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William E. Shotts
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The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction 1st Edition

by William E. Shotts Jr. (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 626 ratings
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There is a newer edition of this item:

The Linux Command Line, 2nd Edition: A Complete Introduction
The Linux Command Line, 2nd Edition: A Complete Introduction
$19.72
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You've experienced the shiny, point-and-click surface of your Linux computer—now dive below and explore its depths with the power of the command line. The Linux Command Line takes you from your very first terminal keystrokes to writing full programs in Bash, the most popular Linux shell. Along the way you'll learn the timeless skills handed down by generations of gray-bearded, mouse-shunning gurus: file navigation, environment configuration, command chaining, pattern matching with regular expressions, and more. In addition to that practical knowledge, author William Shotts reveals the philosophy behind these tools and the rich heritage that your desktop Linux machine has inherited from Unix supercomputers of yore. As you make your way through the book's short, easily-digestible chapters, you'll learn how to: Create and delete files, directories, and symlinks Administer your system, including networking, package installation, and process management Use standard input and output, redirection, and pipelines Edit files with Vi, the world's most popular text editor Write shell scripts to automate common or boring tasks Slice and dice text files with cut, paste, grep, patch, and sed Once you overcome your initial "shell shock," you'll find that the command line is a natural and expressive way to communicate with your computer. Just don't be surprised if your mouse starts to gather dust.
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    9781593273897
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1593273897
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publication date
    January 17, 2012
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    8.5 x 1.09 x 11 inches
  7. Print length
    480 pages
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Copy of The Linux Command Line , 2nd Edition on black background with No Starch Press logo

Spread of Linux Command Line on yellow background with info on ReadLine

Copies of The Linux Command Line, 2nd edition on black background

"Spread of Linux Command Line on yellow background with info on Shell Functions"

'Excellent'

"This excellent Linux command line book is more than cubicle decoration, it's a secret superpower."

—Ken Hess, Red Hat

'Highly Effective'

"For those looking to master the Linux command line and get an essential understanding of the core Linux command-line tools, this book is a highly effective and useful guide."

—Ben Rothke, RSA Conference

'THE Beginner's Guide'

"I can honestly say I have found THE beginner's guide to Linux."

—Jayson Broughton, Linux Journal

A man in glasses wearing a green sweater and cowboy hat, sitting in a booth

About the Author

William Shotts has been a software professional and avid Linux user for more than 15 years. He has an extensive background in software development. He is also the creator of LinuxCommand.org, a Linux education and advocacy site featuring news, reviews, and extensive support for using the Linux command line.

Who Should Read This Book

This book is for new Linux users who have migrated from other platforms. Most likely you are a “power user” of some version of Microsoft Windows. Perhaps your boss has told you to administer a Linux server, or you’re entering the exciting new world of single board computers (SBC) such as the Raspberry Pi. You may just be a desktop user who is tired of all the security problems and wants to give Linux a try. That’s fine. All are welcome here.

No Starch Press logo. A black circle with a white iron and a star in the center.

About the Publisher

No Starch Press has published the finest in geek entertainment since 1994, creating both timely and timeless titles like Python Crash Course, Python for Kids, How Linux Works, and Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. An independent, San Francisco-based publishing company, No Starch Press focuses on a curated list of well-crafted books that make a difference. They publish on many topics, including computer programming, cybersecurity, operating systems, and LEGO. The titles have personality, the authors are passionate experts, and all the content goes through extensive editorial and technical reviews. Long known for its fun, fearless approach to technology, No Starch Press has earned wide support from STEM enthusiasts worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Praise for The Linux Command Line

"I can honestly say I have found THE beginner's guide to Linux."
—Linux Journal

"Anyone who reads this book and makes use of the examples provided will not be able to avoid becoming a Unix command line pro by the time they've hit the end of the book."
—ITworld

"The most approachable tome on the subject."
—Linux Magazine

"If you’re new to the command line there is definitely a lot that you can learn from this book."
—Ubuntu Musings

"This is exactly what a Linux beginner needs to get up to speed quickly. The book goes beyond simply walking through all of the command line utilities, and ventures into the realm of theory and how things work together."
—Nicholas C. Zakas, web software engineer and author

Review

"Anyone who reads this book and makes use of the examples provided will not be able to avoid becoming a Unix command line pro by the time they've hit the end of the book. It provides an excellent introduction to the command line that takes students from knowing nearly nothing to using impressively sophisticated commands."
—Computerworld

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1593273894
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Starch Press, Incorporated; 1st edition (January 17, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781593273897
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593273897
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 1.09 x 11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 626 ratings

About the author

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William E. Shotts

William E. Shotts

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
626 global ratings
Good book but its a fake!
5 Stars
Good book but its a fake!
The content is awesome but, just found out the one I received is not from No Strech Press publishing. The spine and back cover are blank. If you open the book, the last page will have the publishing print of what the full cover will look like.Lesson learned: Just buy this/all books from No Stech Press website, yea it might cost more but at least you are supporting the author and publisher directly. Meet NSP at DefCon, super cool and you can tell they are legit and not in this just for profit.Amazon: Get your stuff together, We know you sell a lot of stuff but you started with books, at least get that right!
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Top reviews from the United States

