The Korn Shell: Linux and Unix Shell Programming Manual (3rd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Full coverage & an easy read
Review: Each "piece" of ksh syntax is presented with a good, full explanation and a tiny example. This makes it an "easy read" for me, and easy to jump on the particular bit of syntax which I'm interested in at the moment. There's [just] a few longer examples of useful scripts in an appendix. I like the inclusion of the man(1) page for ksh & pdksh (in an appendix). Overall, a fully worthwhile purchase (although nothing earth-shaking beyond what you could probably get from the online man page.)

Rating:
Summary: Not enough coverage
Review: I purchased this book as a quick reference that has enough detailed explanation.
It does exactly that - but only for a limited number of system calls/commands.
And for others, they aren't even mentioned.
I guess it might be a good "beginner" book, but not a reference.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad... but has shortcomings
Review: I'm not a heavy duty shell programmer... Perl, and especially Python, are my preferred scripting languages. However, every once in a while the appropriate tool for the job is a shell script.

I've found that this book covers all the bases, but doesn't go deep. I was frustrated by the book yesterday when I need to write a script to check all the executable files in a directory for what libraries they were linked to.

On page 172 the author says: "Because manipulating files is so important in programming, the Korn shell provies a whole range of file operators." Absolutely right. He then shows examples of only 5 of the tests in small code examples. No others are mentioned or even alluded to. My "Learning Perl" book (O'Reilly) has a table listing 25 file tests (including the one I needed).

I also needed to do some string comparisons and manipulations. A pretty common task. Head for the index and look for entries for "string". You get one: string length.

What is in the book is well presented and an easy read, but the lack of depth will limit your productivity.

Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: This book has several code examples broken down into their smallest form. It has an easy to read, easy to learn lay-out. It is a great book for beginners to read or for experts to use as a reference. This is the best computer book which I have ever bought.