Design of the UNIX Operating System (Prentice Hall Software Series) (Paperback)
Filed in Reviews |Tags: Description, Design, Hall, internal algorithms, kernel works, Operating, Paperback, Prentice, Series, Software, system, Unix, unix system v, V Release
Product Description
This is the first, and still, the most comprehensive book to describe the sophisticated workings of the UNIX System V kernel–the internal algorithms, the structures that form the basis of the UNIX operating system, and their relationship to the programming interface. System programmers will gain a better understanding of how the kernel works and will be able to compare algorithms used in the UNIX system to algorithms used in other operating systems. Programmers on UNIX systems will gain a deeper understanding of how their programs interact with the system and can thereby code more efficient programs.
From the Publisher
This book describes the internal algorithms and the structures that form the basis of the UNIX ®operating system and their relationship to the programmer interface. The system description is based on UNIX System V Release 2 supported by AT&T, with some features from Release 3.
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Sunday, July 5th 2009 at 4:03 pm |
UNIX in its many derivatives is a 30-year old operating system. Why has it stood the test of time? Because it was designed with a simple philosophy: to give the user the ability to create his own tools to solve problems. This book has been a classic in UNIX architecture since it was published in 1987. Although some of the sections are a bit dated (e.g., IPC, file systems), it is still a valuable source of information. You will begin to understand the design philosophy of UNIX after reading this book. You will see why some of the design decisions were made (primarily due to the hardware of the time) and some of the really neat kluges that was devised to get around those problems. This book deserves its status as one of classics of UNIX literature. I highly recommend it.
Sunday, July 5th 2009 at 11:05 pm |
After becoming a Linux enthusiast, I bought the book “Understanding the Linux Kernel”, which I unfortunately found to be almost completely impenetrable. I had heard good things about this book (”The Design of the UNIX Operating System”) – in fact, I read somewhere that this was the book that taught Linus to write OS code. I put down the Linux book and picked up Maurice Bachs, which I found perfectly readable – it’s abstract treatment of kernel algorithms made it easy to get the “big picture”. Now, with Bach’s complete treatment of the design philosophy under my belt, I’m going back to the linux kernel book, and I’ve found it to be a breeze… even the linux kernel source code itself now makes sense. This book is excellent for anybody who’s serious about programming.
Monday, July 6th 2009 at 1:44 am |
Maurice Bach’s The Design of the Unix Operating System still holds the place of honor on my technical reference bookshelf. After almost 20 years, it provides a clear overview of basic Unix organization and operations and is a model for how technical books should be written. Readers who complain that the text is dated evidently did not bother to notice the 1986 copyright date. Its age, however, has not diminished its clarity of content or usefulness in understanding the Unix operating system. Bach deserves an award for excellence in technical writing.