Joseph Rickey
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomonal
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is THE best way to learn Linux systems. I had forgotten a lot of things from my course over a year ago, as I hadn't used the system in a while. While the instruction for that course was very helpful, this book helped me relearn a great deal of commands and MANY new ones. If you're not as fortunate as I was to have a great instructor for your course, or you want to create a LinuxBox of your own, this is the definitive way to learn and understand the system. Shotts is a great technical writer and he helps you understand the jargon many people use. He's a clear and concise in how he approaches each lesson. While the book doesn't go into the administrative aspects of the system, by simply learning how to navigate and manipulate the system you are well beyond many administrators. The skills taught in this book will also serve you in other departments such as scripting and programming. You'll start to think like an IT professional and you'll better be able to understand the concepts behind both, making learning different programming and scripting languages much easier. I cannot stress how helpful this book is to any person interested in Linux or any professional that needs to catch up on it. If you just became in charge of administrating a Linux machine, this book will teach the right way to maintain the system. Fear not the command line. Shotts will make you a master of it. Instead of quivering at a command line based Linux server, you'll look at it as a unique way to do your job, and have a leg up against many other people.
6 people found this helpful
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Evan Dingman
5.0 out of 5 stars Most Engaging, Complete, and Informative Introductory Linux Text Ever Written
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2015
Verified Purchase
Back in 2014 I had a university requirement to earn my Linux+ before graduation. The amount of material covered in the official study guide seemed overwhelming, was just too bland, and expected a baseline of knowledge that I frankly did not have at the time. I was beginning to dread my approaching deadline and started to look for alternative learning materials. That's when I found this book.

This is the most engaging, complete, and informative introductory text that has ever been written for the Linux command line. Topics are presented from the ground up and conveyed in conversational manner that truly captivates. This book does NOT read like a dry textbook.

Oddly enough, another benefit is that the book does not have a list of topics that it MUST cover. Since the text has not been geared towards a particular exam, William E. Shotts, Jr. can address fundamental topics that are necessary to understand, but not explicitly covered in the Linux+ exam objectives. These extra topics are what will allow you to transition into the more advanced topics of the Linux+ without feeling overwhelmed.

I would recommend this to anyone who has ever shown an interest in Linux. It does not matter what age, it does not matter what background, this book can equip you with the tools necessary to dive head first into what will hopefully become your new lifelong obsession with the Linux command line.
5 people found this helpful
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David Demoss
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this if you want to know how computers REALLY work.
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
As a lifelong computer person who just recently decided to self-study his way to becoming a programmer, this book is fantastic. Not only is it awesome at doing what its supposed to (teaching me everything there is to know about the linux command line), its also provided amazing insights into computers themselves.

So much of what we use on the GUI side of things is really just a pretty version of so many of the commands taught in this book, that have been around for many decades. As someone under 30, I just always took for granted that the best computing only came about in my time, but this has given me a much greater respect for the meat and potatoes of computers and has shown me that much of the "advancements" in operating systems over the last 25 years are really just graphical user interface upgrades over the command line.

Overall, there is tons that anyone could learn from this, and certainly if you wish to be an effective linux user this book is a fantastic starting point. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone considering linux, its very VERY readable and makes great use of stories and factoids that provide insightful context. Would give 10/10 if i could.
One person found this helpful
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Francisco Garcia
4.0 out of 5 stars Brand new BABY to Linux, FLYING THROUGH THESE PAGES
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
I bought 3 books from Starch Press to jump into managing my Linux OS and THIS one has been the BEST one to help me start out. It is well written, engaging for a technical text, and assumes no prior knowledge which if you've tried to learn Linux so far you know it's like getting stuck at a brick wall of infinite text made of arcane advances. I would give 5 stars if the book had been in better condition but the content is excellent. The book came in with every other word highlighted and useless comments scribbled in every page. I am not a dainty steward of my books and I annotate, not even conservatively, but the prior owner of this book left no page untouched. That's just not a good way to study and I hope you treat your books nicely to share with others, especially a book as nice as this one.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Angelo
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Addition to Your Reference Shelf
Reviewed in Canada on June 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
Great book, I haven't finished it through yet but so far it has been a great reference for command line.
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Julien
5.0 out of 5 stars Très bonne introduction au terminal
Reviewed in France on September 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
The linux command line est plutôt exhaustif, et largement suffisant pour savoir utiliser régulièrement Bash et créer ses scripts.
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Ernestino
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro
Reviewed in Italy on January 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Ottimo veloce e rapido
Consigliato
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CHRISTIAN ALVES GONZALEZ
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente primera guia de referencia
Reviewed in Spain on January 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
Un trabajo excelente para entender como usar la linea de comandos de Linux, para cualquier tarea de manutención de servidores que sea necesaria y mucho mas.

Recomendado 100%!
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Harshit saxena
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best introduction to the command line
Reviewed in India on June 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
The Book you should buy for linux command line interface. I want to understand the unix based system to be good at it , i am studying Hacking so i need to understand Kali linux so i just bought this book ," if you're new to the command line , there is definitely a lot that you can learn from this book .
3 people found this helpful
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