Hard Copy Resources

The tradition way of referring to printed materials as a source is still prefer by many. However, information related to UNIX platforms may be outdated in a timely manner. Vendors releases hardware products and new O/S releases every few months. Coupled w ith large number of vendors, the rate of change can be tremendous. However, printed materials are still the basic source of information, for example, a book on design of UNIX O/S is a must while reading of printed magazine is more portable and enjoyable, one can even bring it to the loo.

Dictionaries

The best source to clarify UNIX jargons, commands and standards is to use a dictionary. Dictionary is important source of reference and can served as referee when settling disputes.

UNIX : An Open Systems Dictionary
Author: William H. Holt and Rockie J. Morgan
Availability: Resolution Business Press, Inc
http://www.respress.com
Cost: US$24.95
Description:
This dictionary unveils subtle distinctions between the similar, sometimes identical, terms coined and complicated by the host of developers, vendors and standards organisations that have created the sophisticated UNIX computer operating system and its of fshoots. This is an indispensable aid to comprehending and communicating easily and effectively in the complex UNIX tongue.

The UNIX Dictionary of Commands, Terms and Acronyms
Author: Levine, John
Availability: McGRAW-HILL, 1996
Cost: US$29.63
Description:
With UNIX a part of mainstream computing, there is a tremendous need for a dictionary of its terminology. This dictionary includes clearly-defined and cross-referenced entries of UNIX commands, terms & acronyms for computer users and professionals. This e asy-to-use reference tool defines more than 2,000 UNIX terms, and carefully cross-reference each one.

Books

There are numerous books in the market that cover anything from UNIX history to future of UNIX. It could be published by an individual, group or an organisation. Some are very specific, for example, books that covered HP-UX. Some books are general, for ex ample, the dummies series of books titled "More UNIX For Dummies". In real life, the information consultant may have a cabinet full of similar publications to meet his work requirement.

Some UNIX vendor's web site contain a list of recommended publications, it is a good place to start in gathering related books. For example, Digital's web site at http://www.unix.digital.com/faqs/publications.html

Books differ from other publications in a way that it could be specific and well covered compare to definition of a terminology in a dictionary. A 500 pages thick book on the design of the UNIX Operating System should have a good coverage on the topic.

The Design of the UNIX Operating System
Author: Bach, Maurice
Availability: PRENTICE HALL, 1990
Cost: US$56.00
Description:
This highly relevant book traces the popularity of the UNIX System throughout the computer industry. The author describes the internal algorithms and structures that form the basis of the operating system and their relationship to the programmer interface .

Learning the HP-UX Operating System
Author: Poniatowski, Marty
Availability: PRENTICE HALL, 1997
Cost: US$25.60
Description:
The chapters in this book contain useful information and HP-UX File System Related Commands. The information consultant needs to be familiar but not to be an expert in the UNIX O/S. Such book will serve as a quick reference when dealing with HP-UX related customers.

More UNIX For Dummies
Author: Levine, J. & Young M
Availability: IDG, 1995
Cost: US$14.99
Description:
All major versions, including Berkeley UNIX, UNIX System V, SunOS, and Solaris are covered. General books of this nature give a quick overview of different type of UIX O/S

A Quarter Century of UNIX
Author: Peter Salus
Availability: Addison-Wesley, 1994
Cost: US$24.69
Description:
Knowing the history of UNIX well will enhance the image of the consultant as a guru in the field. This book explores UNIX's incredible success and illustrates how the sociology of a technical group can overwhelm the intent of multi-billion dollar corporat ions.

Directories

Directory is just like yellow pages, for quick search of who's who in the computer industry, it usually provides short summary of the services and products of companies. Some directories served as buyer's guide, which is handy when comparing what various vendors have to offer.

