Unix Programming - Unix Programmer's Manual

Author

Unix Programmer's Manual

nishsr@gmail.com

2007-03-18, 7:18 am

Dear Sir,
I recently came across a copy of W Richard Stevens' "Advanced
Programming in the Unix Environment". Page 20 says, "We asume
throughout this text that you have a copy of the unix manuals fro your
system".

As a matter of fact, I do not possess a Unix system, neither does my
college. but we still have to learn about UNIX through Stevens' book.
I was wondering if anybody could give me the ISBN of this book that
Stevens was referring to.

I could then perhaps make sense of Stevens' book.

I would be utterly thankful for any help.

Yours truly.

Ian Collins

2007-03-18, 7:19 am

nishsr@gmail.com wrote:
> Dear Sir,
> I recently came across a copy of W Richard Stevens' "Advanced
> programming in the Unix Environment". Page 20 says, "We asume
> throughout this text that you have a copy of the unix manuals fro your
> system".
>
> As a matter of fact, I do not possess a Unix system, neither does my
> college. but we still have to learn about UNIX through Stevens' book.
> I was wondering if anybody could give me the ISBN of this book that
> Stevens was referring to.
>
Various Unix man pages are available on the web (docs.sun.com for
example), just google for a command.

If you want to learn, stick your variant of choice on a spare PC or in a
VmWare virtual machine.

--
Ian Collins.

Mark Hobley

2007-03-18, 7:19 am

nishsr@gmail.com wrote:

> I recently came across a copy of W Richard Stevens' "Advanced
> programming in the Unix Environment".
>
> I could then perhaps make sense of Stevens' book.

I have got the same book. Which bit are you having difficulty with?

Note the from the title "Advanced Programming", presumably you are already an
intermediate level programmer.

Regards,

Mark.

--
Mark Hobley
393 Quinton Road West
QUINTON
Birmingham
B32 1QE

Telephone: (0121) 247 1596
International: 0044 121 247 1596

Email: markhobley at hotpop dot donottypethisbit com

http://markhobley.yi.org/

Rainer Weikusat

2007-03-18, 1:21 pm

nishsr@gmail.com writes:
> I recently came across a copy of W Richard Stevens' "Advanced
> programming in the Unix Environment". Page 20 says, "We asume
> throughout this text that you have a copy of the unix manuals fro your
> system".
>
> As a matter of fact, I do not possess a Unix system, neither does my
> college. but we still have to learn about UNIX through Stevens'
> book.

Assuming this is not supposed to be a joke (how can you possibly learn
about programming for $anything without being able to actually program
$anything?), I'd recommend that you find yourself some otherwise unused
PC and install one of the free BSD-variants on it (that would be
'UNIX(*)' as Stevens is referring to it). The manuals mentioned above
are usually distributed with the system and can be read 'online'
using the man-command.

A web accessible copy is here:

<URL:http://www.freebsd.org/docs/man.html>

Logan Shaw

2007-03-18, 1:21 pm

Rainer Weikusat wrote:
> nishsr@gmail.com writes:
[vbcol=seagreen]
> I'd recommend that you find yourself some otherwise unused
> PC and install one of the free BSD-variants on it (that would be
> 'UNIX(*)' as Stevens is referring to it). The manuals mentioned above
> are usually distributed with the system and can be read 'online'
> using the man-command.

On a historical note, I'm only just barely old enough to have seen
these once, but if I remember/understand correctly, it was once
quite common for Unix systems to be distributed with a big shelf
of printed manuals. Or a gigantic desk-mounted 3-foot-wide binder
type thing.

That could explain why people sometimes refer to the online
documentation with terminology that seems more appropriate for
a paper book.

