System Software: An Introduction to Systems Programming (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Leland L. Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0201423006 | ISBN-13: 978-0201423006 | Edition: 3rd Revised

This text is an introduction to the design and implementation of various types of system software. A central theme of the book is the relationship between machine architecture and systems software. The third edition has been updated to include current architecture, and the coverage of Operating Systems now includes shared/distributed memory and client/server systems. This book contains a wide selection of examples and exercises which are all optional, providing flexibility to instructors by allowing them to concentrate on the software and architecture they want to cover.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In this third edition of classic title, Leland Beck provides a complete introduction to the design and implementation of various types of system software. Stressing the relationship between system software and the architecture of the machine it is designed to support, Beck first presents the fundamental concepts and basic design of each type of software in a machine-independent way. He then discusses both machine-dependent and independent extensions to the basic concepts, and gives examples of the actual system software.

New Features

Provides updated architecture and software examples, including the Intel x86 family (Pentium, P6, etc.), IBM PowerPC, Sun SPARC, and Cray T3E.
• Includes an introduction to object-oriented programming and design, and illustrates these concepts of object-oriented languages, compilers, and operating systems.
• Brings the book up-to-speed with industry by including current operating systems topics, such as multiprocessor, distributed, and client/server systems.
• Contains a wide selection of examples and exercises, providing teaching support as well as flexibility, allowing you to concentrate on the software and architectures that you want to cover.

0201423006B04062001

About the Author

Leland L. Beck is a Professor of Mathematical Sciences and the Coordinator of the Computer Science Program at San Diego State University. Dr. Beck received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics/Physics from Rice University, and his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Systems Engineering and Computer Science from Southern Methodist University. His research interests include computer security, operating systems and software engineering. Professor Beck is also the author of System Software: An Introduction to Systems Programming.

0201423006AB04062001

Product Details

• Paperback: 519 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 3rd Revised edition (August 24, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201423006
• ISBN-13: 978-0201423006
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars feel the lack of something.., July 16, 2004

By 

Choi (seoul Korea, Republic of) - See all my reviews

This review is from: System Software: An Introduction to Systems Programming (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

To my opinion, the merit of this book is that it gives good basic knowledge about assembler and loader. Especially, the chapter about loader is very clearly written. I think that it's better than Levin's book (Linkers and Loaders).
However, the level of information is too low. If you are under-graduate student and don't have many experience about the assembly programming, this book is helpful to raise your level in system programming. But to experienced engineer, I think it will be a disappointing book.
I'd like to recommend this book as the introductory book or the summary of assembler, link and loader, compiler, os, software engineering, and so forth.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The easy path to System Software, May 13, 2001

By 

Hammad Bin Mahmood (Pakistan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: System software: An introduction to systems programming (Hardcover)

After working on C, C++ and a little bit of Assembly languages, you feel excited about the knowledge & underlying mechanisms of assemblers, loaders and linkers etc. I have gone through this book and found it extremely helpful in getting the complex concepts of system softwares. I agree with the idea of author to give the concepts on the basis of a hypothetical machine, rather than going into the complex details of any real system. This provides a big scope of the subject, giving

you the ability to feel at ease with any system.

What I like most in this book is that, its not so big and with just eight chapters, you feel comfortable about the idea of reading the book.

I think, its a must to read book for computer science students.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good, April 17, 2000

By 

Orange Peel - See all my reviews

This review is from: System Software: An Introduction to Systems Programming (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

I found this book to be a pretty decent guide to understanding basic compilers structures. The reason I give it a four is because it's verbiage was a bit difficult to understand at times. The author begins by using a very novel example of a simple CPU and explains how to write an assembler for it and then a compiler. When you are done reading it you should be able to go off an write a pretty simple assembler, compiler and interpreter. (I did!)