[DM-MUG] Fwd: New Joe Kissell ebook: "Take Control of the Mac Command Line with Terminal"

[Ray Bowler]

Thought some of you might be interested in this.



Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Adam C. Engst" <tc-comments at tidbits.com>
> Date: March 26, 2009 7:22:05 AM CDT
> To: <tc-announcements at tidbits.com>
> Subject: New Joe Kissell ebook: "Take Control of the Mac Command  
> Line with Terminal"
> Reply-To: Take Control Comments <tc-comments at tidbits.com>
>
> Good day, everyone!
>
> Hundreds of you asked for it, and now you have it! For years now,
> Take Control readers have been requesting a basic ebook on how to use
> the Mac's command line, and we've finally done it. "Take Control of
> the Mac Command Line with Terminal," written by Joe Kissell (who just
> won an award for his technical writing) and edited by Geoff Duncan,
> distills both Joe's own expertise and many suggestions from various
> savvy geeks into 111 pages about getting more out of your Mac by
> using the command line. Written entirely from a Mac user's point of
> view, the ebook starts with the fundamentals and walks you through
> more advanced topics as your knowledge increases. And to help you put
> new-found skills to use, you'll also find 40 real-life "recipes" for
> tasks that are best done from the command line.
>
> You can purchase the ebook for $10 at
> <http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/command-line?pt=TRK-0077-TCANNOUNCE>
>
> Put simply, if you've ever thought you should learn how to use the
> Mac's command line, or worried about doing something wrong while
> following command-line-related instructions from the Web, this ebook
> will give you the skills and confidence you need to make your Mac
> even more capable than ever before.
>
> The ebook begins by teaching these core concepts:
>
> * The differences between Unix, a command line, a shell, and Terminal
> * Exactly how commands, arguments, and flags work
> * The basics of Terminal's interface and how to customize it
>
> Next, it's on to the command line, where you'll learn:
>
> * How to navigate your Mac's file system
> * Basic file management: creating, copying, moving, renaming,
> opening, viewing, and deleting files
> * The types of command-line programs
> * How to edit a text file in nano (even if you are not named Mork)
> * What a profile is, why it's cool, and how to customize yours
> * The importance of your PATH and how to change it, if you need to
> * How to get help (Joe goes way beyond telling you to consult the  
> man pages)
>
> You'll extend your skills as you discover how to:
>
> * Create and run scripts to automate repetitive tasks
> * See which programs are running and what system resources they're  
> consuming
> * Quit programs that refuse to quit normally
> * Enable the command line to interact with the Finder
> * Control another Mac via its command line using ssh
> * Understand and change an item's permissions, owner, and group
> * Run commands as the root user using sudo
>
> Questions answered include:
>
> * Which shell am I using, and how can I change my default shell?
> * How do I quickly figure out the path to an item on my Mac?
> * How can I customize my Terminal window so I can see man pages  
> behind it?
> * How can I make a shortcut to avoid retyping the same long command?
> * Is there a trick for entering a long path quickly?
> * What should I say when someone asks if I know how to use the vi  
> text editor?
> * How do I change my prompt to suit my mood or needs?
>
> cheers... -Adam & Tonya Engst, Take Control publishers
>
> PS: Check out our other recent releases:
>
> * Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac, Third Edition
> * Take Control of Your iPhone, Second Edition (covers the iPod touch)
> * Macworld Mac Security Superguide
> * Take Control of Fonts in Leopard
>
> http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/catalog
>
> PPS: Follow the Take Control series on Twitter! http://twitter.com/takecontrol
>
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Ray Bowler

rbowler.home.mchsi.com