Unix System Programming (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Keith Haviland (Author), Dina Gray (Author), Ben Salama (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0201877589 | ISBN-13: 978-0201877588 | Edition: 2

This is a thoroughly revised edition of the best-selling guide to UNIX software development in C for professional programmers and students. The book focuses on the UNIX system call interface, the programming interface between the UNIX Kernel and applications software running in the UNIX environment. The techniques required by systems programmers are developed in depth, illustrated by a wealth of examples.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

UNIX System Programming concentrates on a detailed study of the UNIX system call interface - the programming interface between the UNIX kernel and application software running in the UNIX environment - and additionally covers some of the more important subroutine libraries.

Features

• fundamental techniques are developed in depth and are fully supported with program examples
• highly relevant to the two important standards - the X/OPEN portability guide and the IEEE POSIX standard
• strong emphasis on exercises and examples throughout

New to this edition

• more on signals and signal handling
• more on inter-process communication using pipes
• more on advanced inter-process communications and the terminal
• whole section on sockets

From a wealth of experience of developing system and application software, and a real appreciation of the needs of UNIX system programmers, the authors fully appreciate that computing is not a spectator sport. By exploring both system calls and subroutine libraries they give the reader a practical appreciation of when not to re-invent the wheel, as well as a better understanding of the internal workings of this still elegant operating system.

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About the Author

Keith Haviland is a partner in Accenture. Among other responsibilities, he co-founded and leads its London Solution Centre, now a major 800-seat development center which undertakes complex development projects for Accenture including much e-commerce work. He is the lead author of UNIX Systems Programming, a successful guide to this major operating system first published in 1987, which according to Amazon has been hot in Albany, New York. His specialist areas include UNIX, technical architecture, e-commerce solutions and technology, and software solution delivery excellence at all scales. Most importantly, Keith has four energetic children who all clearly belong to the digital era.

Ben Salama works for SHL Systemshouse.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 2 edition (December 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201877589
• ISBN-13: 978-0201877588
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific introductory text, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Unix System Programming (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

If you're looking for a comprehensive (but not exhaustive) and pedagogical introductory text on system programming, and find yourself intimidated by other books, such as Stevens' Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment, then this would be a wise choice. The explanations are clear and it has lots of simple examples to illustrate the concepts. After you work through this book, you'll be ready for the more serious and exhaustive texts (like Stevens).

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Be So Lazy, April 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Unix System Programming (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

What can I say? If someone would even consider returning a book (and jumping to a two-star review) because the authors didn't make the source code available and feels it a waste of time to type and debug the code then perhaps this individual should consider a different career than programming -- one that requires less typing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every C project I do, I use this book, September 29, 2009

By 

Jason Close "cornercuttin" (oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unix System Programming (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

a college professor in college made us buy this book for his class, and i'd give him a big kiss on the lips if i saw him today, because this book has helped me a lot. that statement says a lot, because i am a dude, and i'm not a fan of kissing other dudes.

you will not find huge examples of code in this book. there are no big projects in it. what you will find is a great breakdown of a lot of UNIX functions for C, and small, detailed examples of how to use them. it has everything from how to handle time, how to use sockets, how to read/write data to files, and a lot of other things.

sometimes when you're working on a project, you forget the little things, and you will ask yourself something like "how do i make sure a file exists before i try to read it in?", or "how do i use a semaphore again?". this is the book that answers all of those little questions that you will have over the course of a project.