In the tradition of 12-step programs that help people overcome their addictions by sharing stories, The UNIX-Haters Handbook is the self-help guide for people affected by the world's most esoteric and most widely used operating system.
Turn here for answers to all-important questions, such as...
Why does the online documentation lie to us? Why does the operating system overwrite valuable files with garbage? Why does the user's guide bear no relationship to reality? Why do the commands have cryptic names that have no bearing on their function? What is a grep? What is vi? Do troffs live under bridges, or are they inverted trons? WHERE ARE THEY SENDING ALL THE UPPERCASE LETTERS?
This book is about people who are in abusive relationships with Unix,
woven around the threads in the UNIX-HATERS mailing list. These notes
are not always pretty to read. Some are inspired, some are vulgar, some
depressing. Few are hopeful. If you want the other side of the story, go read
a Unix how-to book or some sales brochures.
This book won’t improve your Unix skills. If you are lucky, maybe you
will just stop using Unix entirely.