- Logan

Robert Harris

2007-03-18, 1:21 pm

nishsr@gmail.com wrote:
> Dear Sir,
> I recently came across a copy of W Richard Stevens' "Advanced
> programming in the Unix Environment". Page 20 says, "We asume
> throughout this text that you have a copy of the unix manuals fro your
> system".
>
> As a matter of fact, I do not possess a Unix system, neither does my
> college. but we still have to learn about UNIX through Stevens' book.
> I was wondering if anybody could give me the ISBN of this book that
> Stevens was referring to.
>
> I could then perhaps make sense of Stevens' book.
>
> I would be utterly thankful for any help.
>
> Yours truly.
>
The official Unix manuals may be read online at:

<http://www.uhnix.org/version3/>

They are free (as in beer) but you have to register.

Robert

Paul Sheer

2007-03-18, 7:16 pm

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:08:02 +0000, nishs wrote:

> Dear Sir,
> I recently came across a copy of W Richard Stevens' "Advanced [snip]

http://www.unix.org/single_unix_specification/

contains the specs (i.e. elaborate man pages) for every Unix system call

-paul

Keith Thompson

2007-03-18, 7:16 pm

Robert Harris <robert.f.harris@blueyonder.co.uk> writes:
> nishsr@gmail.com wrote:
> The official Unix manuals may be read online at:
>
> <http://www.uhnix.org/version3/>
>
> They are free (as in beer) but you have to register.

s/uhnis/unix/

--
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) kst-u@mib.org <http://www.ghoti.net/~kst>
San Diego Supercomputer Center <*> <http://users.sdsc.edu/~kst>
"We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do this."
-- Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, "Yes Minister"

Logan Shaw

2007-03-18, 7:16 pm

Keith Thompson wrote:
> Robert Harris <robert.f.harris@blueyonder.co.uk> writes:

>
> s/uhnis/unix/

s/uhnis/uhnix/

- Logan

Beej Jorgensen

2007-03-18, 7:16 pm

Logan Shaw <lshaw-usenet@austin.rr.com> wrote:
>On a historical note, I'm only just barely old enough to have seen
>these once, but if I remember/understand correctly, it was once
>quite common for Unix systems to be distributed with a big shelf
>of printed manuals.

Yup!

I once possessed an AT&T 3B2 Unix PC that came with about 70 pounds of
manuals. And we had the walls of books at school, too. They made for
great reading on those graveyard shifts as computer operator (jeez, the
things students will do for $9/hr...

-Beej

Eric Sosman

2007-03-19, 1:22 am

Beej Jorgensen wrote:
> Logan Shaw <lshaw-usenet@austin.rr.com> wrote:
>
> Yup!
>
> I once possessed an AT&T 3B2 Unix PC that came with about 70 pounds of
> manuals. [...]

Printed on yellow paper?

--
Eric Sosman
esosman@acm-dot-org.invalid

Beej Jorgensen

2007-03-19, 7:24 pm

Eric Sosman <esosman@acm-dot-org.invalid> wrote:
>Beej Jorgensen wrote:
>
> Printed on yellow paper?

Alas, I've a terrible memory for colors. The covers were red or orange,
and while the paper might have been yellowish, I can't quite recall with
any certainty.

I disposed of it myself 10 years ago, and the only memory that clearly
remains is the amount of effort required to move the beast (not only the
manuals, but the machine itself was unnaturally heavy for its size.)

-Beej

Eric Sosman

2007-03-20, 1:27 am

Beej Jorgensen wrote:
> Eric Sosman <esosman@acm-dot-org.invalid> wrote:
>
> Alas, I've a terrible memory for colors. The covers were red or orange,
> and while the paper might have been yellowish, I can't quite recall with
> any certainty.
>
> I disposed of it myself 10 years ago, and the only memory that clearly
> remains is the amount of effort required to move the beast (not only the
> manuals, but the machine itself was unnaturally heavy for its size.)

Sorry; it was a weak attempt at a weaker joke. In olden
days the telephone company used to publish paper directories
of telephone numbers, organized alphabetically by subscriber
name. At some point, they started printing the residential
and commercial subscribers in separate sections, with the
commercial telephones organized in categories. If you needed
a left-handed monkey wrench, you would look under "Hardware"
in the commercial section, and there you would find Acme
Aids for Aspiring Artisans, Harold's He-Man Hardware, Zeta
Zip-Loc, and everything in between. Then you'd let your fingers
do the walking until you found a nearby establishment that had
a few left-handed monkey wrenches in stock, whereupon you would
drive over there and buy one.

