Want To Learn UNIX? Here Are Some Free Online Courses For You!

UNIX is a multi-tasking and multi-user computer operating system which was designed to provide good security to the systems. This operating system was developed by some employees of AT&T in Bell Labs. Infact, Linux derives much of its basic design from principles established in Unix. Learning UNIX is essential, whether you are a Linux learner or a perspective hacker and we are here to make your life easy.

Here's a list of free online courses on UNIX:

1. A Basic UNIX Tutorial at Idaho State University

This tutorial comprises fourteen sections, each of which addresses a fundamental aspect of UNIX computing. It concentrates on illustrating the central concepts by providing short explanations, along with examples, and exercises. Topics like directories, text editing, customising the shell, filters, processes, multitasking and accessing UNIX systems are covered effectively.

2. Practical Programming in C at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This course provides a thorough introduction to the C programming language, the workhorse of the UNIX operating system. Topics like syntax, grammar, programming techniques, UNIX signals, hash tables, external libraries and synchronisation are covered effectively.

3. Practical Unix at Stanford University

A practical introduction to using the Unix operating system with a focus on Linux command line skills available through video lectures. Topics like grep and regular expressions, ZSH, Vim and Emacs, basic and advanced GDB features, permissions, working with the file system, revision control, Unix utilities, environment customisation, and using Python for shell scripts are covered effectively.

4. Systems Programming and UNIX at the University of Arizona

Provides UNIX information actually taught on campus University of Arizona. Contains links to PDF lecture slides, exams and solutions and example assignments. You also get the names of the textbooks used on campus, which are optional to buy. However, won't give you any actual credit.

5. Unix—the Bare Minimum at the University of California - Davis

This PDF tutorial trains students in UNIX basics by using explanatory text with example commands. Topics like special names for some directories, creating directories, text editors, file commands, moving files to other directories, pipes and redirection are covered effectively.

6. UNIXhelp for Users at the University of Mississippi

Students are proviede with a manual index or glossary to research terms that they might find diificult to understand. Topics like looking-up commands, understanding processes, program development tools, editing text files, writing shell scripts, managing processes and file manipulation utilities are covered effectively.

7. UNIX Tutorial at the University of Utah
Students are provided with a reference manual to find specific command summaries. Topics like making and removing directories, creating short files, printing files, examining files, changing directories and imputing simple commands are covered effectively.

8. UNIX Tutorial for Beginners at the University of Utah

Provides students with eight UNIX tutorials outlining step-by-step procedures and codes. Topics like files and directories, copying files, redirection, killing a process, useful commands, source codes and variables are covered effectively.

13 Free eBooks On Unix And Linux Security!

We bring 13 interesting and helpful ebooks to help you upgrade your skills and knowledge. This time on Unix and Linux Security.

For a long time security was considered as the last thing in Linux and Unix. But with more and more security threats like hacking rising every day, Linux and Unix security is becoming the hottest thing in the IT job market. Here we bring to you 13 free ebooks to help you upgrade your Unix/Linux security skills.

1. Linux Administrator's Security Guide

Author: Kurt Seifried

The book was one of the very first on Linux security. From the table of content, the book covers:
Linux Physical and Console Security, Linux Administration, Linux Backup Guide, Linux File System and File Security, Linux User Authentication, Linux System and User Logging and much more.

2. The SELinux Notebook, 2nd Edition

Author(s) Richard Haines
Publisher: Richard Haines (2010)

This Notebook has been assembled from information that is available within the public domain and where necessary, updated to reflect the Linux Security Module (LSM) and Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) services as built into the Fedora 10 release of GNU/Linux. It explains:

SELinux and its purpose in life.
The LSM / SELinux architecture, its supporting services and how they are implemented within GNU/Linux.
The core SELinux policy language and how basic policy modules can be constructed for instructional purposes.
The core SELinux policy management tools with examples of usage.
The Reference Policy architecture, its supporting services and how it is implemented.

3. Network Security Tools: Writing, Hacking, and Modifying Security Tools

Author(s) Justin Clarke, Nitesh Dhanjani
Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (April 11, 2005)

As the introduction of the book says, “If you're an advanced security professional, then you know that the battle to protect online privacy continues to rage on. Security chat rooms, especially, are resounding with calls for vendors to take more responsibility to release products that are more secure. In fact, with all the information and code that is passed on a daily basis, it's a fight that may never end. Fortunately, there are a number of open source security tools that give you a leg up in the battle.

