Brian W. Kernighan | Rob Pike
1 Fantastic!
This was my first book on UNIX in general, and I was extremely pleased with it. Kernighan and Pike provide a great introduction to UNIX. Topics covered include pipes, input/output redirection, sed & awk, UNIX system calls, lex and yacc, and much more. I reiterate: "Fantastic!"
2 The much-vaunted Unix "philosophy" in practice
This book is one of the cornerstones of the Unix philosophy. "There's a philosophy?" I hear you ask. Ohhh yessss. Unix gives you the tools to build whatever you want and asks only that you behave nicely, reading standard input and writing to stdout. Problem is, the tools sometimes seem too small to get anything useful done. What can you do with tiddlers like ls, cp and diff after all?
This book answers those concerns by a series of examples. My favorite is the version control system implemented in diff. Yes, it's dated, but the quality still shows. I prefer to think of it as "old-school"; it shows just how much can be accomplished with talent and an understanding of the Unix Way.
3 Yes its great
This is the book I wish I had as an undergrad. I only purchased the book out of curiosity but was delighted with its content. If you are new to *nix programming then this book is a must! If this book demonstrates anything it reveals the true strength of Unix -- timeless. After all, the book was published in 1984. I always judge a technical book by its cover and this book is no exception (the less flashy the cover, the better the content). Eventually you'll need this book so you might as well buy it now.
4 If you use Unix, you want this book. End of subject.
Dated, yes. But that's the only weakness of this excellent book, which covers the philosophy and structure of userland in Unix, and it's not an important one -- nroff is still necessary for man pages, and life on the command line is something anyone dealing with a Unix box should get used to, whether the user is using a shell account on their local freenet or a cutting edge Athlon64 Linux PC or PowerMac G5. (Or even SCO, if you must.)
The tools covered are timeless ones -- make, lex, yacc, and others that are still important for software development some twenty-five to thirty years after they were first written. There's no networking, no Perl, and the shell language is ancient, but what's in there still works, with only minor changes to accomodate ANSI C (if you're using GCC, even that can be dispensed with using a compiler flag). The book also serves as an education in programming language design, working out a full programmable calculator system called hoc, and an introduction to the concept of toolsmithing.
This book and Kernighan's book Software Tools (coauthored with P.J. Plauger) provide a great education in how to build a computer system; there's a very good reason both books are still in print after many, many years when most computer books turn over editions every year or two. Whatever your Unix is -- Mac, Linux, Solaris, BSD, whatever -- take this book with you when you start hacking around on the command line. It's not everything you'll ever need to know, but it's one of the best to get you started.
5 One of the most influential technical books ever written
In addition to providing a broad, albeit detailed introduction to UNIX, this book contains some of the most well-written and documented C code for students of the language. One chapter illustrates the construction of a simple calculator which gradually evolves into a stack-based virtual machine with a lex/yacc-based instruction set interpreter. The reader is guided through both the theory and practice of software design by demonstrating the almost "organic" growth of a complex software system out of a simpler one.
A definite must read.
6 good but very outdated...
This book might be a very good book 10-15 years a go, but now most of the stuff is outdated. Don't waste your money on this book, instead buy another book. I especially recommend books from Richard Stevens. They are really well written and answer the needs of programmers and/or users of the present.
7 Great book, but very confusing examples(code)
This is very good book to begin with. It gives you all you need to know about UNIX to start with (requires C and some *NIX knowledge). It covers most of the areas of C and shell programming, however I don't think this book will be sufficient for all your needs and code is very-very confusing it takes a lot of time to figure it out...
I would highly recommend this book for someone that has some basic knowledge in UNIX and need fast intro (also great as the text book). This book will give you a good idea about everything in *NIX, but ones you done with it, you will want to buy another book.
P.S: I would give it a 5 stars if code would be written in less confusing manner.
8 Very good book, but isn't perfect
I was taking unix programming class and used this book as one of the "main" books. I really loved it, it's very short and clear explain all you need to know, it gives you basic ideas+ , however it's not absolutely complete. What I didn't like its cumbersome code provided in this book, it took me long time to understand what the hell... I think the code examples could be better and easier written. However I do recommend this book. In short time one can get very good base for unix system programming.
9 Classic and still the best introduction Unix
I can't believe the reviewer who gave two stars to this book saying it's "outdated". Yes, it's dated. Yes, it doesn't tell you about Linux and FreeBSD and GNOME and KDE. But it's still absolutely the best introduction to the Unix *Programming* environment. Whatever else it is, Unix is a programmer's delight. And this book is the best companion you can have to explore Unix.
The book covers a lot of territory. Starting with a good introduction to the Unix command line, it covers Unix tools like sed and awk, shell scripting, system programming with C. It even covers lex and yacc. Never mind, the books age - it's still the best computing book I've ever read and I will gladly recommend it for any one new to Unix.
The authors' writing style is excellent. There is a certain amount of dry humor that I grew to appreciate in subsequent readings. For example, about AWK's name, the commentary dryly says "naming the program after the authors' names shows a certain poverty of imagination"! Remember that Brian Kernighan (one of the book authors) is one of the creator's of AWK. Go and buy this book. NOW.
