BeOS: Porting UNIX Applications [Paperback]

Martin C. Brown (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558605320 | ISBN-13: 978-1558605329 | Publication Date: August 24, 1998 | Edition: 1

The BeOS is the exciting new operating system designed natively for the Internet and digital media. Programmers are drawn to the BeOS by its many state-of-the-art features, including pervasive multithreading, a symmetric multiprocessing architecture, and an integrated multithreaded graphics system. The Be engineering team also built in many UNIX-like capabilities as part of a POSIX toolkit. Best of all, the BeOS runs on a variety of Intel architectures and PowerPC platforms and uses off-the-shelf hardware.

This book explores the BeOS from a POSIX programmer's point of view, providing a comprehensive and practical guide to porting UNIX and other POSIX-based software to the BeOS. BeOS: Porting UNIX Applications will help you move your favorite UNIX software to an environment designed from the ground up for high-performance applications.

* Supports BeOS Release 3

* Provides a step-by-step guide to the porting process from downloading the source code to installing the application

* Explains how to port off-the-shelf utilities like Emacs and Perl as well as your own programs and tools to the BeOS

* Offers a comprehensive POSIX reference for anyone who is porting or writing software for the BeOS

* Furnishes a simple catalog of tools and features available on the BeOS

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The BeOS is the exciting new operating system designed natively for the Internet and digital media. Programmers are drawn to the BeOS by its many state-of-the-art features, including pervasive multithreading, a symmetric multiprocessing architecture, and an integrated multithreaded graphics system. The Be engineering team also built in many UNIX-like capabilities as part of a POSIX toolkit. Best of all, the BeOS runs on a variety of Intel architectures and PowerPC platforms and uses off-the-shelf hardware.

This book explores the BeOS from a POSIX programmer's point of view, providing a comprehensive and practical guide to porting UNIX and other POSIX-based software to the BeOS. BeOS: Porting UNIX Applications will help you move your favorite UNIX software to an environment designed from the ground up for high-performance applications.

Features:

• Supports BeOS Release 3
  
  
• Provides a step-by-step guide to the porting process from downloading the source code to installing the application
  
  
• Explains how to port off-the-shelf utilities like Emacs and Perl as well as your own programs and tools to the BeOS
  
  
• Offers a comprehensive POSIX reference for anyone who is porting or writing software for the BeOS
  
  
• Furnishes a simple catalog of tools and features available on the BeOS

About the Author

Martin C. Brown is one of the most active programmers outside of Be porting UNIX applications to the BeOS. He has worked with most varieties of UNIX, Mac, and Windows systems, doing everything from software development to system administration. When he's not on the job as an IT manager, he is enthusiastically involved in the Be development effort.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 1 edition (August 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558605320
• ISBN-13: 978-1558605329
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,148,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, a must have for any serious porter., May 3, 1999

By 

Jón Ragnarsson ([e-mail]) (Reykjavík, Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BeOS: Porting UNIX Applications (Paperback)

I was very impressed with this book. It explains almost everything what is needed to know to port Unix/posix applications to BeOS. The title is somewhat misleading though, this book would be useful for anybody who is interesting in writing applications for BeOS. The differences between Un*x and BeOS makefiles, C, C++, system layouts and standard headers are covered. Also configuration scripts (shell scripts), posix compliance and native BeOS calls. The author also gives quick overview of what tools are (and are not) available and how to use them. So, everybody from old Unix hackers to absolute beginners should benefit from this book. The only problem is that this book is already out of date. Since it's publishing Be has moved from the Metrowerks Intel compiler to the Gnu-based egcs, wich is not covered in this book.

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many words, too little time!, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: BeOS: Porting UNIX Applications (Paperback)

If this book was a movie, it would never be released on tape. The author missed a big opportunity by releasing such a superficial work. Definitely not recommended. Readers, please don't run away from the BeOS. Just choose your reading material wisely!