Often a security tool does exactly what you want, right out of the box. More frequently, you need to customize the tool to fit the needs of your network structure. Network Security Tools shows experienced administrators how to modify, customize, and extend popular open source security tools such as Nikto, Ettercap, and Nessus.

This concise, high-end guide discusses the common customizations and extensions for these tools, then shows you how to write even more specialized attack and penetration reviews that are suited to your unique network environment. It also explains how tools like port scanners, packet injectors, network sniffers, and web assessment tools function.”

4. Practical UNIX and Internet Security, Second Edition

Author(s) Simson Garfinkel, Gene Spafford
Publisher: O'Reilly Media; Second Edition (April 1996); Third Edition edition (February 28, 2003)

As the introduction of the book says, “If you are a UNIX system administrator or user in this security conscious age, you need this book. It's a practical guide that spells out, in readable and entertaining language, the threats, the system vulnerabilities, and the countermeasures you can adopt to protect your UNIX system, network, and Internet connection. It's complete -- covering both host and network security -- and doesn't require that you be a programmer or a UNIX guru to use it.

Practical UNIX & Internet Security describes the issues, approaches, and methods for implementing security measures. It covers UNIX basics, the details of security, the ways that intruders can get into your system, and the ways you can detect them, clean up after them, and even prosecute them if they do get in. Filled with practical scripts, tricks, and warnings,Practical UNIX & Internet Security tells you everything you need to know to make your UNIX system as secure as it possible can be.”

5. Linux Security HOWTO

Author(s) K. Fenzi, D. Wreski

This read covers some of the main issues that affect Linux security. General philosophy and net-born resources are discussed.

A number of other HOWTO documents overlap with security issues, and those documents have been pointed to wherever appropriate.

This document is not meant to be a up-to-date exploits document. Large numbers of new exploits happen all the time. This document will tell you where to look for such up-to-date information, and will give some general methods to prevent such exploits from taking place.

6. Linux Security for Beginners

Author(s)Neil A. Smyth

As the name suggests this book explains the aspects of Linux security to the beginners. Will take you right from the basics explaining why do you need it, to firewalls, configuration and encryptions!

7. Getting Started with SELinux

Author(s) Faye Coker

This document was put together in response to people asking if an intro level HOWTO was available for getting started with SE Linux. It covers the more basic aspects of SE Linux such as terminology, installation and adding users in addition to a few other areas.

8. Building Internet Firewalls, 2nd Edition

Author(s) Elizabeth D. Zwicky, Simon Cooper and D. Brent Chapman
Publisher: O'Reilly Media; Second Edition edition (January 15, 2000)

Building Internet Firewalls, 2nd Edition, is a practical and detailed step-by-step guide to designing and installing firewalls and configuring Internet services to work with a firewall. Much expanded to include Linux and Windows coverage, the second edition describes:

- Firewall technologies: packet filtering, proxying, network address translation, virtual private networks
- Architectures such as screening routers, dual-homed hosts, screened hosts, screened subnets, perimeter networks, internal firewalls
- Issues involved in a variety of new Internet services and protocols through a firewall
- Email and News
- Web services and scripting languages (e.g., HTTP, Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, RealAudio, RealVideo)
- File transfer and sharing services such as NFS, Samba
- Remote access services such as Telnet, the BSD "r" commands, SSH, BackOrifice 2000
- Real-time conferencing services such as ICQ and talk
- Naming and directory services (e.g., DNS, NetBT, the Windows Browser)
- Authentication and auditing services (e.g., PAM, Kerberos, RADIUS);
- Administrative services (e.g., syslog, SNMP, SMS, RIP and other routing protocols, and ping and other network diagnostics)
- Intermediary protocols (e.g., RPC, SMB, CORBA, IIOP)
- Database protocols (e.g., ODBC, JDBC, and protocols for Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server)

9. Linux Firewall Configuration: Packet Filtering and Netfilter/iptables

Author(s) O. Andreasson

The author found a big empty space in the HOWTO's out there lacking in information about the iptables and Netfilter functions in the new Linux 2.4.x kernels. Among other things, he has tried to answer questions that some might have about the new possibilities like state matching. Most of this will be illustrated with an example rc.firewall.txt file that you can use in your /etc/rc.d/ scripts. Yes, this file was originally based upon the masquerading HOWTO for those of you who recognize it.

