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Latest Articles from Dave Taylor
By Dave Taylor  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 underpinnin... Jun. 19, 2005 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 7,465 | By Dave Taylor 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 creati... May. 30, 2005 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 9,333 | By Dave Taylor 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 gues... Apr. 6, 2005 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 9,571 | By Dave Taylor 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. Mar. 10, 2005 12:00 AM EST Reads: 9,671 | By Dave Taylor 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. Feb. 8, 2005 12:00 AM EST Reads: 13,779 | By Dave Taylor 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. Jan. 31, 2005 12:00 AM EST Reads: 72,070 Replies: 8 | By Dave Taylor 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 m... Jan. 17, 2005 12:00 AM EST Reads: 9,126 | By Dave Taylor 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 ... Dec. 13, 2004 12:00 AM EST Reads: 7,825 | By Dave Taylor 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'). Sep. 27, 2004 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 12,510 | By Dave Taylor 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 - ... Aug. 31, 2004 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 10,651 | By Dave Taylor 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. Jul. 27, 2004 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 11,491 Replies: 1 | By Dave Taylor 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 syste... Jun. 15, 2004 12:00 AM EDT Reads: 12,758 Replies: 1 | By Dave Taylor 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 be... Mar. 16, 2004 12:00 AM EST Reads: 21,691 Replies: 11 |
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Dave Taylor, a contributing editor to Linux.SYS-CON.com, has been involved with the Linux and Unix community since 1980 and has written a number of best-selling Unix books. Currently, he writes, teaches, and works as a management consultant to tech startups, along with his new venture, Ask Dave Taylor!, www.askdavetaylor.com and his personal blog is www.blog.Linux.SYS-CON.com. To contact Dave, please go to /www.intuitive.com/contact.shtml.