10 Obsolete
It might have been the epitome of UNIX development, now it's nearly twenty years old. It didn't age well. Get Stevens (0201563177) if you want something serious about programming, or just ask Google.
11 How to think programmatically
How is it that a book from 1984 based on a legacy Unix system, describing some tools that no one would now use, can still not only be in print but actually recommended?
In introducing you to the Unix system, from simple shell commands, to shell scripts, to awk and sed programming, and to Unix applications programming, not to mention the best introduction to lex and yacc, the authors develop real applications and teach you how to THINK in Unix terms: develop small components that fit and interact with each other to build larger and larger and more complex applications.
But it's more than just thinking in Unix terms: it's how to structure and approach programs and scripts no matter what environment you are in.
Stevenson's _Advanced Programming In the Unix Environment_ is an excellent book for coverage. I have it too. But _The Unix Programming Environment_ is a book for developing your software mentality in a way that no other book that I've read even approaches.
After 20 years as a Unix programmer, including kernel development of several Unix operating systems, this book still remains on my shelf.
12 Extremely good for beginner programmers
I was clueless about Linux programing until I came across this book .Though the book has sections which are otherwise best covered by O'Reilly's UNIX Tools series ,nonetheless it provides an excellent introduction to using the tools and using them together to make your program 'happen' .
Being System V-centric ,some parts are outdated .Even then ,there are few books which are as good ,and perhaps no other book which is as friendly to those with non-UNIX\Linux programming background.
13 Classic
This is a really neat book because of who wrote it and it's value to the history of Unix. It's a good read and very informative.
However, if you want to learn or get up to speed on Unix/Linux, this is not the book unless you are into Unix programming. Yes Unix is basically the same now as then but it has gone through some major evolving with different tools and servers. Check out my list of Unix books for learning Unix.
14 The perfect book for the beginning Unix programmer
Elsewhere on Amazon I reviewed Kernighan's "Elements of Programming Style." To quote one paragraph from that review -
Brian Kernighan has co-authored three books almost essential to learning our craft, this volume, "Software Tools" and "The Unix Programming Environment". "Elements of Programming Style" spells out the fundamental rules, "Software Tools" shows you how to apply them to a number of simple projects and extends the rules to software design and finally "The Unix Programming Environment" shows you how to use them in an operating system designed to reward you for your effort.
This volume starts with a short, excellent preface detailing some of the early history of Unix and explaining the structure of the book and the philosophy behind it . The preface states "Our goal in this book is to communicate the UNIX programming philosophy ... throughout runs the themes of combining programs and of using programs to build programs." It delivers on that goal.
The book then follows with a series of chapters that start with basic shell commands and then pipes before branching out into shell programming and going on to explore useful Unix tools such as grep, sed, awk, C, the standard libraries, make, yacc and lex through a series of small useful programs culminating in a small calculator language called `hoc' - a useful calculator and easily extensible.
While most might feel that grep, sed, awk and shell programming have been replaced by tools such as Perl and Python these early chapters provide a good grounding in Unix programming and remind newer users of the power and usefulness of these simple Unix tools.
Briefly covered in a final chapter are some of the document preparation tools based on troff - the macro packages ms, mm and of course the man package used for Unix man pages along with tbl and eqn for tables and mathematical equations respectively.
In totality it provides an excellent grounding in writing good, workable software for Unix. The writing is clear and concise, the volume well laid out, the examples are in the main useful, though a few rely on multiple users of the one machine, not as common now that Linux and Sun have made a Unix computer more of a desktop machine than a minicomputer.
This is a classic book and I would recommend it to all starting out Unix programming, regardless of your experience with other operating systems. Ignore it's age, computer books are rarely this good and almost never this timeless.
15 The UNIX Book
Albeit this book was published in 1984 and when I started learning UNIX some ten years later, many of minor details were already a bit out-of-date, I believe that it will still be a marvel for those who work on modern UNIX/Linux systems, since the details are ever changing, the commands may differ from system to system, but the philosophy behind the UNIX technology stays the same, and this is what this book is all about. Written in a great style, resembling to that of another Kernighan's famous book "C programming language", compact and clear, this book is a true classic, one of (unfortunately) very few examples of long living technical books in our rapidly changing world. In short, it's highly recommended for those of fledging programmers or sysadmins who feel that UNIX is too cumbersome and messy to understand; it suits well for beginners and intermediates, who want to feel at UNIX as at home. And don't be scared with some out-of-date details: they are really minor... view them as UNIX history ;-)
16 wonderful book, but dated
This is the book that turned me on to UNIX. Actually at the time I read this book, I was burned out on computer programming in general and was thinking about moving into physics. Then I read this book. It illustrated very clearly the power and elegance of UNIX. As a result I regained my interest in computers, which in retrospect, turned out to be a very good thing.
Unfortunately this book is System V-centric and doesn't say much about the improvements introduced by BSD, let alone gnu tools or linux. It was actually out of date at the time I bought it back in 1990. I'm still giving it 5 stars though because it's one of the best books I have read.
