Mac OS X for Unix Geeks

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 216 pages
• Published by: O'Reilly
• Edition: 1st Edition October 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0596003560
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0596003562
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 10.7 ounces

Product Review
It's about time: Mac OS X for Unix Geeks arrives on the scene none too soon for UNIX aficionados who, having heard that the latest editions of Mac OS are based on a UNIX variant, want to see how the platform compares to more ageless versions of the eminently configurable operating system. This book highlights some key differences between the Darwin environment and more conventional UNIXs, enabling people with UNIX experience to take advantage of it as they learn the Mac OS X way of doing things at the command line.

This skinny volume neither aims to teach its readers UNIX nor introduce them to the Mac, but rather to show how Apple has implemented UNIX. It's a fast read that assumes--as the title implies--rather a lot of UNIX knowledge. With that requirement satisfied and this book in hand, you're likely to discover aspects of Aqua more quickly than you otherwise would have.

The authors spend lots of time explaining how administrative tasks--such as managing groups, users, and passwords--are handled in the Mac OS environment. They document netinfo fully, and call attention to its limitations (like its inability to create home directories for users) by explaining how to do the job on the command line. They also cover C programming in the Darwin universe at greater length than any other book does, providing explicit instructions for such important tasks as creating header files and linking static libraries. A guide to the command line (they call the reference section--groan--"The Missing Manpages") provides good value at this book's conclusion. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to get around in Darwin, the UNIX implementation built into Mac OS X. Sections deal with basic maneuvering at the command line, LDAP services, C programming, and graphical user interfaces under Aqua. There's a short section on building the kernel itself, but it's limited in scope.

Book Description
If you're one of the many Unix developers drawn to Mac OS X for its BSD core, you'll find yourself in surprisingly unfamiliar territory. Even if you're an experienced Mac user, Mac OS X is unlike earlier Macs, and it's radically different from the Unix you've used before, too.

Enter "Mac OS X for Unix Geeks" by Brian Jepson and Ernest E. Rothman, two Unix geeks who found themselves in the same place you are. Their new book is your guide to figuring out the BSD Unix system and Mac-specific components that are making your life difficult and to help ease you into the Unix inside Mac OS X. This concise book includes such topics as:

• A quick overview of the Terminal application
• Understanding Open Directory (LDAP) and NetInfo
• Issues related to using the GNU C Compiler 9GCC
• Library linking and porting Unix software
• An overview of Mac OS X?s filesystem and startup processes
• Creating and installing packages using Fink
• Building the Darwin kernel
• Running X Windows on top of Mac OS X

The book wraps up with a quick manpage-style reference to the "Missing Manual Pages"--commands that come with Mac OS X although there are no manpages.

If you find yourself disoriented by the new Mac environment, Mac OS X for Unix Geeks can help you acclimate yourself quickly to the familiar, yet foreign, Unix landscape.

Reader Reviews
Confessions of a 'Net Geezer:' Yep, I'm old enough to remember when the term 'geek' was synonymous with 'nerd;' old enough to remember programming computers with punch cards; old enough to remember when "real geeks wore pocket-protectors." Now, of course, most of you reading this came on board the personal computing platform during the great Internet-Quake, which brought with it that dreaded Dot-Com Tsunami which is still wreaking havoc in the ebb of its tide. If you are a geek, (and you know it if you are) then you understand that vi isn't necessarily the Roman number for six, perl isn't a misspelling of a precious jewel, and X11 isn't a top-secret military reconnaissance plane. Indeed, it's been suggested that "real geeks speak Unix." Of course that's an overly narrow view, but there's no denying that the server and development landscape has been radically changed by Line, freebased, and the many *nix offshoots that have begun to mature and come into their own. As with all O'Reilly publications, Mac OS X for Unix Geeks is authored by true experts in the topic, in this case, Unix geeks. In addition it has a complete index and helpful appendixes. But the content itself is fairly inclusive of all the basic tools and services with which Unix developers will be familiar. Apple wouldn't be Apple if it didn't 'think different-ly' and such is the case with Mac OS X. The file structures are just consistent enough but with significant variances to throw an old Unix geek into fits of frustration, and cause the newcomer to become befuddled rather quickly. Whether mainly managing services, building structures, or seeking information about Darwin and advanced compiling techniques, Brian and Ernest have excellent advice and pointers for you to consider. They will quickly take you through the basics of Mac OS X's file structure and services, how to modify them to suit your personal needs and preferences, and get that "personalized" Unix that only a geek could appreciate! In addition, you'll get the benefit of their advice about using some of Apple's cool new GUI tools to manage some services that are typically only handled via the command line in traditional Unix installations. Unix geeks who have been around awhile know that much of the information they need can be found in detail, IF one knows where to look. By now, there are more than a few excellent online resources that cater to Mac OS X from a Unix point of view. This book provides suggestions for outside resources dealing explicitly with a particular topic of interest. I recommend checking out Brian's article: Top Ten Mac OS X Tips for Unix Geeks. The largest section of the book is for the developer. Apple is counting on developers to port their applications from other operating systems over to Mac OS X. While much has been made of the purported ease of moving current Mac OS 9 apps over to Mac OS X via Carbon, there's actually a bit more to it, as is often the case, and this little book does a good job of giving the developer a handle on where the Unix tools are located and how best to approach the packaging and deployment of applications for Mac OS X. One of the toughest challenges in writing a book like this is knowing when to stop. This is not meant to be an exhaustive text about Mac OS X, nor is it a full-featured explanation of Unix from a Mac perspective. It's a very handy guide for someone who's familiar with the 'engine' but isn't sure of the terrain. My advice is to view this book as a quick reference source for an overview of the common command-level features currently available in Mac OS X, how they are addressed either through the Terminal or a GUI or both, and where further details and help can be obtained online and in print. Software developers in particular will want this book, followed by server administrators. Network administrators will probably find this is not as helpful as a more exhaustive and general work like Unix Power Tools. MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5 Comment | | (Report this)