10. Securing Debian Linux

Author(s) J.F. Peña

This document describes security in the Debian project and in the Debian operating system. Starting with the process of securing and hardening the default Debian GNU/Linux distribution installation, it also covers some of the common tasks to set up a secure network environment using Debian GNU/Linux, gives additional information on the security tools available and talks about how security is enforced in Debian by the security and audit team.

11. Linux Security Administrator's Guide

Author(s) Dave Wreski

This document is a general overview of security issues that face the administrator of Linux systems. It covers general security philosophy and a number of specific examples of how to better secure your Linux system from intruders. Also included are pointers to security related material and programs.

12. Secure Programming for Linux and Unix HOWTO

Author(s) David A. Wheeler

This book provides a set of design and implementation guidelines for writing secure programs for Linux and Unix systems. Such programs include application programs used as viewers of remote data, web applications (including CGI scripts), network servers, and setuid/setgid programs. Specific guidelines for C, C++, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, Tcl, and Ada95 are included.

13.Securing and Hardening Red Hat Linux Production Systems

Author(s) Werner Puschitz

This article is a practical step-by-step guide for securing Linux production systems. It discusses basic Linux Security requirements for systems that need to pass various audits in an enterprise environment. If you work on a corporate Linux Security Standard, or if you do Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) or Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 (SAS 70) related work, then this article should provide you a good baseline.  

Shivam Kotwalia, CodeKill

10 Free And Handy UNIX Shell Books

There are many online resources on Unix, but it's hard to get a hold of the best ones. To make that easier for you, here are the greatest of the lot.. 

Online resources are great as they are available for all to see and benefit from as per convenience. Here are ten UNIX Shell books that are free and handy -

1.The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction (W. E. Shotts, Jr.) - This book teaches you from your very first terminal keystrokes to compiling full programs in Bash, the very popular Linux shell. For further information you can visit - The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction (W. E. Shotts, Jr.)

2.UNIX / Linux Korn Shell Quick Reference Guide – This is a concise guide to Korn Shell. You don’t require to go through huge volumes for quick reference lookups. This has many examples for saving time. For further information you can visit - UNIX / Linux Korn Shell Quick Reference Guide

3.Learn Vimscript the Hard Way (Steve Losh) - This book introduces you to Vimscript, the main programming language for customizing Vim. For further information you can visit - Learn Vimscript the Hard Way (Steve Losh)

4.Gawk: Effective AWK Programming (Arnold D. Robbins) - This book gives an introduction to the awk programming language and goes into detail to explain the several features of the language and its syntax, and detailing the various GNU extensions. For further information you can visit -Gawk: Effective AWK Programming (Arnold D. Robbins)

5.GNU Bash Reference Manual (Chet Ramey and Brian Fox) - This book is a reference for GNU Bash, the standard GNU command-line interpreter. For further information you can visit –
GNU Bash Reference Manual (Chet Ramey and Brian Fox)

6.Teach Yourself Shell Programming in 24 Hours (Veeraraghavan) - This book is aimed at assisting Unix and Linux users to get optimal performance out of their systems. It shows them how to take control of their systems and work efficiently by harnessing the power of the shell to solve common problems. Teach Yourself Shell Programming in 24 Hours (Veeraraghavan)

7.O'Reilly® Learning the Korn Shell, 2nd Edition (Arnold Robbins) - This book demonstrates how to use the Korn shell as a user interface and as a programming environment. For further information you can visit –
O'Reilly® Learning the Korn Shell, 2nd Edition (Arnold Robbins)

8.O'Reilly® sed & awk, 2nd Edition (Dale Dougherty, Arnold Robbins) - Sed & Awk give a description of the two text processing programs that are mainstays of the UNIX programmer's toolbox. For further information you can visit - O'Reilly® sed & awk, 2nd Edition (Dale Dougherty, Arnold Robbins)

9. Learn Regex The Hard Way (Zed A. Shaw) - When you're done with this book you will be able to read regex strings, understand what's going on with regex, learn when to use them, learn to write them, and learn how to write simple parsers to avoid abusing regex to process your strings. For further information you can visit - Learn Regex The Hard Way (Zed A. Shaw)

10. Unix/Linux Shell Scripting - This is the previous page of Unix/Linux Shell Scripting and it will soon be converted into a book. For further information you can visit - Unix/Linux Shell Scripting
Shivam Kotwalia, CodeKill

12 Steps To Become A Hacker!

CodeKill Group bring to you 12 steps to become a hacker, together with all the books, tutorials and resources that you need to learn in the process. So pack your bags and get set for the journey! 

