this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Around 2000 or so, I used to work in tech support for a software company who had like 5000 Windows-based customers and 5 running Solaris. My boss chose me to learn Solaris when the previous "expert" left. I bought this book and started hacking. Good times!

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Here is one of my collection of O’Reilly books. Not actually mine, but my father’s. It’s published in 1995 by a Japanese publisher.

photo of “learning the vi”

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Supah kool!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Solaris brings back memories lol. Haven't touched one of those in decades!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Oh wow.

ugh.pdf
360 pages
Chapter 1: Things are going to get worse before they get worse

:)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

I have/had a bunch of these books. Some got lost but I have the electronic versions of them.

This is one other book I fondly remember. UNIX For Application Developers. From 1991 I think. I vaguely remember a statement in the intro along the lines of Windows being user friendly but UNiX being expert friendly. :-)

Couldn't find a better image.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 9 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Drop table animals, is clearly the best one.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

The camel book was on perl. It had no hope of being taken seriously

This is the legit cover

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Perl itself or the O'Reilly book?

Just kidding, I know you meant Perl.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)

My friend put this one together a while ago.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

screams in horror

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago

Obligatory meme versions (contain strong language):

Oh no

Oh f--k

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Yeah, is there a reason that this looks like me?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

Damn, I used to have that...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Those dead, cold eyes....

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I have the same book!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Cool. I noticed I have seen the author's name in TUHS mailing list. He's still posting there sometimes.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

He wrote a bunch of these books, they’re still quite useful for foundational and historical knowledge on the subjects.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Another book on the history of unix is UNIX: A History and a Memoir from Kernighan. It was a joy to read.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Adding it to my reading list, thanks!

[–] [email protected] 34 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Is this just my copy? The cover was put on backwards, so all the text is upside down...

Edit: Pics or it didn't happen. Edit-2: Formatting.

Book 'Unix in a Nutshell' with cover folded to demonstrate cover was printed upside-down from text.  Book is placed sideways on a kitchen countertop

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

In polish we have an idiom for rare books that directly translates to 'white crow'. Incidentally French say 'merle blanc' - 'white blackbird'. French influenced polish a lot during late modernity. Anyway where was I.

Ah, yeah likely not very rare, they must have messed a whole print run and decided to sell it off anyway, maybe at a discount, since it's not a limited hardback illuminated Shakespeare's works in 5 tomes.

Then again... Weirder things have collection value.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

White housefly in Portuguese.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Similarly, here’s me

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Macromedia flash... Damn that takes me back.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

That went to shit as soon as Adobe took over.

I didn't like that the iPhone never supported it, but in hindsight they did us all a fucking favour.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Nice! I picked up a good classic myself at a thrift store a couple months ago.

I like one of the first lines in the first chapter: "The only way to learn a new programming language is by writing programs in it."

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I have that one on my shelf right now. Mine's the k&r version.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Oh yeah. I remember that book from college. Only like 100 pages or so, right?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

About 260 if you don't count the function reference at the back. There sure wasn't much to it back then. Compared to the monster that is C++. I can maybe see why Linus doesn't like it and prefers C. There's a hundred different ways to do one thing, and it could get out of hand, and there's a lot of complex stuff in the libraries that you're dependent on. For low-level programming it's basically like "trust me, bro".

It's great for me though that can't program worth a shit and have all the algorithms ready to go.

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