Computer Review
Availability: Computer Review, PO Box 260, Gloucester, MA 01930 USA. Cost: US$415.00
Description:
Computer Review is a global information technology market directory. It is written and organised for marketing and investment professionals. The Global Market Matrix classifies 1000 computer, telecom, and new media companies. It indexes them by their main market for easy comparison. The Trends and Profiles section describes leading companies and their products & services. It examines their strengths and weaknesses, market position, and identifies U.S. and international joint ventures. The Market directory lists companies with addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and Internet access addresses.

The 1997 Linux Journal Buyer's Guide
Availability: Specialised Systems Consultant
Cost: US$10
Description:
This buyer's guide contained over 2,000 product and service listings, it is a ideal guide for comparing various products. Similar buyer's guide are available, it is important that the information consultant get hold of these publication. Customer will oft en refer to items in these buyer's guide as such guides are usually given free as major magazine supplement, and customers have subscription to these magazines in their related fields.

How to Brand - What to Buy
Availability: The Open Group
http://www.opengroup.org
Cost: US$ 175.00
Description:
This directory concentrate more on the O/S, and is high technical but essential when dealing across multiple open UNIX platform. It contains separately bound parts which describe the Product Standards including UNIX 95 and XPG4. It includes the Overview, Guide to Branding, Branding Your Product, and the Trade Mark Licence Agreement.

Catalogues and sales brochures

Catalogues and sales brochures from hardware vendors is a must. These materials are easily available from sales offices. Frequent visits and getting to know the sales representatives can be useful in gathering product information.

Newsletters

Newsletters are good source for updated information. It is usually published for members only and rapport among knowledgeable members may help in resolving work related problems.

AUUGN
Availability: Australian UNIX(*) and Open System user group
Cost: Free with A$90.00 membership fees, 6 issues yearly
http://www.auug.org.au
Description:
AUUG Inc. is the Australian UNIX(*) and Open System user group, offering members access to information on current and future UNIX and open systems technologies. AUUGN is AUUG's technical newsletter.

Journals

Journals are usually more serious and technical in nature. Reputable organisations publish journal at frequent interval.

Operating Systems Review
Availability: ACM Press
Cost: Non-member: $30.00
Description:
SIGOPS addresses a broad spectrum of issues associated with operating systems research and development. Although many of the members are drawn from industry, academic and government professionals are also represented in the membership. Though technical, i nformation in the journal may be critical in understanding the trends and happening in the O/S areas.

Linux Journal
Availability: Specialised Systems Consultant, Inc
Cost: US$32.00 for 12 issues yearly
It is published by SSC, a company that has been publishing pocket references and other material for the UNIX market since 1983. Linux Journal is for the Linux community and contains articles on Linux, tips, events and conferences.

Magazines

A number of magazines focus on UNIX O/S and some of these are listed. Most of these magazines are commercially produced by general publishers, while others are produced by computer vendors. One of the ways to be aware of industry trends is by reading ad vertisements in magazines.

Unix Review
Availability: 411 Borel Avenue, Suite 100, San Mateo, CA 94402
http://www.unixreview.com
Cost: US$89.25 for 12 issues yearly
Description:
UNIX Review helps UNIX professionals develop and administer superior systems and solutions. Each month, UNIX Review offers concise detailed analysis of the latest UNIX technologies, software developments, products, standards, and UNIX-related business wor ld-wide. Based on a practical "total solutions" approach, the magazine covers all elements of UNIX-based operating systems: software, hardware, peripherals, and support services.

System Admin
Availability: Subscriptions PO Box 59170, Boulder, CO 80322-9170
http://www.samag.com
Cost : US$69.00/year
Description:
Sys Admin targets UNIX systems administrators, coverage on: system analysis and monitoring; security; backup; crash recovery; X Window; system automation; and integrating multiple hardware platforms. Unlike other UNIX magazines, Sys Admin focuses on syste m-level processes, rather than the latest database or spreadsheet. Not only does Sys Admin's coverage include multiple versions of UNIX, it spans a variety of platforms as well.

