Customer Reviews

Design of the UNIX Operating System

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Maurice J. Bach's classic "The Design of the UNIX Operating System" is based on AT&T's System V (Release 2 and 3). To avoid legal issues he had to use pseudo code as well as algorithmic description for explaining a lot of the operating system's underpinnings.

While some reader's might have preferred a glance at the related portions of the UNIX source code, others will be glad that MJB used this layer of abstraction to make the subject matter at hand easier accessible and understandable.

Even though UNIX has progressed from this snapshot in time, the solid understanding of the internals and underlying concepts that can be gained from this easy to read text will prove helpfull for a better understanding of other UNIX derivatives, too.

While this title is a "must read" for any advanced system administrator, as well as for system programmers, it's generally overkill for the average UNIX end user.

The prof at my college chose this book as a textbook for a OS course. That is a mistake. This book is too dry. The content is dated. It is simply NOT readable. I don't know why so many people give it good rating. Go figure......

This is an excellent text for students of the 'Operating Systems' course, and deals with the innards of UNIX. Any UNIX enthusiast will love this book. This book is not for beginners as it deals with the inner workings and principles involved in the design of the OS. Difficult concepts like the kernel algorithms are explained in the best possible way. A tough yet satisfying read.

This book is a bit dated but IMHO it is simply the best book on computer technology or computer science that I have ever read. It is not too abstract and explains how something actually works, yet it does not get lost in details. It concisely explains the fundamental data structures, algorithms, and ideas of a real operating system - one that has had a major impact on all major operating systems today.

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.

The book explains almost every aspect of the unix kernel in an algorithmic fashion. All the system calls and explained as algorithms which is very useful if you want to implement some.

kudos to Bach for his great work.

A very comprehensive book to understand the unix operating system. A must read for any one who want to appreciate the beauty of design of unix os.

This book is a masterpiece of technical literature. Its easy to follow and guides you effortlessly into the design of the Unix operating system. Its one of the best technical books I have ever read.

Anyone claiming to be a unix programmer must have read this book

The book is really a nice book giving you a detailed insight into the UNIX OS, System V Release 3. The book is very good for beginners also. A background in C programming will help and access to a system V, Unix is needed to make full use of this gem.