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Classic Shell Scripting

by tonyC — last modified 2006-11-05 02:23

review by Shriram Natarajan, October 2005

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Classic Shell Scripting is a great reference for shell scripts beginners and intermediate level users. It will be of use as a refresher to shell script gurus too. It is a wonderful tool for newcomers to learn scripting in a portable, "scalable" manner. The authors have gone to a great length in testing out the various Unices.
 
It is obvious that the authors love scripting and are intimately aware of the subject. They do not back away from showing examples of code to explain what they are talking about. Some sections of the book are devoted create scripts to solve a stated problem and to refine the script just created. The authors believe (correctly) that good scripting skills can be picked up by looking over the shoulder of experienced script writers. The "pug marks" tidbits usually have some deeper insight into the topic under discussion. The "bear trap" asides usually have some gotcha that a user will run into after gaining sufficient expertise. Sometimes it just has obscure details about Unix implementations that a new user will never face.
 
The topics are all approached well. There are no steep gradients or dull plateaus. The problems chosen are realistic and non-trivial. There is no lengthy "getting up to speed" sections/chapters. The authors clearly mention the basic knowledge required to use the book and its examples; they do not try to alleviate the initial hours required to get to know the system before being able to use this book. It would have been hard to do it in a portable manner anyway. However the authors do not entirely leave the newcomers helpless. The appendices are a source of quick reference.

Portability is a key concern throughout the book. From the preface on, the portability theme is harped on. However this does not prevent them from highlighting the useful traits of certain systems that they have seen in their experience. Also the authors encourage solving generic problems instead of the specific one at hand. And they achieve it by using the existing standard toolkit to the utmost and creating only what is required.
 
The book also comes with the following useful appendices:
  • Writing manual pages

    • As a book that promotes writing usable scripts, this is a highly appropriate and valuable addition. Accessible information about a tool dramatically increases the usage of the tool and the subsequent maintainability of the tool.

  • Files and file systems

    • Contains a brief tour of the file system, conventions, permissions and security. A good place for a Unix newcomer to bone up on the concepts.

  • Important Unix commands

    • Again the newcomer can scan this for a quick introduction to what the command does or do a reverse scan to find a command for a specific task to be accomplished.

  • Assorted bibliography

    • Separate books recommended for different areas of specialisation. It is a good launch point for further study.

  • Wide ranging Glossary

  • Good index: includes symbols too
 

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