Teach Yourself Unix in 10 Minutes

In each 10-minute lesson, you are given a small amount of material to master. In most cases, the material in each lesson builds on that presented in the previous lesson, so although you can jump around between lessons, you will be best served to start the book at the beginning and move through it in order. You can come back and forth as you master each lesson, in case you forget a command or how to do something.

This book is divided into seven parts. Part I, "Learning the Unix Environment: Baby Steps," covers logging in to a Unix (or Linux) system so you can begin to learn Unix. You will learn how to get into Unix (and Linux) so that you can work within it. Part I also shows you the essentials of how to help yourself, which is important when using any new system.

Learning how to find and use documentation is one of the keys to survival when it comes to learning Unix. Part II, "Navigating the Unix File System," covers the file system, how to navigate it, and so on. Part III, "File System Utilities," explains how to manipulate and work with files as well as how to use some of the tools that come with the system to edit, archive, and compress files. Part IV, "Working with the Shell," covers working with the shell and how to use scripts. Although you won't become a master of shell scripting overnight, you will start to see how powerful Unix can be if you know how to work with it. Part V, "Environment Customization," covers user utilities as well as how to modify your environment. Part VI, "Networking and Communications," is new to the second edition of this book; you will learn how to print with Unix as well as how to set up basic networking and security. Part VII, "Tips and Tricks," covers advanced topics and some Linux so that you can work within Linux (since it's easier to get and use) and learn Unix in the convenience of your home or anywhere else you may want to put a new Linux- or Unix-based system.