Introduction

This book is for you if you have a problem to solve or a task to complete. Working at the Unix command line often provides the quickest and easiest solution. Although a modern Unix environment such as Mac OS X provides a graphical method of working, the real power still lies in the Terminal and in typing commands. The Unix command line lets you work with your Mac in ways that are difficult or even impossible graphically, unlocking the hidden workings of Apple's OS and unleashing a wealth of powerful free software. Clicking a button may be an easy way to perform a prepackaged action, but it doesn't give you the expressive power of a set of written commands.

By reading the book, you'll learn Unix through doing. Moreover, you'll learn how to apply Unix to solve real-world problems. Whether you want to search for files, search file content, use regular expressions, mount disks, create user accounts, configure Apache, or do any of 95 other things, you'll find a project that shows you how.