The Linux Command Line book

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JoeFootball
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The Linux Command Line book

Post by JoeFootball »

I just wanted to advise all newbies (and not-so-newbies) that The Linux Command Line book was updated yesterday (2016-07-28) to its Third Internet Edition, and is available for free as a PDF.

If you've ever been curious about the command line, this is a great start. It's well-written, and you can't beat the price. Its companion website is excellent as well.

I must also point out that you can certainly use Linux Mint (and other distributions) without ever touching the command line, and its admittedly not for everyone.

That said, I have personally found the command line to be an invaluable asset in getting things done efficiently, and I know beginners who have had success with this book, so I just wanted to pass the news of the new edition along.

Good luck!

Joe
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by jungle_boy »

Good!
Thanks!!
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by jimallyn »

Thanks! I had an older version, but now I downloaded the latest version.
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by KBD47 »

Nice. Thanks!
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by JoeFootball »

As of hours ago (2017-10-19), now updated to its Fourth Edition.

EDIT: Just fyi on changes since the last edition, it went from 540 to 544 pages, and the author writes...
William Shotts wrote:This version of The Linux Command Line has undergone some additional refinement, clarification, and modernization. The scripts included in Part 4 of the book have been revised to make their string handling more robust and provide better examples of good scripting practice. I also fixed a few bugs ;-).
EDIT 2: Corrected the page count (I neglected to include the unnumbered pages).

Joe
Last edited by JoeFootball on Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:50 am, edited 3 times in total.
WharfRat

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by WharfRat »

JoeFootball wrote:As of hours ago (2017-10-19), now updated to its Fourth Edition.

Joe
Thank's Joe :wink:
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by JoeFootball »

As of hours ago (2019-01-17), it's now been updated to its Fifth Edition.

Just fyi on changes since the last edition, it went from 544 to 555 pages, where the author writes...
William Shotts wrote:What's New in the Fifth Internet Edition
Building on the work performed for the Fourth Internet Edition, this edition of The Linux Command Line has been extensively modernized. There are numerous small edits and corrections, new screenshots and diagrams, along with a few clarifications. I also fixed a couple of bugs ;-).
Joe
philotux

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by philotux »

JoeFootball wrote: Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:49 am As of hours ago (2019-01-17), it's now been updated to its Fifth Edition.
Great! Thanks for updating the info!
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by BenTrabetere »

JoeFootball wrote: Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:49 am As of hours ago (2019-01-17), it's now been updated to its Fifth Edition.
This is one of the rare instances where reviving an ancient thread is a Good Thing. :D

Thanks for the update.
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MrGrimm

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by MrGrimm »

BenTrabetere wrote: Thu Jan 17, 2019 11:50 am
JoeFootball wrote: Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:49 am As of hours ago (2019-01-17), it's now been updated to its Fifth Edition.
This is one of the rare instances where reviving an ancient thread is a Good Thing. :D

Thanks for the update.
agree 1,000,000%

+1
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by stephanieswitzer »

Downloaded and many thanks for the info. Now lets see how much trouble I can get myself into :)
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by MrGrimm »

stephanieswitzer wrote: Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:49 pm Now lets see how much trouble I can get myself into :)
+1
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by JoeFootball »

stephanieswitzer wrote:Now lets see how much trouble I can get myself into :)
What could go wrong? My greatest leaps in Linux knowledge have come from me borking my system. :)

Joe
philotux

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by philotux »

JoeFootball wrote: Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:59 pm My greatest leaps in Linux knowledge have come from me borking my system.
:lol:
Same here!
What little I know, it's been by making and breaking and do it all over again :wink:
psklenar

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by psklenar »

Does anyone know if the 2nd Print Edition (www.amazon.com/dp/1593279523), coming out in February, is the same as the 5th edition online version?

Thank you,
pat----
redlined

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by redlined »

psklenar wrote: Fri Jan 18, 2019 4:09 pm Does anyone know if the 2nd Print Edition (www.amazon.com/dp/1593279523), coming out in February, is the same as the 5th edition online version?
Seems to be so, based on new ISBN (but not an updated page count? same result from Barnes&Noble), author's blog (no mention of any print edition since initial print release and NoStarch press release. Even though author mentions updating the first print edition starting that Summer (2012), I did not see any mention of a 2nd print edition otherwise.

@ JoeFootball, most excellent news, thanks for posting about this update!
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Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by JoeFootball »

redlined wrote:@ JoeFootball, most excellent news, thanks for posting about this update!
You're welcome. Happy to share. :) I'm a big fan of the book and website, and admire the author for the Creative Commons licensing.

I wrote him some years ago, asking if he could also release an EPUB and/or MOBI format. Never heard back, nor files posted obviously. I guess that would cut into his ebook sales on Amazon, etc., which I can understand.

Yep, I know I can convert a PDF with Calibre or similar, but it's never as good as when you generate it from the native source.

Regardless, I'm appreciative that he keeps the PDF version updated, and we're lucky to have quality resources for those looking to venture into that curious little black box. Good stuff!

Joe
redlined

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by redlined »

JoeFootball wrote: Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:36 pm I wrote him some years ago, asking if he could also release an EPUB and/or MOBI format. Never heard back, nor files posted obviously. I guess that would cut into his ebook sales on Amazon, etc., which I can understand.
yah, I'm a big fan too, and think it was you who pointed to the resource some months back that led me to it (and other good cmdline learning sites from there. sadly there is not enough allowable characters to get the websites all in my new/improved forum sig :mrgreen:

about other formats, by his blog post It appears the agreement with NoStarch press is for all forms published other than PDF and HTML. Not sure if this prohibits print on demand services like lulu.com but does seem to confirm that unless NoStarch releases other formats then we will not see them (note, they do provide a digital copy, "free ebook- pdf, mobi, ePub" with hard copy purchase).
ref: https://lcorg.blogspot.com/2012/01/anno ... om-no.html
My publishing agreement with No Starch Press grants them exclusive rights to produce the printed version and all electronic versions except PDF and HTML. Those formats will remain mine.
Your thoughts on calibre with his provided pdf may be the best bet, unless there is some other 'ebook builder' that could be used to convert his website/html pages to create such :?:
psklenar

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by psklenar »

redlined wrote: Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:13 pmSeems to be so, based on new ISBN (but not an updated page count? same result from Barnes&Noble), author's blog (no mention of any print edition since initial print release and NoStarch press release. Even though author mentions updating the first print edition starting that Summer (2012), I did not see any mention of a 2nd print edition otherwise.
I wrote to Mr Shotts this evening and he already responded with ... "They are not identical, but they are very close. The 5th Internet edition contains additional material."

pat----
redlined

Re: The Linux Command Line book

Post by redlined »

psklenar wrote: Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:39 pm I wrote to Mr Shotts this evening and he already responded with ... "They are not identical, but they are very close. The 5th Internet edition contains additional material."

pat----
Thanks for that follow-up pat! I suspected as much, difference in info likely being due to print cut off date and then just description was needing updated (page count) and another blog announcement. I do prefer physical books over digital anyway and have put the print 2ed in my cart to have that sent once released.
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