Book Review #6

The Linux Command Line
William E. Shotts, Jr

I've been looking for a good shell scripting book when I chance upon this book. Reading the book gives me a good understanding, not only in scripting capabilities, but also the standard Linux shell programs. Things like lp, cat, grep, and sed are explored in details. I have come to the understanding that, in fact, I need this book more than anything. In my work with Raspberry Pi, I am dealing with Linux command line every day. I'm happy to say that I have written a few significant shell scripts that do not rely on powerful scripting language such as Perl or Python. Although the resulting scripts run slower, I don't mind at all. It's the learning process that matters.

In regard to Raspberry Pi, it is a great enabler device. However, I am with the opinion that a great enabler device by itself is not enough. I have numerous books about making this project or that project with Raspberry Pi. However, in the process of making the project, I have often come into the stumbling blocks of every day occurence. How do I format SD card? How to disable the screensaver? And so on. This book not only explains all the tools you need in order to navigate the Linux shell, but also gives you the powerful bash scripting technique that you can use to whip up a quick script leveraging the various Linux shell programs.

This is just my opinion, but I think this book is a must have for all Raspberry Pi users, if not all Linux users. Highly Recommended.