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eskild@bookwyrm.social

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Mac OS X for Unix geeks (2008, O’Reilly Media) 2 stars

Review of 'Mac OS X for Unix geeks' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

A very inconsistent book. It varies wildly between chapters what kind of technical background the book assumes, and for the most part it ends up explaining things well below the level of any "Unix geek".

In one chapter it explains how to use filenames with spaces in a terminal, and how to use sudo. This is elementary level Unix knowledge that belongs more in a book for Unix beginners, rather than an introduction to a different Unix-like system for people with Unix knowledge. Then in another it goes in-depth with porting C applications, and the differences between object formats on OS X (Mach-O) versus other Unixes (mostly ELF).

Some parts of the book are by now wildly out of date, which is to be expected, but many of the Mac-specific Unix quirks are still accurate, but it requires you to go through the book explaining basic Unix usage in order …

UNIX (2019, Independently published) 5 stars

Review of 'UNIX' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A fascinating journey through the development of the Unix operating system (and related tools and languages, such as C), told by someone that was there.

It does not go into much technical detail, though there are some source listings here and there, mostly focusing on an overview of the technical sides, as well as the social and organizational aspects that contributed to an environment of innovation.

The story of how such an influential system, that still echoes loudly in almost all major OSes today, is fascinating, helped along by an author that knows how to write about advanced subjects in an understandable and enjoyable manner.

The old new thing (Paperback, 2007, Addison-Wesley) 5 stars

Review of 'The old new thing' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A fascinating insight into the quirks of modern OS development.

The book goes into a fair bit of technical detail, complete with C++, C and assembly source code listings. Unlike a programming textbook, however, Chen's writing is never boring. Interesting and sometimes funny anecdotes are sprinkled throughout, giving context to the issue being discussed.

While naturally focused on MS-DOS and Windows, it still manages to be very interesting for a Unix user and developer like myself, and while some of the intricacies of the Windows API aren't all that useful nor relatable to me, there were only a few places where the discussion was not something any developer could in some way relate to.

For me, this is mostly a fascinating piece of software development history, and one I'd thoroughly recommend anyone interested in such things give a read.

The Black House: An Unofficial Legend of The Secret World (2019, Independently published) 5 stars

Review of 'The Black House: An Unofficial Legend of The Secret World' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A great read. Though I know the source material in the Secret World, I'm convinced this works just as well as a standalone novel as it assumes no prior knowledge. It's well-written and adds a lot to the world, ending up as much more than a mere adaptation and managing to pull me in and keep me engrossed even as there were some familiar components. The main character is interesting and I look forward to following her through the series.

If you're looking for a light paranormal/magical horror book to read, set in a fascinating and compelling universe, this just might be it.

Uncomfortable Labels (Paperback, 2019, Jessica Kingsley Publishers) 5 stars

Review of 'Uncomfortable Labels' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is a very personal journey through the early life of someone that experiences the act of living very differently from many of us. It provides some level of insight into an experience that we can't actually imagine what is like on our own. At the same time it illustrates why it's so important to focus on trans-rights, and how much is still left of that fight, as much as we might like to believe our society to be open and welcoming to people that live their life differently from the majority.

I whole-heartedly recommend reading this book. Some parts might be a bit heavy to read, but overall it's a positive story about being who you are, regardless of the expectations society might try to enforce upon you.