And the joke: The residential portion of the directory was
printed on white (well, grayish) paper, but the commercial
section was printed on yellow. The commercial directory was
even known as the Yellow Pages, and I believe the name was
copyrighted and/or trademarked by the telephone company. That
is why it is INSANELY funny to imagine that AT&T would print
something on yellow paper, and why you are now laughing so hard
that your belly aches and the tears spurt from your eyes. I
will allow you a moment or two to recover.

There; no doubt you're better now.

Today, the phone company has lost its monopoly on printing
directories, and seems even to have lost the copyrights and/or
trademarks on "Yellow Pages." Evidence: Every year about three
or four different concerns gift us with telephone directories
listing businesses, all called the "Yellow Pages" and all printed
on paper whose color tries to outdo its rivals in yellowness. So
many directories; which is the best? Ah, hell with it -- just
look up "left-handed monkey wrench" on eBay, and ...

--
Eric Sosman
esosman@acm-dot-org.invalid

Beej Jorgensen

2007-03-20, 1:27 am

Eric Sosman <esosman@acm-dot-org.invalid> wrote:
> Sorry; it was a weak attempt at a weaker joke.

Given the amount of sleep I was operating on, this was way too
complicated for me.

>is why it is INSANELY funny to imagine that AT&T would print
>something on yellow paper, and why you are now laughing so hard
>that your belly aches and the tears spurt from your eyes. I
>will allow you a moment or two to recover.

Hehe! Good stuff!

-Beej

Logan Shaw

2007-03-20, 1:27 am

Eric Sosman wrote:
> And the joke: The residential portion of the directory was
> printed on white (well, grayish) paper, but the commercial
> section was printed on yellow. The commercial directory was
> even known as the Yellow Pages, and I believe the name was
> copyrighted and/or trademarked by the telephone company.

Getting back to the subject of Unix, that is why Sun renamed
YP to NIS. "Yellow Pages" was in fact trademarked, by British
Telecom, as it turns out, causing it to be necessary for Sun
to change the name.

- Logan

moi

2007-03-21, 1:25 pm

On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:28:54 +0100, Beej Jorgensen wrote:

> Eric Sosman <esosman@acm-dot-org.invalid> wrote:
>
> Alas, I've a terrible memory for colors. The covers were red or orange,
> and while the paper might have been yellowish, I can't quite recall with
> any certainty.

They were dark-red , almost brownish, with black printing.
Hard cover, with two ring "binders" (?)

AvK

Daniel Rudy

2007-03-23, 7:25 am

At about the time of 3/18/2007 1:08 AM, nishsr@gmail.com stated the
following:
> Dear Sir,
> I recently came across a copy of W Richard Stevens' "Advanced
> programming in the Unix Environment". Page 20 says, "We asume
> throughout this text that you have a copy of the unix manuals fro your
> system".
>
> As a matter of fact, I do not possess a Unix system, neither does my
> college. but we still have to learn about UNIX through Stevens' book.
> I was wondering if anybody could give me the ISBN of this book that
> Stevens was referring to.
>
> I could then perhaps make sense of Stevens' book.
>
> I would be utterly thankful for any help.
>
> Yours truly.
>

This is going to be a little harsh, but with all the different Linux
distributions out there, and the various *BSD flavors, how can you *NOT*
have a Unix system? Same question goes for your college. How hard is
it to take a computer and load a version of Linux or *BSD on it, and put
it on the network?

And if your college still doesn't have a Unix system after what I said,
then my advise to you is to find another college because you are just
wasting your time/money there since they are not qualified to teach Unix
programming.

--
Daniel Rudy

Email address has been base64 encoded to reduce spam
Decode email address using b64decode or uudecode -m

Why geeks like computers: look chat date touch grep make unzip
strip view finger mount fcsk more fcsk yes spray umount sleep