Hacking is a fascinating field but it definitely isn't easy. Here we have listed 12 of the most important steps essential to become a hacker, together with all the resources that you need for learning.

Here we focus on the skills and attitude needed to become a hacker. Breaking the security system and entering into the system is not the only thing a hacker does. One requires knowledge of a wide variety of subjects and in depth knowledge of programming languages and operating systems. And needless to say, learning is essential in the journey...
Here are the 12 steps:

It is not an easy task to become a hacker. As a hacker, you need to have an attitude and curiosity. Reading the hacking manifesto can teach you the attitude of a hacker. Nurturing the hacker attitude is more about developing competence in the languages rather than having a stereotypical attitude.

Though a lot of people consider that a hacker is a criminal, in real life, they are hired by big companies for protecting information and minimizing potential damage. The act of hacking actually is that of being over-curious and outwitting authority. As a hacker, you should be hell bent on breaching authoritarian rules, secrecy and censorship. Deception is another arsenal which will allow you to dodge the vigilant eyes of authority.

The act of stealing something or doing harm to someone is not hacking. Such people are commonly called crackers in the community. Crackers are involved in illegal activities and we do not recommend you to get involved into such activities.

Step 1: Learn To Program In C

C programming is one of the most powerful languages in computer programming. It is necessary to really master this language. This programming language was invented by Denise Ritchie in between the years 1969 and 1973 at AT&T Bell Labs. C programming will essentially help you divide the task in smaller pieces and these pieces can be expressed by a sequence of commands. Try writing some program on your own by assessing the logic.

Here are 35 ebooks on C programming

Step 2: Learn More Than One Programming Language

When you are trying to become a hacker, it is very important to learn other modern computer programming languages such as JAVA, Perl, PHP and Python. One of the best ways to learn these is by reading books from experts.

Here are 32 free ebooks on JAVA

Here are 24 free ebooks on Perl

Here are 21 free ebooks on PHP

Here are 50 free ebooks on Python

Step 3: Learn UNIX

UNIX is a multi-tasking and multi-user computer operating system that is designed to provide good security to the systems. This operating system was developed by some employees of AT&T in Bell Labs. The best way to learn it is to get into an open-source version (e.g. centos) and install/run the same on your own. You can operate internet without learning UNIX, but it is not possible for you to be an internet hacker without understanding UNIX.

Here are 33 free ebooks on UNIX

Step 4: Learn More Than One Operating Systems

There are many other operating systems apart from UNIX. Windows operating system is one of the most commonly compromised systems, hence, it is good to learn hacking Microsoft systems, which are closed-source systems.

According to the National Vulnerability Database, Microsoft operating systems have a large number of vulnerabilities.

Windows OS installers are distributed in binary, therefore, it is not easy for you to read the code. Binary code is basically the digital representation of text and data that computer understands. However, knowing how programs are written for Windows and how different applications behave on this operating system will help.

One of the recent vulnerabilities of a popular OS was that Java Web Start applications get launched automatically even if the Java plug-ins are disabled. How to be a hacker is about knowing the weaknesses of these operating systems and targeting them systematically.

Step 5: Learn Networking Concepts

The networking concept needs to be sharp when you want to be a hacker.

Understanding how the networks are created is important, however, you need to know the differences between different types are networks. Having a clear understanding of TCP/IP and UDP protocol is a must to be able to exploit the vulnerabilities on world wide web.

Understand what is subnet, LAN, WAN and VPN.

The networking commands to do a HTTP request needs to be on your fingertips. The HTTP protocol, is the gateway through which one enters the internet world. Hence, it is necessary to learn this protocol in order to break the barriers. The hackers often use the HTTP gateway to breach the security of the system and take control over it.

Apache Httpd is one of the most commonly used web servers and knowing in and out of it is going to empower you on any HTTP or other application layer protocol related endeavors.

