Preface

0.1. A Book for Browsing

Technical books can be boring. But this is not an ordinary technical book! This book is like an almanac, a news magazine, and a hypertext database all rolled into one. Instead of trying to put the topics in perfect order -- and expecting you to start at the beginning, then read through to the end -- we hope that you'll browse. Start anywhere. Read what you want. (That's not quite true. First, you should read this Preface and the pages before it titled How to Use This Book. They will help you get the most out of your time with this book. Next, you may want to skim through the Unix fundamentals in Chapter 1. Then read what you want.)