AIXtra
Availability: http://pscc.dfw.ibm.com/aixtra/index.htm
Cost: US$33.00 for 6 issues yearly
Description:
Magazine produced by IBM, targeted at AIX users. Contained AIX related articles and information.

HP Chronicle
Availability: http://www.pcinews.com/business/pci//hp/
Cost: US$75.00/year
Description:
Commercially produced magazine on HP products, news and services.

Silicon Graphic World
Availability: http://www.zilker.net/business/pci/sgi
Cost: US$75.00/year
Description:
This monthly tabloid is dedicated to providing independent news covering the entire Silicon Graphics computer system line. The publication includes user profiles and technical articles, as well as news and new product information. Such vendor specific mag azine is a must !

Useful Internet sites with links and pointers to hard copy resources

Some sites have very good links and pointers that direct the readers to hard copy resources. Examples are home pages of publishers and major hardware vendors. Take a look at README.DOC http://www.readmedotdoc.com/ and Digital's web site http://www.digital.com/catmag.html

Machine Readable Resources (MRR)

Due to accelerated innovation of technology, traditional printed materials are being rapidly replaced by electronic copies. One good example is the transition of paper based encyclopaedias to CD-ROM based multimedia encyclopaedias. CD-ROM encyclopaedias n ot only have the same content as its paper based counterpart, but are able to provide more visual and audio enjoyment and help the learning process.

The other major advantage of MRR is the ability to perform searches. By integrating the content into databases, searching of various ways are possible. It ranges from quick search for keyword within an article to perform a search across multiple databases in Dialog.

The explosion of Internet in recent years is another factor that changes the way information is being aggregated. Organisations and companies are seeing the potential of Internet and are investing millions of dollars in constructing their web resources. S ome useful and reliable information can be found on the Internet, which at one time, was termed as a dumping ground.

UNIX is I.T. related and most printed I.T. material are outdated in an accelerated manner. MRR is not only cheap when produced in quantity, it can also be updated easily to reflect the changes.

CD-ROM

The most common method of archiving and distributing huge amount of data in portable format for commercial purposes is using CD-ROM.

Computer Desktop Encyclopaedia
Author: Alan Freedman
Availability: The Computer Language Company
http://www.computerlanguage.com
Cost: US$39.95
Description:
Computer Desktop Encyclopaedia contain more than 10,000 definitions, illustrations, photos, charts and diagrams. It covered micro to mainframe, PCs, Macs, UNIX, networking, client/server, graphics, multimedia, Internet, World Wide Web, objects, major prod ucts and vendors, acronyms, buzzwords ... and much more. Fundamental concepts are explained in depth, providing a clear perspective for beginners.

On-line Resources

On-line resources such as Dialog is an efficient tool for getting up to date information and news. Although there are many on-line resources available, Dialog is listed as it is the most popular and has the most comprehensive list of databases.

Dialog
There is no dispute that Dialog is one of the most common and yet informative on-line service provider. Similar on-line services provide daily update and the ability to search multiple databases is its main feature. Although Dialog is text-based, it's wea lth of information make it an ideal choice for business use.
http://www.dialog.com

File 256
SoftBase: Reviews, Companies, and Products is a compilation of information on a broad range of computer software products, topics, and companies Cost : US$1.80/Connect Minute, US$1.10/Full format on-line type

File 275
Computer Database is designed to answer the questions of business and computer professionals about hardware, software, networks, peripherals, and services.
Cost : US$2.10/Connect Minute, US$2.20/Full format on-line type

File 752
The Datapro Product Specifications database provides detailed descriptions of features, specifications, and pricing for systems, hardware, and software products in the computer, communications, and office technology industries.
Cost : Available upon request from Dialog

File 753
Datapro Reports and Analysis contains authoritative, full-text market research reports on computers, communications, information systems, and workgroup computing.
Cost : Available upon request from Dialog

Internet Resources

Internet is fast becoming the main source for information gathering. The actual content may not be present on the Internet but users will often find links and pointers to actual resources. It is the most common way of finding information electronically on a diversify range of subjects. Most Internet resources are free unless otherwise stated.

