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 under... (more)

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 ... (more)

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-l... (more)

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. If you're just joining in now, however, I encourage you to pop over to linux.intuitive.com to catch up on the previous co... (more)

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. String TestsOne common test in shell scripts i... (more)

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. Mac OS X is built of two components: Darwin, the BSD-based Unix underpinnings, and Aqua, the beautiful graphical user interf... (more)

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 consta... (more)

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... (more)

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"). If you're using a descendant of the Bourne She... (more)

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 descript... (more)

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. What's different, though, is that Linux is buil... (more)

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... (more)

I'm a rabid Linux fan. I write books about it, I have servers running it, and I even have various flavors of Linux as dual-boot defaults on my PCs. But keeping up with Linux news can be a bit of effort, particularly if I want to have that up-to-date news on a Web page, rather tha... (more)