Datasheet

Summary
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13
in multiple browsers on multiple platforms, a certain amount of testing is required to write solid cross-
platform shell scripts.
Even when writing for a typical Linux distribution, it is useful to know what is where, and how
it came to be there. Is there an
/etc/sysconfig? Are init scripts in /etc/rc.d/init.d or /etc/
init.d
, or do they even exist in that way? What features can be identifi ed to see what tradition
is being followed by this particular distribution? Knowing the history of the system helps one to
understand whether the syntax is
tar xzf or tar -xzf; whether to use /etc/fstab or /etc/
vfstab
; whether running killall httpd will stop just your Apache processes (as it would under
GNU/Linux) or halt the entire system (as it would on Solaris)!
The next chapter follows on from this checkered history to compare the variety of choices available
when selecting a Unix or GNU/Linux environment.
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