Operating Systems Design and Implementation 3rd Edition

Great book, highly recommend.The prerequisites, in my opinion, for reading this book is a basic knowledge of C and assembly, particularly, if you want to read through the source code in the back of the book. However, the book does such a phenomenal job in explaining everything within the text that it is not necessary to read through the source code. All parts of the text contain references to the actual source code, specifying line numbers of the source code, which makes it easy to read a paragraph, see its implementation in source code, read the next paragraph/pages, etc.This book is specific to Minix 3 which is a microkernel OS, contrasting it with Linux & Windows, for example, which are monolithic/hybrid OSs. Minix 3, as presented in this book, is also simplified by being single-threaded.A CD comes with it which contains the Minix 3 OS for use.I had previously read Modern Operating Systems & Computer Networks by the same author. This is a very good author and I very highly recommend his books.I wish this author would write a book on virtualization as well.

This is the ONLY book that contains actual code for OS.Another choice to learn the code is "OS Concepts" by Silberschartz and Galvin, but the codes are much shorter.Many people prefer "Modern OS" (book by the same author) to this book, due to the short amount of actual text."Modern OS" certainly have goes deeper and has better logical flow, but it doesn't contain actual code.On the other hand, "OS Design and Imp" has shallow treatment, but show actual code.It is shallower, but it still contains all essential materials (thread, memory, file system, I/O, deadlock, and security)VERY good textbook to learn both theory and implementation together!

I found the book to be a good read and didn't tire me unlike some other technical books. Tanenbaum's mastery of the subject is evident and he interweaves practical examples throughout the text that really help understand the concepts he is explaining. The book is thorough and informative, and it helped me to understand some of the details that weren't discussed in class.

I did have some issues with the book initially. The book has a label indicating "Circulation of this edition outside the Indian subcontinent is UNAUTHORIZED", which gave me some concern. The reseller responded promptly and directed me to Kirtsaeng vs John Wiley and Sons, which covered the legal issue to my satisfaction. Physically, the book pages are thin, and a couple of pages were largely dog-eared before the cutting process and still had the outer parts (careful trimming with scissors 'repaired' the pages). If it were not for the price, I would have preferred the hardcover version (I have the first edition in hardcover).Aside from that, I'm happy with the content of the book itself. I'm very interested in the design of operating systems, including MINIX. I only started reading the book at the time of this review, but the intro includes a good historical detail on computers from the 1945 to the present. The appendix includes the full source code to read, as well as a CD with a live install of MINIX (along with source on the CD) to install on a machine. From the index, the book appears to break down the concepts in general and the components of MINIX as specific examples.The problem with the cutting defect is the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars. Otherwise, the book (and the prompt and helpful response from the reseller about my concerns regarding the circulation notice) would easily get 5 stars from me. :-)

My grandson requested this book. He is a junior in high school. I thought that it would be a good selection as he always seems to have his eyes glued to a computer screen. He started paging through it as soon as he opened the package. He made up a gift suggstion list with links for his "not-so-savvy with computer" grandparents. I was savvy enough to get it ordered, wrapped, and under the Christmas tree.

This is review for me as I have been through two courses in Operating Systems, but I would say this book would be a great introductory text for the uninitiated. It is well written and accessible, and there is source code to follow along with that demonstrates key concepts.

If you have any interest in developing an overview of modern computer Operating Systems this book belongs in your library. The book covers an OS that originated at the same time Linux was born. While there are some similarities they were designed by different authors for different reasons and purposes.

Tanenbaum has been a hero of mine since I first bought one of his books back ~1980. This edition of his OS book also includes his very functional, very workable precursor to Linux, eminently suitable for experimentation. I highly recommend *anything* by this gifted author. (I just hope his classes are half as good.)