Misc Resources

Summary: Unix
Humor

Section index - KB index

UNIX

Linux basically consists of the Linux kernel proper and the GNU operating system (that's why you read 'GNU/Linux' in all the politically correct places).
GNU stands for 'GNU's Not Unix' and the aim of the project was and is "to develop a complete Unix-like operating system which is free software". It was founded in 1984 to counteract the growing commercialization of Unix. A fairly comprehensive overview on the history of Unix, GNU and Linux can be found in the online edition of 'Open Sources'.

Thus Linux is a Unix 'workalike' and learning about UNIX will therefore will help you a lot with understanding how things work in Linux. Most renowned entry-level books are:

• 'Unix for the Impatient' by Abrahams/Larson (Addison-Wesley)
• 'Unix Power Tools' by Peek/O'Reilly/Loukides (O'Reilly)

Online resources are e.g.:

• The Unix Introductory Course
• The FAQ of the newsgroup comp.unix.questions
• UNIXhelp provides "helpful information for users of the UNIX operating system".
• The UNIX System - History and Timeline gives a short introduction into the long history of UNIX operating systems.
• Unix History contains much useful information and links but it is most recognized for its really huge graphical timeline of the history of Unix systems.

For more links concerning UNIX, check out the Geek-Girl's UNIX Reference Desk.

Currently, "UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries", but nobody seems to really care about that.

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Humor

Let's face it: there are times when Linux does its best to annoy the hell out of you (believe me, I know how you feel ...). And there are times you want to poke fun at people creating or using other operating systems. And above all there are times you just want a good laugh and not care about this whole computing thing at all.
These links provide a mixture from all three categories, picked from my huge bookmark file ;-).

General

• The Brunching Shuttlecocks. My personal favorite. I mean, where else on the 'Net can you read ratings of Israeli snack food? This site features a very British, Pythonesque (as in Monty) sort of humor. If you are in that sort of thing, don't miss it1.1
• Something Awful. A wealth of articles, cartoons and more, ranging from funny to downright cynical. Some excellent stuff1.1
• What do killer kittens, an alien working as a secretary and Lord Horribus from the Dimension of Pain have in common? They all make their appearance in Sluggy Freelance. Start from the beginning - really ...
• Sinfest. Another webstrip? No, not by any means. You possibly shouldn't visit this if you are easily offended. Tatsuya Ishida has drawn some of the most funny, hysterical, sad, philosophical, nonsensical, irreverent strips I've ever seen.
• "Every non- trivial program has at least one bug." This and a lot of other heartwarming observations can be found at Murphy's Laws by Topic.

Linux / Unix / Computers

• Humorix. Lots of funny GNU/Linux stuff1.1 And your typical Slashdot-pun, of course (although more devoted to the original than 'Segfault').
• Laugh along with GNU. Another addictive archive, covering a wide range of topics from religion over computing (of course) to the Free Software Song sung by R.M. Stallman1.1
• BBspot is a geek humor news site, complete with horoscopes and a Slashdot story generator.
• Userfriendly. Geek humor de luxe. Every day a new strip about what happens at a small Internet provider. You won't believe it until you've seen it… All cartoons are available online - highly addictive.
• Attrition Image Gallery is a vast collection of cartoons, funny ads, montages and more.
• Looking for a geeky signature file? Visit Esther's Massive Signature File Collection1.1 Another page has collected ~SlashDot .sigs.
• Speaking of comic strips, here's the obligatory link to the Dilbert archive. If you've ever worked in the IT sector, however, you'll find some strips just to be too true to be funny ...
• A must read for every regular visitor of discussion forums: the Troll FAQ.
• The Jargon File, apart from being a fun read, tells you a lot about the Unix heritage and the colloquial terms used by Unix and Linux users.
• The Bastard Operator from Hell tells the funny tale of a really mean Unix system administrator. Considered cult reading.

Bashing

• ~LinuxSucks. We all know it, this Linux thing is just a conspiracy to increase suicide rates all over the world ...
• Microsoft Linux answers the old question: What would a Linux distribution by Microsoft look like?
• The Unix Haters Handbook. Although the book is out of print since '97, this web page will provide you with "some information that will help you hate Unix." Featuring among others an article Why you should not use Unix by some Stallard Richman...

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Related Resources:

dmoz: Unix
dmoz: Linux / Humor

Revision / Modified: July 04, 2002
Author: Tom Berger

Legal: This page is covered by the GNU Free Documentation License. Standard disclaimers of warranty apply. Copyright LSTB and Mandrakesoft.