Programming with GNU Software

The promise of having control over their environment draws programmers to UNIX. It offers powerful tools for the initiated within an operating system that can be customized and tuned in almost unlimited ways. Programmers use UNIX because it lets them do what they want. And they like to see the source code for the software they work with.

So it's no surprise the most popular programming tools on UNIX are free. They're easy to get, easy to customize, and better than many tools put out by vendors. They also offer a great deal of power. And the source code is publicly available.

This book and CD combination is a complete package for programmers who are new to UNIX or who would like to make better use of the system. The tools come from Cygnus Support, Inc., and Cyclic Software, companies that provide support for free software. The tools on the CD include:

• GNU Emacs, the legendary text editor
• gcc, the C and C++ compiler that immediately established itself as the best UNIX compiler for robustness and optimization
• GNU libraries (including C++ libraries)
• The gdb debugger
• RCS, a tool for backing up and maintaining multiple versions of source files
• GNU make, the most powerful version of that utility for managing builds

The book provides an introduction to all these tools for a C programmer. Previous experience with UNIX is not required.

The CD-ROM in this book contains binaries for several popular UNIX systems, including Sun SPARC4 running SunOS 4.1.3, Sun SPARC4 running Solaris 2.4, HP 9000/700 running HPUX, IBM RS/6000 running AIX 3, SGI Iris/Indigo running Irix 5.3, and Alpha running Digital UNIX. Complete source code and scripts for configuration, building, and installation are also included.

Here is a complete package for programmers who are new to UNIX or who would like to make better use of the system. The book provides an introduction to all the tools needed for a C programmer. The CD contains sources and binaries for the most popular GNU tools, including their C/C++ compiler.

Here is a complete package for programmers who are new to UNIX or who would like to make better use of the system. The book provides an introduction to all the tools needed for a C programmer. The CD contains sources and binaries for the most popular GNU tools, including their C/C++ compiler.

Andy Oram is an editor at O'Reilly Media, a highly respected book publisher and technology information provider. An employee of the company since 1992, Andy currently specializes in free software and open source technologies. His work for O'Reilly includes the first books ever published commercially in the United States on Linux, and the 2001 title Peer-to-Peer. His modest programming and system administration skills are mostly self-taught.

Mike Loukides is an editor for O'Reilly & Associates. He is the author of System Performance Tuning and UNIX for FORTRAN Programmers. Mike's interests are system administration, networking, programming languages, and computer architecture. His academic background includes degrees in electrical engineering (B.S.) and English literature (Ph.D.).