Overview
“This is an excellent introduction to Linux programming. The topics are well chosen and lucidly presented. I learned things myself, especially about internationalization, and I’ve been at this for quite a while.”
—Chet Ramey, Coauthor and Maintainer of the Bash shell
“This is a good introduction to Linux programming. Arnold’s technique of showing how experienced programmers use the Linux programming interfaces is a nice touch, much more useful than the canned programming examples found in most books.”
—Ulrich Drepper, Project Lead, GNU C library
“A gentle yet thorough introduction to the art of UNIX system programming, Linux Programming by Example uses code from a wide range of familiar programs to illustrate each concept it teaches. Readers will enjoy an interesting mix of in-depth API descriptions and portability guidelines, and will come away well prepared to begin reading and writing systems applications. Heartily recommended.”
—Jim Meyering, Coauthor and Maintainer of the GNU Core Utility Programs
Learn Linux® programming, hands-on… from real source code
This book teaches Linux programming in the most effective way possible: by showing and explaining well-written programs. Drawing from both V7 Unix® and current GNU source code, Arnold Robbins focuses on the fundamental system call APIs at the core of any significant program, presenting examples from programs that Linux/Unix users already use every day. Gradually, one step at a time, Robbins teaches both high-level principles and “under the hood” techniques. Along the way, he carefully addresses real-world issues like performance, portability, and robustness. Coverage includes:
- Memory management
- File I/O
- File metadata
- Processes
- Users and groups
- Sorting and searching
- Argument parsing
- Extended interfaces
- Signals
- Internationalization
- Debugging
- And more…
Just learning to program? Switching from Windows®? Already developing with Linux but interested in exploring the system call interface further? No matter which, quickly and directly, this book will help you master the fundamentals needed to build serious Linux software.
Companion Web Sites, authors.phptr.com/robbins and www.linux-by-example.com, include all code examples.
Synopsis
“This is an excellent introduction to Linux programming. The topics are well chosen and lucidly presented. I learned things myself, especially about internationalization, and I’ve been at this for quite a while.”
—Chet Ramey, Coauthor and Maintainer of the Bash shell
“This is a good introduction to Linux programming. Arnold’s technique of showing how experienced programmers use the Linux programming interfaces is a nice touch, much more useful than the canned programming examples found in most books.”
—Ulrich Drepper, Project Lead, GNU C library
“A gentle yet thorough introduction to the art of UNIX system programming, Linux Programming by Example uses code from a wide range of familiar programs to illustrate each concept it teaches. Readers will enjoy an interesting mix of in-depth API descriptions and portability guidelines, and will come away well prepared to begin reading and writing systems applications. Heartily recommended.”
—Jim Meyering, Coauthor and Maintainer of the GNU Core Utility Programs
Learn Linux® programming, hands-on… from real source code
This book teaches Linux programming in the most effective way possible: by showing and explaining well-written programs. Drawing from both V7 Unix® and current GNU source code, Arnold Robbins focuses on the fundamental system call APIs at the core of any significant program, presenting examples from programs that Linux/Unix users already use every day. Gradually, one step at a time, Robbins teaches both high-level principles and “under the hood” techniques. Along the way, he carefully addresses real-world issues like performance, portability, and robustness. Coverage includes:
- Memory management
- File I/O
- File metadata
- Processes
- Users and groups
- Sorting and searching
- Argument parsing
- Extended interfaces
- Signals
- Internationalization
- Debugging
- And more…
Just learning to program? Switching from Windows®? Already developing with Linux but interested in exploring the system call interface further? No matter which, quickly and directly, this book will help you master the fundamentals needed to build serious Linux software.
Companion Web Sites, authors.phptr.com/robbins and www.linux-by-example.com, include all code examples.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewThe best way to learn Linux programming is to learn it from proven code. That’s Arnold Robbins’s approach -- and it works.
In Linux Programming by Example: The Fundamentals, Robbins carefully illuminates some of the most informative code from GNU tools like gawk and older System 7 utilities such as cat. (To keep you compatible, he always tells you which interfaces are available on which systems.)
Instead of trying to be “all things to all people,” Robbins offers thorough coverage of the core techniques every Linux programmer needs. He begins with an overview of the Unix/Linux file and process models; then shows how C programs interact with their environments. Next, it’s on to user-level memory management: understanding different kinds of memory in use and available to running processes.
Robbins systematically covers file I/O and metadata -- including creating and using files, working with directories, hard links, symbolic links, owners, permissions, and so forth. By this point, you’ve learned enough for a chapter-length example, drawn from System 7’s ls utility.
Then, it’s on to the basics of process management, pipes and signals. Working with user and group ID numbers and permissions. Extended interfaces for locking and advanced searches. Internationalization and localization. And, finally, debugging with GDB -- including compile-time and run-time debugging code.
A forthcoming Volume 2 will focus entirely on IPC and networking. Later, expect a Volume 3 on software engineering and code portability. Don’t wait, though: This book will make you plenty productive in the meantime. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.