Dictionaries

There are a number of Internet dictionaries and almost all are free! Internet dictionaries usually have hyperlinks within the article and this is a quick way in retrieving related articles. My top choice is the FREE Online Computer Dictionary at O' Reilly. http://www.ora.com/reference/dictionary/

Magazines and News

On-line magazines are fast becoming a convenient way of accessing information. Frequent visits to these web sites will help to keep abreast of industry and products news.

UnixWorld is a web-only based magazine that provides practical, tutorial-oriented articles and columns for beginner to expert users, programmers, and system administrators of platforms running the UNIX operating system. http://www.wcmh.com/uworld/

Computer Reseller News is a good place to go for serious computer news. There is also a personalised subscription service that enable readers to choose subjects of interest.
http://techweb.cmp.com

IBM System User is a on-line magazine dedicated to the needs of IBM users around the world up to date and authoritative information on the ever changing IBM technology.
http://204.254.77.2/ibmsu

Newsgroups

Newsgroups is an Internet term which does not actually have anything to do with news. Newsgroups is discussion groups formed by people, places where individuals post messages for others to read and respond to. The information consultant may post questions to newsgroups for help, the results could sometimes be surprising. Listed are some UNIX related newsgroups.

comp.benchmarks
comp.sys.hp.hardware
comp.sys.hp.hpux
comp.sys.sun.announce
comp.sys.sun.hardware
comp.unix.aix
comp.unix.questions
comp.unix.solaris

Mailing Lists, Listserv and etc.

Listserv is an electronic mail based tool for the Internet, it allows E-mail users to share and distribute messages with other users who have similar interests.

For example, WKSTNS-L: wkstns-l: Unix Workstation hardware & software forum, at address listserv@tc.umn.edu

There are other form of commercially available mailing lists. E-mail messages containing industry news can be personalised. For example, the information consultant may choose UNIX as field of interest when subscribing to the mailing list. The information consultant will need to be aware of news affecting the UNIX community.

Computer industry news (personalised)
http://techweb.cmp.com/crn/docs/inboxform.html
or
http://www.computerwire.com/computerwire

Useful Web Sites

Listed are a few UNIX Internet resources.

UNIX history, hardware, software and more
http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/usail/index/index.html

UNIX information including IBM, HP, SUN
http://geek-girl.com/unix.html

FAQs about UNIX
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/unix-faq/faq/part6/faq.html

UNIX, from X/Open group
http://www.rdg.opengroup.org/public/tech/unix/

Internet Directories

Do not reinvent the wheel, UNIX directories already created by someone who shared similar interest is a wonderful way of exploring related resources. You can even E-mail the author of the page to find out more !

UNIX Guru Universe, The Official Home Page for UNIX System Administrators, highly recommended.
http://www.ugu.com/sui/ugu/show?ugu

Professional directory, similar to Yahoo! but more specific.
http://www.einet.net/galaxy/Engineering-and-Technology/Computer-Technology.html

UNIX directory and newsgroups.
http://www.nerdworld.com/users/dstein/nw274.html

UNIX directory.
http://www.lantimes.com/uworld/resources/unix.html

Another useful directory.
http://wwwhost.cc.utexas.edu/cc/services/unix/index.html

More UNIX directory.
http://www.eleves.ens.fr:8080/home/rideau/Tunes/Review/OSes.html

Standards

Standards are important for almost everything under the Sun. In UNIX case, there are standards for both hardware and software. The information consultant may not be familiar with every single standards but he will need to know where to find them if the ne eds arises. For example, a customer may ask "can you locate five UNIX O/S that conform to XPG4 standard." (Definition of XPG4 can be found at http://www.rdg.opengroup.org/public/prods/xum4.htm )

Hardware performances and references are also important when comparing multiple hardware platforms. Hardware price performance is usually top priority on a buy's checklist when purchasing computer systems. Thus, the information consultant needs to be fami liar with various benchmarking standards.

