Design of the UNIX Operating System (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

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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Product Details

• Paperback: 486 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR; US ed edition (June 6, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132017997
• ISBN-13: 978-0132017992
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,235 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent explaination of SysV internals and design, December 31, 2000

By	none (Goleta, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect foundational book, October 18, 2004

By	Joshua Davies (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A model for how technical books should be written, October 20, 2004

By	Tom Clark (Duvall, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.