Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Linux API docs & fun tools

Author:Eric Kidd
Posted:12/7/1998; 10:39:59 AM
Topic:Linux for Dummies?
Msg #:914 (In response to 808)
Prev/Next:913 / 915

When I'm doing Linux programming, I frequently refer to the following website. It's the official Unix standard at the Open Group, and is available for free online if you provide your e-mail address:

http://www.crn.com/sections/news/820/820qalinus.asp

Linux is very close to compliance with this standard, so about 98¨f the material will apply directly. The other 2œonsists mostly of missing functions which nobody in the Linux community has felt the need to implement.

You'll find that Unix folks still use their command line. Some helpful tricks include typing up- and down-arrow to browse command-line histories, and typing tab to complete the names of commands and files. There's a lot of linguistic expressiveness available if you need it.

Most Unix developers choose a prefered development environment after a while. The two most popular ones are vi and Emacs. The vi crowd like simple, minimalistic tools. Emacs has an extraordinary number of features (on par with any modern development environment), but it takes several months to master. (I'm a former CodeWarrior developer now happily using Emacs.)

Users of CodeWarrior might want to investigate CodeCrusader, a look-alike for the CodeWarrior IDE which is coming along quickly (but which is still beta-level). There's several environments which resemble Developer Studio, and at least one which looks just like the old Borland DOS compilers.

Unix really is an oral culture--your single greatest resource is a skilled Unix guru who can point you in the right direction. All the necessary tools exist (at least by the standards of this former Mac programmer), but finding them frequently requires knowledgable help.

Cheers, Eric

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