Search for IEEE's standards.
http://standards.ieee.org/search.html

X/open home page, source for UNIX standards.
http://www.rdg.opengroup.org

ACM Technical Standard Committee pages with links to major standards organisation
http://www.acm.org/tsc/

Useful site for searching computer and datacomms standards and organisations
http://www.cmpcmm.com/cc/standards.html

CPU benchmarking resources can be found at the following sites :
http://www.specbench.org
http://sacam.oren.ortn.edu/~dave/benchmark-faq.html and

Major UNIX Vendors's Home page

Major computer vendors have invested millions of dollars to jazz up their home page. It is the best source for product related information.

HP computing resources
http://hpcc920.external.hp.com/computing/main.html

HP UNIX computing buyer's guide
http://hpcc920.external.hp.com/hpwebcat/main.html

DIGITAL UNIX resources
http://www.unix.digital.com

SUN World is the entry point into SUN's resouces. This site has all the links and information needed to answer queries specifically on SUN.
http://www.sun.com/sunworldonline

Other Resources

Usergroups

Usergroups are formed by computer users operating on a common platform. Computer users and their experiences may be useful in answering vendor specific questions. There is a joining fees but it is definitely worth it.

Hewlett Packard
INTEREX
http://www.interex.org
International Association of Hewlett-Packard Computing Professionals
Membership fees:
Contributing Level : US$115
Associate Level with annual subscription to: US$49.50

AUUG
http://www.auug.org.au
Australian UNIX(*) and Open System user group.
Membership fees:
Ordinary: A$90/year
Student: A$25/year
Institutional: A$350/year

Trade Shows and Conferences

Computer vendors usually launch their products and new releases of UNIX at these events. Magazines, usergroups and vendor's home page are the best places to look for such events.

People

People is a valuable source of information. Friends, ex-colleagues, sales representatives and new found friends in specific industry, be it on purpose or not, are worth making. These contacts are handy when needs arises.

Others

Organisations or companies performing similar consultancy services, companies that provides integration of UNIX computer systems, specialised libraries, professional organisations and associations (for example, ACM), research institution, universities (fo r example, University of Berkley) are other resources for gathering UNIX information.

Top Five Resources

These resources are considered essential to the information consultant, he will need them in order to carry out his daily tasks.

Vendor's home pages
And related Internet resources, for example HP UNIX computing buyer's guide. Users will be able to input requirements and this site will be able to generate on-line system configuration with part numbers and prices. This is a good site in understanding HP 's hardware and system configurations. Try this link when buying a HP 9000 UNIX workstation. http://hpcc920.external.hp.com/hpwebcat/ch_hp9kw.html

UNIX Guru Universe
The Official Home Page for UNIX System Administrators. Almost all UNIX system administrators would have visited this site. It contain all sorts of UNIX resources.

Trade Shows
This is the event where industry giants and specialists gather to launch and sell their products. It is a good place to collect sales brochures, be aware of industry trends and make new friends. Those name cards may be handy one day.

Newsgroups
People loves to talk and be busy-body, newsgroups is the ideal place to post technical questions, I have tried asking UNIX questions at comp.unix.questions and the responds were encouraging.

Unix Review
This is the equivalence of PC World or Bytes magazines in the UNIX world. It covers all elements of UNIX-based operating systems: software, hardware, peripherals, and support services. Not forgetting that it also contains industry and product news, lots of advertisements and current awareness articles.

Conclusion

References

1) John Cox, Key guide to information sources in on-line and CD-ROM database searching, 1991, Mansell
2) David Haynes, Information sources in Information Technology,1990, Bowker-Sarr Ltd

Any Comments or feedback ? Please Let me know before I turn this page "LIVE" on the Internet. Thanks !

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