Also Nmap is a powerful network scanning tool that is used by hackers and security professional across the world to identify vulnerable hosts. However, to effectively start using it you must understand the networking basics.

Step 6: Start Simple: Go Through Tutorials About Hacking

This is the simple and best way to start. Read as many tutorials as possible that are meant for hacking. These articles will give you insight and help you develop the attitude to be a hacker. Some tutorials will initiate you with Nmap, Nessus and SuperScan, some of the hacking programs or tools that hackers generally use. These tutorials are readily available over the internet; Both text and video tutorials are available for you to answer your question how to be a hacker.

Here are some of the video tutorials

Here are some of the text tutorials

Step 7: Learn Cryptography

As an expert hacker, you need to understand and master the art of cryptography. The technology of cryptography and encryption is very important for internet and networking. It is the practice and study of techniques that are used for secure communication in the presence of third parties. The encryption is done for various aspects of information security such as confidentiality of the data, integrity of the data and authentication. Moreover, the technology of cryptography is extensively used in ATM cards, computer passwords and e-commerce. While hacking, these encrypted codes needs to be broken, which is called decryption.

Understand various techniques used for password cracking. There are dozens of tools available to do password cracking, and using it is not hacking. To be expert at hacking its important for you to understand how to create a program that can crack a password from cypher text.

Here are 20 free ebooks on Cryptography

Step 8: Experiment A Lot

This is an important step for setting yourself up as an expert hacker. Setup a laboratory on your own to experiment the learning on the practical applications. A simplest lab will have your computer, however once you advance you may want to add more and more computers and required hardware for your experiments.

It is good to try experimenting on your own computers, where you can rectify if you have done any mistake. Many hackers initially start off by downloading virtual lab applications such as Oracle VirtualBox. You require at least 3 GBs of RAM and a comparatively powerful processor to carry out your hacking experiments. Setting up the virtual machine is crucial, as it will allow you to test virus, applications and different servers without affecting your own PC.

Some of the things you may need to keep in mind when doing experiments

- Keep a backup before any experiment.
- Start small and have check points.
- Know when to stop.
- Document your progress
- Keep improvising
- Automate repetitive tasks

Step 9: Read Some Good Books From Experts

Reading will always enhance your knowledge. Try to read as many books and articles as possible written by the experts in the field field of ethical hacking and enterprise security

Reading a lot about anything related is so important in the world of hacking that you must also consider enhancing your reading speed. If your reading speed is slow, then you may not be able to progress fast in this field. Practice speed reading techniques like skimming, chunk reading etc.

When it comes to reading a lot, it's also important to know that a majority of content on web is not worth your time. Many people use search engine tricks to attract traffic but have little value in it. If you skim through an article within seconds and decide not to read that is going to save you a lot of time for some really well researched content.

Step 10: Go Next Level: Write Vulnerability

Vulnerability of a program is the weakness of the program. It is a good approach to look for the vulnerability of an existing program and share the same with others. In this way you will have the option to collect varied opinions from different sources, enabling you to hone your current skill set.

The examples of computer vulnerabilities include memory safety violation, input validation error, privilege confusion bugs and user interface failure. For instance, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 11 had the vulnerability bug in its preview version which several hackers exploited.

Identifying a new weakness in any software is the real work any expert hackers would perform.

Step 11: Contribute To Open Source Security Projects

Contributing to an open-source computer security project is a great platform to test your skills. This is not everyone’s cup of tea. Many organizations like Mozilla and Apache offer these types of open source projects. Try to be a part of these projects and add a valuable contribution to the benefit of the community.

Participating in the open source security projects such as anti-spam, anti-virus, firewall and data removals help you augment your dexterity as a hacker. Contribute your vulnerability findings to the global vulnerability databases and give back to the community.

Remember that it does not matter if your contribution is small, as long as you participate and add value it helps.

Step 12: Continue Learning And Keep Listening To Security Talks

The key to success in the hacking career is continuous learning. Reading blogs for hacking available at sites such as hackerfactor blog and IKEA hacker blog; participating in the forums such as hackforums.net and elite hack are great ways to refresh your knowledge as a hacker. The online video forums like TED or TechTalk are good sources to know more about the emergent hacking techniques and technologies that are being deployed. You should also try following the posts of famous hackers such as Adrian Lamo, Kevin Mitnick, Kevin Poulsen and Robert Tappan Morris.