17 Bible
This book is one of bibles for the introduction to the unix philosophy. Two of origianl unix gods in bell labs wrote this bible in the early days of unix. The examples and their underlying philosophy are still valid in these linux days.
18 Oldies but goldies
Merely half an inch thick, and employing the same cover design - or lack of it - as the C Programming Language, this is probably the least pretentious looking book on my bookshelf. However, the look is misleading - there are very few books, regardless of length, that aim to teach you as much as this one, and even fewer than succeed in it.
Unix programming environment might sound a rather ambitious title nowadays, when a tutorial on each specialized tool can easily exceed 400 pages. However, this one actually delivers everything that it promises. Kernighan and Pike start with the basic description of Unix file system and the basic set of commands, continue with the command shell, redirection and piping. Next come the filters: regular expressions, grep, sort, sed and awk. At that point, the reader is ready for the full-fledged treatment of the command shell programming. Next come standard I/O and Unix system calls, followed by the program development tools: make, lex and yacc. The course is concluded with a chapter on document formatting with troff.
The chapters on I/O and system calls imply familiarity with the C programming language. The already mentioned tutorial on C by Kernighan and Ritchie, written in much the same style and spirit, can serve as the introduction to it. Also, while the book keeps up with its age remarkably well, there are some points where the described Unix system differs from the modern POSIX systems (most user commands are however backward compatible and still accept the old syntax). The required changes are really minor, but can nevertheles annoy an innocent reader.
The book belongs to nowadays rare breed of books on computers written for engineers and CS students rather than for dummies and idiots. Although primarily written for individual study, it can be used for one-semester course on Unix (like in C Programming Language, the exercises are lacking solutions, though). I would love to see it made-up with POSIX syntax and generally reflecting the changes made to Unix during the past 15 years.
19 Makes you think, which creates understanding
This is my favorite book on Unix tools. It is written in a readable style, but it is not easy. The exercises really challenge your understanding. You will be pushed to develop more than just a mediocre grasp. The grep exercise is a good example.
It does not stand on its own because of its age and the older tools that are used. ed is a good example. The book uses ed as its text editor and even has a chapter on ed. I have never met an ed user. It would be easy to conclude that there is no reason to bother with ed. But because the Unix system evolved around ed, learning ed syntax is directly applicable to vi, sed, and perl.
20 An old friend, returned from the dead.
This book was my formal introduction to UNIX when it was originally published in 1984. I'd already been a UNIX user and programmer for 2 years, but this book helped cement my relationship with the UNIX operating system and community.
UNIX is as much a technical philosophy as an operating system, and this book remains one of the best introductions to the UNIX philosophy. It is also a good introduction to basic UNIX tools, if a bit dated.
21 One of the best books on Unix Programming
I've been using this book for the past 3 years. After reading this book for the first time I got hooked into the unix world. It still serves a regular reference.
22 unix is no longer scary
Just started into this book and it immediately has me comfortable in the Unix environment. I run FreeBSD and this book works quite nicely with it. One thing to remember is to have a programmer's manual handy for your version. Great book for anyone with absolutely no Unix experience.
23 Easy Intro for an Easy UNIX
The authors (one of whom co-wrote UNIX) explain the tools and philosophy of UNIX in clear, down-to-earth terms. A good book for learning how to use UNIX.
24 it helped me to learn about unix from nothing
First time Linux was introduced to me, I was a blind man in unix world, but after I read this book, it has opened my opinion about unix/Linux.
Thanks to Kernighan. His english was very ease to read, even a beginner (and not a English native speaker) in unix world can learn a lot from this book.
I suggest this book to people who want to learn unix/linux.
Thanks
25 Understand the logic of UNIX.
Ive learned UNIX on my home p.c with LINUX, Coming from WinNT envrioment i didnt know a thing About the UNIX operating system, this book helped Me understand the simplicity and logic behind UNIX And how to use my programming skills on a Diffrent, better operating system. I recommend this book storngly to every Novice/Advanced/user/programmer that wants to Learn UNIX the right way.
26 This is the first book I recommend to anyone who uses UNIX
A fantastic book written in the very readable Kerninghan style. Succinct, thoughtful. After reading this book you'll not only understand how unix works, but why it works the way it does. Internal concepts such as INODES are explained (very few books other than advanced programming texts tend to discuss these), and advanced tools such as compiler-compilers are introduced and used in a non-trivial project. A great book that I still refer to frequently (I bought my copy in 1984).
27 My favorite book on the Unix environment
This is my favorite book on the Unix environment.
It starts at a very basic level, and gets quite involved by the end (for example, it includes a desktop calculator implemented in lex and yacc -- this example was very helpful to me in getting a handle on how to do "real" things using lex and yacc).
The book is a tad dated; for example, it doesn't discuss Perl. But it's still the best "intro to unix" book you can buy.
28 A classic exposition of Unix philosophy and practice.
This is one of the best Unix books ever. It conveys not just the "how-to" details of the
Unix environment, but its "why-to"; its philosophy
and aesthetics. I rate it less than a 10 only
because it shows its age a bit, not covering
some tools such as Perl and TCL that have become
important parts of the Unix toolkit since it was
written. Within its scope it is absolutely solid
and still an extremely valuable introduction.
