Latest News from Dave Taylor

Formatting HTML in a Script

Sun, 19 Jun 2005 11:00:00 EDT

Last month, I explained how you can use the grep and cut tools to extract specific data fields from complex XML-based files, especially in the Safari web browser's bookmarks file on Mac OS X (yeah, I know, Mac OS X isn't Linux, but the two systems share a lot of common Unix underpinnings and, well, the Mac is a prettier laptop. Roll with me, the scripting environment is basically identical anyway).

Scraping Files with Fancy Scripting Tricks

Mon, 30 May 2005 12:15:00 EDT

Last month we finally wrapped up the long journey toward creating a useful shell script with the hi-low game. Alright, 'useful' might be a bit of a stretch, but if you've read through all the columns leading up to this point, you should have a good understanding of the basics of creating and debugging a shell script, a skill that will prove invaluable as you travel further down the Linux and Unix path.

Loops Within Loops: "hilow.sh"

Wed, 06 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT

If the print gods are with us, this time, after seven previous columns, we'll finally have a shell script that you can type in and experiment with. Imagine! The last column addressed the challenges of generating a reasonably random number to enable us to write a rudimentary hi-low guessing game.

Wicked Cool Linux: Random Numbers and Backticks

Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST

After a bit of confusion about what column should appear in what order, I think we're in good shape now and this should be the seventh of my columns you read.

String and Numeric Test Statements

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST

Last month I talked about the file-related options to the test command and how that helps you create smart and sophisticated shell scripts. This time I want to look at the additional conditions available for looping and flow control.

Dual Booting Linux on a Mac

Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

What happens when you turn a perfectly good Apple PowerBook into a tri-boot system with Mac OS X, Yellow Dog Linux, and Ubuntu Linux? Read on to find out.

Making C Shells Jump Through Hoops!

Mon, 17 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

If you've been hanging around programmers at all, you've already learned that they tend to think conditionally. Not, I hasten to say, that they conditionally think (though in some cases that might be true!) but that more than the general population, software developers are constantly musing about 'if condition, then action.'

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Test Command

Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

In the October issue of LWM (Vol. 2, issue 10) I explored the basic logic of conditional execution sequences on the command line, differentiating between '&&' and '||'. If you didn't read it, I encourage you to check it out at http://linux.intuitive.com/, along with all the other back columns of Wicked Cool Linux.

Making C Shell Jump Through Hoops

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT

By this point in our discussion you should be comfortable with the idea of the three file descriptors associated with the Linux command line: stdin, stdout, and stderr (pronounced 'standard in,' 'standard out,' and 'standard error').

Shell Scripting Basics

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Last month, I began this column by talking about the many different file redirection options available from within the shell, whether you're a bash or csh fan (or some variant thereof). What I deliberately ignored, however, was the fact that there are actually three file descriptors - three I/O channels - that you can control from the command line (and, therefore, from within shell scripts).

Wicked Cool Linux

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 00:00:00 EDT

In a lot of ways, Linux seems pretty similar to other modern operating systems, with overlapping windows, a mouse, games, an e-mail program that talks to Outlook, an application that can read and write Microsoft Word documents, etc.

Ask the AnswerSquad!

Tue, 15 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Q: AnswerSquad, I need your help. Try as I might, I can never seem to keep my users from sucking up all the available disk space. I know I could try using the quota system on my Linux box to keep people in check, but I know my users and know that they'd just get cranky about the system enforcing limits.

The Worlds of RSS, XML, HTML, and Linux Meet

Tue, 16 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST

Whether you like to think of it as Really Simple Syndication or RDF Site Summary or Rich Site Summary, this lightweight multipurpose extensible metadata description and syndication format is here to stay. And its uses are becoming more and more diverse. Not wishing anyone to be left behind, LinuxWorld brings you right up to speed the best way we know: through Learning By Doing, thanks to Linux fanatic Dave Taylor.