Ok guys this book isn't bad. It is very descriptive and well written. The problem is there's much of water, long blah-blah-blah and so on. It takes too long to start and then looOOoong leaps from one real problem to another. But it is "fur dummy" book it supposed to be like that with all explanations back to the baggining.
I have found here on Amazon training DVD "UNIX Essentials" by TechnoProfessor that nobody knows about. It is very cool one, straight to the subject, very useful. I coupled this book with DVD and I believe I learned more then my friend who attended $2000 class.
This book is good , but DVD is DVD, it is like you have class at home. This book is very useful though.

I recommend checking this book out from your library, but definitely not paying for it. There are many internet guides which are free and do cover the same amount of information. The most aggravating aspect of this book is the vacuous writing style, which the authors apparently believe is funny or cute. Every paragraph contains an aside aimed at criticizing the operating system or reveling in the concept of stupidity. It feels patronizing and detracting when the authors refer to an apparent "need" for UNIX to be complicated, or the inevitability of the user's typos.

The book is helpful in introducing the operating system, despite its poor presentation. It is worth looking over, but not paying full price, as the information it contains can be found elsewhere. I did enjoy the more or less step-by-step presentation of many commands, as well as tips for avoiding common mistakes.

John R. Levine provides a great introduction to UNIX, geared towards newcomers to this operating system. While anybody who has already spent a while working with UNIX, will probably consider the approach and contents of this book as too simplistic, it appears to be a perfect fit for those readers who need to or want to take their first steps in this great operating system.

Once the basic philosophy of UNIX has been communicated, and the reader has become familiar with the use of a wide variety of the standard commands, as well as the basic functionality of a few shell command interpreters, the reader is equipped with all the basics for jumping into the pool and paddling around.

Even though this title provides a great introduction for UNIX users, and will be sufficient to learn how to swim with the flow, it should by no means be considered a sufficient resource for the experienced and/or advanced UNIX user or system administrator.

For these latter groups there are a variety of other titles available that provide the desired depth. However, Levine's book is one of the very few that manages to address the very basics which quite often are omitted in other publications presumably aimed at the same target group.

Even though it will take an aspiring reader and UNIX user quite a while to get to level of understanding required to get the most out of the likes of "The Design of the UNIX Operating System" and "Design and Implementation of the BSD 4.4 Operating System", this book constitutes the first step for any newcomer towards achieving such a goal.

I cannot understand how anyone can say anything bad about this book. It is absolutely fantastic to learn about working with the UNIX operating system. Detail, step-by-step explanations and examples of the main UNIX commands. If you need to work with UNIX, buy this book NOW! There is no better guide to help you get started in the confusing world of UNIX. I wish someone would write Oracle database books that are this easy to use and reference. Thanks to the authors!

I once have sworn to avoid "dummies" books, but I couldnt restrain myself this time, unfortunately. You will find very little of substance here, as usual. They throw a few commands at you in the key areas, but that's about it. A bit too much simplicity here.