Happy Hacking
Lead Onn.. !!! This World is Yours... !!!

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Shivam Kotwalia, CodeKill

33 Free eBooks On Unix!

From Linux learners to perspective hackers, learning Unix is a must. So CodeKill Group brings to you 33 free ebooks on Unix for downloading and online reading. Have fun! 

Unix is a multi-tasking and multi-user computer operating system which was designed to provide good security to the systems. This operating system was developed by some employees of AT&T in Bell Labs. Infact Linux derives much of its basic design from principles established in Unix.

So if you want to dig deep in Linux, then knowledge of Unix is always an advantage and to help you to do that, we bring to you 33 ebooks on Unix and that too free!


1. Introduction to Unix by F.G. Fiamingo, L. DeBula, L. Condron - The Ohio State University, 1998

Table of contents: History of Unix; Unix Structure; Getting Started; System Resources and Printing; Shells; Special Unix Features; Text Processing; Other Useful Commands; Shell Programming; Editors; Unix Command Summary; A Short Unix Bibliography

2. Guide to X11 by Steve Ambler, et al. - Wikibooks, 2010

This book is about the X Window System. Some users describe it as the Unix and Linux graphics drivers. X11 is the graphical environment for Unix or Unix-like systems, including *BSD and GNU/Linux; it provides access to screen, keyboard, and mouse.

3. Guide to Unix - Wikibooks, 2010

This book is a guide to Unix and Unix-like operating systems, such as GNU/Linux and *BSD. The book targets Unix or non-Unix users seeking background, Unix system users, and Unix system administrators (background and administrator instructions).

4. The Craft of Text Editing by Craig A. Finseth - Lulu.com, 2006

This book covers all aspects of creating a character-based text editor. In the process, it discusses many aspects of creating a large application program including user interface, speed/memory/I/O tradeoffs, and many other considerations.

5. An Awk Primer by Aurelio A. Heckert - Wikibooks, 2011

Awk has two faces: it is a utility for performing simple text-processing tasks, and it is a programming language for performing complex text-processing tasks. Awk is useful for simple, quick-and-dirty computational programming.

6. A Quick Introduction to Unix by Jim Tyson, et al. - Wikibooks, 2011

Unix is an operating system designed for use on any kind of computer or computing device. It is a multi-tasking, multi-user system. Unix is also part of the underlying technology of the Internet. Many of the web servers run Apache under Unix.

7. Bourne Shell Scripting - Wikibooks, 2011

This book covers the practical aspects of using and interacting with the Bourne Shell, the root of all shells in Unix world. That includes interacting with the shell on a day-to-day basis for the purposes of operating the computer in normal tasks.

8. Learning the vi editor - Wikibooks, 2006

vi is a powerful editor that is ubiquitous amongst Unix and Unix-like operating systems, but is available on many other operating systems. Even if you use another editor you must have a passing knowledge of vi as an administrator.

9. The Daemon, the Gnu, and the Penguin by Peter H. Salus - Reed Media Services, 2008

In addition to covering a history of free and open source, The Daemon, the Gnu, and the Penguin explores how free and open software is changing the world. It is authored by Peter Salus, a noted UNIX, open source, and Internet historian and author.

10. Unix System Administration by Frank G. Fiamingo - The Ohio State University, 1996

Systems administration is the installation and maintenance of the UNIX computer system. The system administrator will need to maintain the software and hardware for the system. This includes hardware configuration, software installation, etc.

11. Writing GNOME Applications by John R. Sheets - Addison-Wesley Professional, 2000

This book will help Linux programmers learn the basics of GNOME and understand how to write applications using this environment. Focusing on the essentials, the book guides you through GNOME's elements and explains how these elements function.

12. Motif Programming Manual by Dan Heller, Paula Ferguson, David Brennan - O'Reilly, 1994

The Motif Programming Manual is a source for complete, accurate, and insightful guidance on Motif application programming. There is no other book that covers the ground as thoroughly or as well as this one. The book has been updated to Motif 1.2.

13. Motif Programming by Dave Marshall - Cardiff School of Computer Science, 1999

This book introduces the fundamentals of Motif programming and addresses wider issues concerning the X Window system. This is a practical introduction to writing Motif programs. The key principles are always supported by example programs.

