REVIEW: THE UNIX COMPANION, A HANDBOOK FOR EVERYONY, Harley Hahn, Osborne McGraw-Hill 1995 Harley Hahn's books are no stranger to me; one of the first Internet books I reviewed two years ago was THE INTERNET COMPLETE REFERENCE and subsequenty THE INTERNET YELLOW PAGES which Hahn co-authored with Rick Stout. At that time I wrote that THE INTERNET COMPLETE REFERENCE was, in my opinion, an excellent text for someone to use to really master a UNIX shell account. I personally learned a lot of tips and tricks from that title. I understand a revised second edition is in the works and I am looking forward to taking a look at it in the near future. I think that UNIX intimidates most people that are not familiar with it - the terse commands, little or no interaction with the user and nightmare editors like vi do little to reassure people that UNIX doesn't bite. I am no UNIX weenie and have little to do with it except for the fact that I still use a dial-up UNIX shell account and need to know some basic commands to perform basic file maintenance functions. Reading through THE UNIX COMPANION was very informative and quite pleasant, mainly due to Harley's informal yet authoritative style I found so appealing in THE INTERNET COMPLETE REFERENCE. It is a rare writer indeed who can take such a complex topic such as UNIX and present it in such a readable and understandable manner. Some of the subjects covered in THE UNIX COMPANION include how to get started, accessing the online UNIX manual, using the C and Korn shells, using vi and emacs editors, printing and displaying files, the UNIX file system, and using the built-in Unix programs such as games, calendars, etc. Perhaps the most applicable areas for the Internet user are the sections on the PINE and ELM mail readers as well as other Internet-related functions such as how to "chat" with other people online. As mentioned earlier, I found THE UNIX COMPANION a fairly easy read and picked up a few neat tricks while perusing it. Serious students of both the UNIX operating system and its applicable areas to Internet use will find a wise mentor and unpretentious friend in Harley Hahn and his excellent books. %T The UNIX Companion %A Harley Hahn %I Osborne McGraw-Hill %C Berkeley California %D 1995 %O $29.99 %G ISBN:0-07-882149-5 %P 804 pages, paperbound %K UNIX operating system, Internet (C) 1996 Michael Crestohl Nahant Massachusetts USA mc@shore.net DISCLAIMER: I have no interest, financial or otherwise, in the success or failure of the book or materials reviewed herewith, nor have I received any compensation (other than a review copy requested by me) from anyone who has. All opinions expressed are strictly my own. Other Internet and Aviation book/software reviews by me can be obtained by anonymous FTP from: x2ftp.oulu.fi in the /pub/books/crestohl directory.