October 2003
Cameron LairdExpect occupies a place in systems administrators' toolboxes much like that of marking pencils for carpenters, or axes for firemen: it hasn't changed in years, it's small and inexpensive, it's utterly unglamorous, there are substitutes that make it possible to live without it, but it makes a big difference in the situations that call for it.
Exploring Expect is the book that documents Expect. Incredibly, it remains in its first edition, materially unchanged since author and Expect inventor Don Libes first published it almost a decade ago. While Expect is a full-fledged, general-purpose programming language- — a superset of Tcl, in fact — its value is most apparent when there's a requirement "for dealing with crappy interfaces," in Libes' words. An abundance of applications have intractable or inconvenient interfaces, so there's plenty of need for Expect.
Stephen WorotynecIn May 2001, Apple introduced OS X, a new version of the Macintosh operating system. OS X is radically different from previous versions; it blends the Macintosh graphical user interface (GUI) with a Unix basis -- the Mach microkernel and 4.4BSD. OS X comes in server and client versions, and both are discussed here. The 10.2 version of OS X is used in the article and is the third released version.
Emmett DulaneyTo say that there are a lot of certifications available in security is like saying there is a lot of water available in the ocean. Vendors who offer other
certifications — such as CIW and CompTIA — have entries in this field alongside organizations such as (ISC)2 that specialize only in the security area.
Joe "Zonker" BrockmeierI had actually received my copy of Hacking the Xbox by the time the representative from No Starch Press emailed me to ask if I'd like a copy to review. After I heard about Hacking the Xbox and the publishing problems that Andrew "bunnie" Huang was having, I decided to order a copy when he was publishing the book himself. I'm not a big fan of the Xbox, but I'm a big supporter of the idea that knowledge shouldn't be suppressed, and I wanted to support his efforts.
Cameron LairdThe last two computers Phaseit bought were from Apple. It's almost certain the next one will be, too. Yet most of my employer's business involves Unix deliveries, with a close minority for Windows, and only a tiny number of MacOS contracts during the past five years. Why do we spend money in such apparent confusion? Because Apple computers currently make "the best development desktops for Unix work", as Steve Landers of DigitalSmarties, among several other acquaintances, summarizes.
Joe "Zonker" BrockmeierThis month, I'll discuss Popsneaker, a program that is designed to do away with all the waiting for unwanted email.
Ed SchaeferThis past August, I presented the third installation in a never-ending series of Miscellaneous Unix Tips. This month, I present part IV in this series. In this column, Kyle Douglass submits the following tips:
A method for finding the top 10 files (by size) on a file system.
A Korn shell technique for testing two files for the same inode.
A technique for sorting a file on regular fields and virtual fields.
A method for executing find on files in the current working directory.
A technique for cron-less automation for end users.
Ed SchaeferIn 1987, the best book for learning shell programming was the 1st edition of Unix Shell Programming, by Stephen Kochan and Patrick Wood. Back then, if somebody asked to borrow your "Kochan & Wood", you knew exactly what they were asking for, but you jealously guarded your copy because borrowers tended not to return it. It was a true classic for learning Bourne shell programming. As a learning tool, the newest edition of Unix Shell Programming still deserves the same high praise.
Russell DyerDespite the best planning, occasionally a MySQL developer needs to change the structure or other aspects of tables. This is not very difficult, but some developers may be unfamiliar with the syntax for the functions used in MySQL to accomplish this, and some changes can be very frustrating. This month, I'll explore the ways to alter tables in MySQL and provide some precautions about related potential data problems.
Cameron LairdNetworks remain a growth industry. Sales of personal computers in the United States, for example, have been mostly "flat" for a few years. Expansion rates in network installations, though, are frequently measured in percentage points per month.
Among many other consequences, this means that our engineering of these networks has to improve in a hurry. Network Management, MIBs and MPLS: Principles, Design and Implementation presents Stephen Morris' vision for tackling the architecture and software development challenges involved. Morris, an experienced network management specialist at Marconi Communications, emphasizes centralized, automated management, and reliance on public standards in "the migration of networks toward a layer 3 model based on the IP protocol."
The industry generally recognizes this is the right approach, but still often falters in executing it. Network Management, MIBs and MPLS exhibits some of the same mixed results — it's an important book, although frustratingly incomplete.
Jeffrey L. TaylorEven if you are not going to use Unix regularly, you can learn a lot from this book.
Joe "Zonker" BrockmeierLast month, we started the process of installing Slashcode on Debian. This month, we'll finish the install process, and look at configuration and a little bit of using Slash.
Cameron Laird and Kathryn SoraizFit is a clever testing framework Ward Cunningham invented to support the acceptance tests that Extreme Programming (XP) needs. Cunningham also invented the WikiWikiWeb, or Wiki, among many other projects.
Joe "Zonker" BrockmeierA few weeks ago, I received a pre-release copy of SUSE Professional 9 for review. I've been using it off and on since then, and the release looks pretty good overall. It's fairly obvious from the marketing materials and from the product itself that, with this release, SUSE is aiming squarely at the Windows audience. If you check out SUSE's 10 good reasons to switch page, you'll see it's all aimed at converting Windows users to Linux.
|