14. Grokking the GIMP by Carey Bunks - Sams, 2000

This book is not about tips and tricks, and it's not a collection of image manipulation problems. It is about understanding image manipulation concepts, about knowing which GIMP tools are most effective, and about the savvy use of these tools.

15. Filesystem Hierarchy Standard by R. Russell, D. Quinlan, C. Yeoh - Filesystem Hierarchy Standard Group, 2004

The filesystem standard has been designed to be used by Unix distribution developers, package developers, and system implementors. However, it is primarily intended to be a reference on how to manage a Unix filesystem or directory hierarchy.

16. Effective AWK Programming by Arnold D. Robbins, 2001

This tutorial covers the entire spectrum of awk script development: From the basics of opening, searching, and transforming text files, to a comprehensive tutorial for regular expressions, to more advanced features like internetworking.

17. C-shell Cookbook by Malcolm J. Currie - Starlink Project, 2006

This cookbook describes the fundamentals of writing scripts using the UNIX C shell. It shows how to combine Starlink and private applications with shell commands and constructs to create powerful and time-saving tools for performing repetitive jobs.

18. MH and xmh: Email for Users and Programmers by Jerry Peek - O'Reilly, 1995

This book explains how to use, customize, and program with MH electronic mail commands, available on virtually any UNIX system. MH is notable for its flexibility: you'll be able to do things you never thought you could do with an email program.

19. The Unix Programming Environment by Mark Burgess - Oslo College, 2001

The Unix Programming Environment is a revised version of the UNIX compendium which forms the basis for a one or two semester course in UNIX. It is a reference guide which contains enough to help you to find what you need from other sources.

20. GNU Bash Reference Manual by Chet Ramey, Brian Fox - Network Theory Ltd., 2006

A description of the features that are present in the Bash shell. GNU Bash is an implementation of the POSIX.2 specification, with additional features from the C-shell and Korn shell. Most Bourne shell scripts can be run by Bash without modification.

21. Beej's Guide to Unix Interprocess Communication by Brian "Beej Jorgensen" Hall, 2007

This document discusses several methods of Interprocess Communication, some of which are better suited to certain tasks than others. If you know C or C++ and are pretty good using a Unix environment, these documents are for you.

22. The Book of Webmin by Joe Cooper - No Starch Press, 2003

A comprehensive guide to the Webmin system administration tool, documenting its features while explaining each of the core services. With numerous real-world examples, the book covers the standard system features and the most popular services.

23. Porting UNIX Software by Greg Lehey - O'Reilly, 1995

The book deals with the whole life cycle of porting, from setting up a source tree on your system to correcting platform differences. It discusses the differences between versions of UNIX and the areas where porters tend to have problems.

24. ANSI C for Programmers on UNIX Systems by Tim Love, 1999

This document introduces C by providing and explaining examples of common programming tasks. It enables the reader to learn from available source code by clarifying common causes of incomprehension. Exercises form an integral part of the course.

25. AIX Reference for Sun Solaris Administrators by IBM Redbooks - Vervante, 2002

This book is written for Sun Solaris administrators who wants to transfer their knowledge of Solaris UNIX skills to the AIX 5L operating system. This redbook will basically compare system administration tasks in Solaris 8 to AIX 5L Version 5.1.

26. IBM Certification Study Guide AIX V4.3 System Administration by IBM Redbooks - IBM, 1999

This is a study guide for professionals wishing to prepare for the certification exam to achieve: IBM Certified Specialist - AIX V4.3 System Administration. It helps AIX administrators develop the knowledge and skills required for the certification.

27. UNIX Text Processing by Dale Dougherty, Tim O'Reilly - Hayden Books, 1987

The book shows how to use UNIX to prepare written documents. An introduction to the ex, vi, and sed editors and troff and nroff text processing tools. At the end, these tools are brought together by the make utility to do any text processing job.

28. Bash Guide for Beginners by Machtelt Garrels, 2008

Useful concepts in the daily life of a Bash user. Basic shell knowledge is required. Discussion about common shell practices and building blocks, grep, awk and sed tools with more examples. The second part is about loops, functions and traps.

29. The Art of UNIX Programming by Eric S. Raymond - Addison-Wesley Professional, 2003

The first part of the book is philosophy and history of UNIX, the second part unfolds the Unix principles into more specific advice about design, the third part focuses on tools for solving problems, and the fourth part is about community.

