Recommended.
There are certain tools that I use regularly without ever venturing beyond a trivial subset of their functionality. One such tool is tmux, a ‘terminal multiplexer’ which I usually use for testing systems with multiple software components. Whilst I was already familiar with some of the basic workflows in tmux, I was keen to see if reading a more structured introduction to it would improve my productivity in the terminal.
Considering that a tutorial for a tool like tmux inevitably comprises a sequence of keyboard shortcuts and shell commands, I was surprised to find this book eminently readable. This is helped in no small part by the excellent formatting and use of colour to highlight keyboard shortcuts and configuration options. A light read at only 118 pages, I found that a relatively modest time investment led to me becoming significantly more comfortable using tmux.
The book provides an ab initio introduction to tmux, with only a basic familiarity with the Linux command line required to follow the discussion. I particularly liked the chapter on ‘Working with Text and Buffers’, an area which caused me some trouble when I first started using tmux.
The book also provides detailed instructions on configuring tmux, including setting up custom key bindings and altering how information is displayed within the tmux window. Personally, I found this the most useful aspect of the book: relatively small changes in my setup have made tmux a significantly more ergonomic tool for me to use.
My main criticism of the book relates to the final chapter. This includes a slightly random selection of usage and configuration tips, along with a discussion of how tmux can be extended using plug-ins. Although a lot of the information in this chapter was useful, it was poorly structured and felt like an afterthought.
Overall, I feel comfortable recommending this book to anyone who would like to become more productive using tmux. Whilst it could at times be better organised, it is difficult to criticise a book that I have genuinely learned something from reading.
