A Practical Guide to Red Hat Linux 8

A Practical Guide to Red Hat' Linux' 8 provides everyone-new users to experienced programmers-with the knowledge and skills they need to master Linux. Written by best-selling author Mark Sobell, this book is a clear, thorough, and logically organized tutorial and reference.

Part I is a comprehensive tutorial that introduces the basics of GNU/Linux. It explains how to use the basic utilities, the filesystem, and many features of the shell command interpreter. Illustrations and step-by-step examples demonstrate how each command works. Part II covers more advanced topics, such as graphical user interfaces (GUIs), networking, text editors, programming tools, system administration, the new features of Red Hat Linux version 8, and the three major shells, including shell scripts. Part III is a detailed reference to more than 85 GNU/Linux utilities.

Helpful features such as tips, cautions, and security alerts supplement the lessons of the text. The companion Web site (http://www.sobell.com) provides useful links, downloadable examples and illustrations, answers to selected review exercises, additional exercises and programs, and updates to the book.

• Instructions for users and administrators covering security and RH features, including Red Hat Network (RHN), Red Hat system administration tools, and Red Hat Package Manager (RPM).
• A full chapter on the use and customization of the Red Hat default GNOME 2 desktop manager and the new Metacity window manager
• A full chapter on how to use and customize the KDE 3 desktop environment
• Lucid descriptions of utilities illustrated by many practical examples
• Detailed coverage of the Linux programming environment and tools, including the C compiler, make, and source code management
• In-depth discussion of networking and the Internet, including types of networks, secure network utilities, and distributed computing
• An emphasis on security issues throughout, including highlighted warnings and a dedicated appendix
• Extensive information and full-length examples about using shells interactively and as programming tools, with chapters on the Bourne Again Shell (bash), the TC Shell (tcsh), and the Z Shell (zsh)
• Appendixes covering regular expressions, online resources, security, and POSIX standards
• A comprehensive glossary of more than five hundred words and phrases

Contents

• GNU/Linux: A Product of the Internet
• Getting Started
• Introduction to the GNU/Linux utilities
• The GNU/Linux Filesystem
• The Shell I

• X Window System and Graphical User Interface
• GNOME Desktop Manager
• KDE Desktop Environment
• Networking and the Internet
• The vim Editor
• The emacs Editor
• The Shell II: The Bourne Again Shell
• Programming the Bourne Again Shell
• The TC Shell
• The Z Shell and Advanced Shell Programming
• Programming Tools
• Red Hat Linux System Administration

III. The GNU/Linux Utility Programs

• A. Regular Expressions
• B. Help
• D. Security
• E. The POSIX Standards
• C. The Free Software Definition