming.

If you want to try other systems get a cheap 2nd hand machine you can bounce around with Linux, [Net|Free|Open]BSD, Solaris etc.

I have used a variety of UNIX flavors including Solaris, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Linux, and OS X. I can tell you first hand it matters little what flavor you use if you are new to the UNIX world.

Both Mac OS X and different distributions on Linux provide bash. bash is the Bourne Again SHell. You can get to know the nuances of bash right on your Mac running OS X. If you become proficient at bash you can hold your own in the UNIX world. You also have access to editors such as Emacs and vi on the Mac, both come as part of the base install. Depending on the language you are programming in, you will most likely find the compiler already on the Mac (like gcc, g++, javac).

I like systems where I have everything already available. Today, installing packages is a breeze using Linux tools such as yum, apt-get, or up2date. In the "olden" days it used to be a nightmare - we had to solve dependencies, edit header files, and do a lot of praying. So maybe that is why I prefer systems where everything is ready to go.

Enjoy,
Guhan
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