Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks (Paperback)

With its rep for being the sort of machine that won't intimidate even the most inexperienced users, what's the appeal of the Mac® for hard-core geeks? The Mac has always been an efficient tool, pleasant to use and customize, and eminently hackable. But now with Mac OS® X's BSD core, many a Unix® developer has found it irresistible. The latest version of Mac OS X, called Panther, makes it even easier for users to delve into the underlying Unix operating system. In fact, you can port Linux® and Unix applications and run them side-by-side with your native Aqua® apps right on the Mac desktop.

Still, even experienced Unix users may find themselves in surprisingly unfamiliar territory as they set out to explore Mac OS X. Even if you know Macs through and through, Mac OS X Panther is unlike earlier Macs, and it's radically different from the Unix you've used before.

Enter Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks by Brian Jepson and Ernest E. Rothman, two Unix geeks who found themselves in the same place you are. The new edition of this book is your guide to figuring out the BSD Unix system and Panther-specific components that you may find challenging. This concise book will ease you into the Unix innards of Mac OS X Panther, covering such topics as:

• A quick overview of the Terminal application, including Terminal alternatives like iTerm and GLterm
  
• Understanding Open Directory (LDAP) and NetInfo
  
• Issues related to using the GNU C Compiler (GCC)
  
• Library linking and porting Unix software
  
• An overview of Mac OS X Panther's filesystem and startup processes
  
• Creating and installing packages using Fink and Darwin Ports
  
• Building the Darwin kernel
  
• Using the Apple® X11 distribution for running X Windows® applications on top of Mac OS X

The book wraps up with a quick manpage-style reference to the "Missing Manual Pages" --commands that come with Mac OS X Panther, although there are no manpages.

If you find yourself disoriented by the new Mac environment, Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks will get you acclimated quickly to the foreign new areas of a familiar Unix landscape

Table of Contents

Preface 


Part I. Getting Around

1. Inside the Terminal

      Mac OS X Shells 

      The Terminal and xterm Compared 

      Using the Terminal 

      Customizing the Terminal 

      The Services Menu 

      Alternative Terminal Applications 

      The open Command 

2. Startup

      Booting Mac OS X 

      Adding Startup Items 

      Scheduling Tasks 

3. Directory Services

      Understanding Directory Services 

      Programming with Directory Services 

      Configuring Directory Services 

      NetInfo Manager 

      Directory Services Utilities 

      Managing Groups 

      Managing Users and Passwords 

      Managing Hostnames and IP Addresses 

      Exporting Directories with NFS 

      Flat Files and Their Directory Services Counterparts 

      Restoring the Directory Services Database 

4. Printing

      Printer Setup Utility 

      Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) 

      Gimp-Print 

5. The X Window System

      About Apple's X11 

      Installing X11 

      Running X11 

      Customizing X11 

      X11-based Applications and Libraries 

      Connecting to Other X Window Systems 

      Virtual Network Computer 

6. Multimedia

      Burning CDs 

      Video 

      Image Editing 

      3D Modeling 

7. Third-Party Tools and Applications

      Virtual Desktops and Screens 

      The Application Menu 

      Expos?

      Virtual Desktops 

      SSH GUIs 

      RAqua 


Part II. Building Applications

8. Compiling Source Code

      Compiler Differences 

      Compiling Unix Source Code 

      Architectural Issues 

      X11-Based Applications and Libraries 

9. Libraries, Headers, and Frameworks

      Header Files 

      The System Library: libSystem 

      Shared Libraries Versus Loadable Modules 

      Library Versions 

      Creating and Linking Static Libraries 

      Creating Frameworks 

      Prebinding 

      Performance and Debugging Tools 

      CHUD Tools 

      Interesting and Important Libraries 

      Numerical Libraries 

10. Perl

      Perl for Mac OS X Geeks 

      Installing CPAN Modules 

      Compiling Your Own Perl 


Part III. Working with Packages

11. Fink

      Installing Fink 

      Using Fink 

      FinkCommander 

      Installing Binaries 

12. Creating and Installing Packages

      Using PackageMaker 

      Using GNU tar 

      Disk Images 

      Creating Fink Packages 


Part IV. Serving and System Management

13. Using Mac OS X as a Server

      Getting Connected 

      LDAP 

      Postfix 

      Built-in Services: The Sharing Panel 

14. MySQL and PostgreSQL

      MySQL 

      PostgreSQL 

      PHP and Perl 

15. System Management Tools

      Diagnostic Utilities 

      Kernel Utilities 

      System Configuration 

      Third-Party Applications 


Part V. Appendixes

A. The Mac OS X Filesystem

B. Command-Line Tools: The Missing Manpages

C. Mac OS X's Unix Development Tools


Index