Linux Programmer's Reference (Programmer's Reference)

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Summary: A very good reference for Linux Programmers, not for users.
Review: Covers enough details about C/C++ development on Linux, including gcc/g++, static/shared/dynamic libraries, make, etc. A very good handy reference.

Rating:
Summary: The title say it all.
Review: The title of this book does not mask the contents at all, it is a reference for programmers who use the Linux operating system. It does not "dumb-down" the material in order to make it more approachable to the new user or concern itself with unrelated issues. It is a reference, if you have a dumb programming related question, you get a clear and concise answer without having to search countless pages or read grandiose prose that serves no purpose.

The book seems divided into two parts. The first few chapters involve the various shells and the creation and executing of shell scripts, including a description of all of the programming related commands for that shell, the syntax, usage, and examples where necessary. The last few chapters concern the compiling, debugging, and packaging of C and C++ programs under Linux. Readers without any knowledge of C will not find it very useful. There is also an appendix with Perl and Tcl/Tk scripting language commands and TeX/LaTeX commands.

Experienced Unix users who are migrating to Linux can certainly make use of this book, it includes a lot of Linux specific information, especially on critical gcc compiler and library issues. There are also sections covering the Make utility, Rpm creation and Man page writing which really round out the other information in the book. The appendixes are simple lists of commands and do not reflect the rest of the content.

New Linux users may also find the book informative even if just for the lists of shell commands. If you are new to Linux and don't write programs at least here is a good reference to what all of those programming tools on your Linux system actually do and why they are important.

Personally I try to take good care of my books and keep then in good condition, unfortunately my copy of Linux Programmer's Reference is starting to look like I've owned it for years not weeks, I refer to it far more that I expected to.

Rating:
Summary: A litte clarification...
Review: The title of this book isn't exacly clear as to what it contains as the text, title, and summary use 'programming' to refer to both C/C++ programming and scripting. It has a some sections on using gcc, gdb, and make, but the first 157 pages are a reference to unix CLI syntax and shell commands (like "Unix in a Nutshell"). It would probably be good for a programmer who has never worked with Unix before. I was hoping for more of a "Linux Programmers" reference that covered Linux-specific nuances, libraries and devices, rather than a "Linux for Programmers" that shows how to use a shell and what the command line arguments are for gcc, etc... I guess the bottom line is it's not about programming, it's about scripting and the basic Linux/Unix tools that a programmer would use.