Hi, Can anyone please reply me how long it will take to learn Unix. I have o % knowledge in Unix. I need to learn UNIX efficiently. Thanks in advance.
3 Answers
Years. You should read:
The UNIX Programming Environment by Kernighan and Pike
Advanced UNIX Programming by Rochkind
The Design of the UNIX Operating System by Bach
If you need a system then *BSD is probably what you should be looking for as the BSDs are arguably the most UNIX-like systems available.
A better option may be GNU/Linux which is less UNIX-like but has a wider range of support than the BSDs.
If you understand the DOS commands, Unix commands will take only a few days to learn. DOS was derived from UNIX.
The operating system now uses a screen GUI that looks like any other GUI on servers.
The placement of files is a different hierarchy than a windows systems uses. Although not hard to learn, things are in different places.
With a system in front of you – a couple of days to a week will make you very familiar with the system. Reading a book only, at least a week.
Now keep in mind there are many flavors of Unix, All tooting their own horns and having benefits. But all operate on the same basic principle. Red Hat, Linux, and all the Unix children programs are very good, but just a little different from each other.
We aren’t you, can’t give you a timeline and all that. The question about learning Unix is actually like all those questions about learning Linux, meaning Ubuntu, Linux Mint and so forth. Which Linux and which part of thhe operating system? In fact, when I learned Linux in the nineties (because my school couldn’t afford UNIX) my understanding of what an Operating System is changed. Linux began as a free kernel to run UNIX programs. It still is substantially, thoughh much of the development has switched to Linux and Solaris, a UNIX runs a LOT of Linux programs, as does FreeBSD. There are differences under the hood, but the common user doesn’t notice them.
The BASICS of the file system and command line will take anything from a few hours to a few days. RIGHT above that, though, are a number of archiving and redirectiion tools whiich once you understand them make the command line so powerful even today there are people who can usually get along without a Windowing desktop. The flip side is of course they can be murder. And even with self study you will be starting them without a break.
The other issue you have to get used to is choice: Linux and UNIX are modular operating systems. Ubuntu is really different in differentiating between which desktop comes with X-Windows. The default desktop with X-Windows is twm. It dates back to the eighties and you really don’t want to try it (though even on Ubuntu it’s certainly possible). Most Linux and UNIX distributions let users choose their own desktops and don’t differentiate. Even Ubuntu will allow you to switch them straightforwardly, without reinstalling.
So it can be a short time, and it can be years. It depends on what you are trying to do with it.