30. Secure Programming for Linux and Unix HOWTO by David A. Wheeler, 2003

The book provides a set of design and implementation guidelines for writing secure programs for Linux and Unix systems. This document includes specific guidance for a number of languages, including C, C++, Java, Perl, Python, and Ada95.

31. The UNIX-HATERS Handbook by Simson Garfinkel, Daniel Weise, Steven Strassmann - John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1994

Self-help guide for people affected by the world's most esoteric operating system. Turn here for answers to all-important questions, such as... Why does the online documentation lie to us? Why does the user's guide bear no relationship to reality.

32. Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide by Mendel Cooper - Lulu.com, 2008

This text progresses rapidly toward an advanced level of instruction, it is a textbook, self-study manual, reference and source of knowledge on UNIX shell scripting. The exercises and examples invite reader participation. Suitable for classroom use.

33. The Unix Shell Guide by Norman J. Buchanan, Douglas M. Gingrich - University of Alberta, 1996

This book is intended to assist Unix users in understanding and dealing with five of the most popular Unix shells: the Bourne shell (sh); the C shell (csh); the Korn shell (ksh); the TC shell (tcsh); and the Z shell (zsh).

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Shivam Kotwalia, CodeKill

10 Free And Handy UNIX Shell Books

There are many online resources on Unix, but it's hard to get a hold of the best ones. To make that easier for you, here are the greatest of the lot..                                                                                                    

Online resources are great as they are available for all to see and benefit from as per convenience. Here are ten UNIX Shell books that are free and handy - 


1.The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction (W. E. Shotts, Jr.) - This book teaches you from your very first terminal keystrokes to compiling full programs in Bash, the very popular Linux shell. For further information you can visit - The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction (W. E. Shotts, Jr.)

2.UNIX / Linux Korn Shell Quick Reference Guide – This is a concise guide to Korn Shell. You don’t require to go through huge volumes for quick reference lookups. This has many examples for saving time. For further information you can visit - UNIX / Linux Korn Shell Quick Reference Guide

3.Learn Vimscript the Hard Way (Steve Losh) - This book introduces you to Vimscript, the main programming language for customizing Vim. For further information you can visit - Learn Vimscript the Hard Way (Steve Losh)

4.Gawk: Effective AWK Programming (Arnold D. Robbins) - This book gives an introduction to the awk programming language and goes into detail to explain the several features of the language and its syntax, and detailing the various GNU extensions. For further information you can visit -Gawk: Effective AWK Programming (Arnold D. Robbins)

5.GNU Bash Reference Manual (Chet Ramey and Brian Fox) - This book is a reference for GNU Bash, the standard GNU command-line interpreter. For further information you can visit –
GNU Bash Reference Manual (Chet Ramey and Brian Fox)

6.Teach Yourself Shell Programming in 24 Hours (Veeraraghavan) - This book is aimed at assisting Unix and Linux users to get optimal performance out of their systems. It shows them how to take control of their systems and work efficiently by harnessing the power of the shell to solve common problems. Teach Yourself Shell Programming in 24 Hours (Veeraraghavan)

7.O'Reilly® Learning the Korn Shell, 2nd Edition (Arnold Robbins) - This book demonstrates how to use the Korn shell as a user interface and as a programming environment. For further information you can visit –
O'Reilly® Learning the Korn Shell, 2nd Edition (Arnold Robbins)

8.O'Reilly® sed & awk, 2nd Edition (Dale Dougherty, Arnold Robbins) - Sed & Awk give a description of the two text processing programs that are mainstays of the UNIX programmer's toolbox. For further information you can visit - O'Reilly® sed & awk, 2nd Edition (Dale Dougherty, Arnold Robbins)

9. Learn Regex The Hard Way (Zed A. Shaw) - When you're done with this book you will be able to read regex strings, understand what's going on with regex, learn when to use them, learn to write them, and learn how to write simple parsers to avoid abusing regex to process your strings. For further information you can visit - Learn Regex The Hard Way (Zed A. Shaw)

10. Unix/Linux Shell Scripting - This is the previous page of Unix/Linux Shell Scripting and it will soon be converted into a book. For further information you can visit - Unix/Linux Shell Scripting