Review: Linux Command Line: Getting Started with Bash and Shell Scripting by Travis Booth

Linux Command Line by Travis Booth is an okay introduction to Linux but all the errors and mistakes make it a confusing read. That said, I did learn a few tricks, like how to search for files or programs from the command line, so the short book was somewhat worthwhile. I also got it on my Amazon Unlimited plan, so it did not cost anything to read, but I guess the old saying goes: “you get what you pay for.”

In this book Travis Booth discusses what Linux is and some back story, what BASH is, the Linux file tree, navigating the command line, and basic programming with loops, relational operators, etc. He shows how to use input and output, pipes, redirection, and other ways to manipulate data. Some shell scripting examples, plus finding and searching for files from the command line (I found these sections to be particularly useful). So some good topics are covered, the problems come in how things are explained.

Very often in the text, the author will show one snippet of code, and then the description of the code will seemingly be from some other example (that is not shown). A few times there was code that was not doing anything at all (because the variable names were wrong or some other logical error) making it not make any sense. While I did want to like the book, I could see beginners getting very confused (and I’m not even a Linux pro, but I could catch so many errors in the book).

The use of the English language was also questionable, and even if the author is not a native English speaker, there could have been better editing done. For example, in the conclusion of the book we have this whopper of a sentence.

Linux is a wonderfully diverse language and you should take the time to explore it. Granted it might seem a bit ocmplex at first but with constant practice, you’ll being to see why the mouse is overrated as a companion!

I mean, that was probably the worst line in the book, but there are smaller oddities all throughout the work. It is just not a quality read and all the 5 star reviews on Amazon are now questionable to me after finishing the book. All in all, I did learn a few things, and it didn’t take long to read, but I cannot really recommend this at all.