Modern Operating Systems

This book was assigned for my Operating Systems course in college this semester. It is truly a great textbook, and this is coming from a student who has read (and avoided) a lot of textbooks. It makes the subject matter very easy to understand in a variety of ways that help illustrate the concepts for various types of learners. Among these are clear diagrams, very succinct snippets of well-documented code, and real-life examples and illustrative analogies that help you both understand and recall the material. Unlike many textbooks there is a healthy dose of humor in the book. I've actually laughed out loud a number of times at the witty remarks and silly examples Tanenbaum includes in the book (the illustration on the cover should have been the first clue that the author knows how to lighten things up). Bottom line, it's a great book if you want to learn about Operating Systems, be amused while doing it, and have the knowledge actually "stick".

Tanenbaum's book is a thorough yet accessible introduction to the design and implementation of modern operating systems. This second edition explains the trade-offs developers must make and shows readers how OS' have matured since the 1960s. Knowledge of programming in C is helpful, especially if the reader wishes to complete the exercises following each chapter. I gave the book five stars for its content, delivery, and humor, all of which helped me learn a difficult subject in an enjoyable manner. "Modern Operating Systems, 2nd Ed" (MOS:2E) is very well-written, which may surprise those who suffer while reading other hardcover college texts. The book introduces problems facing developers, then helps the reader understand both simple and complex ways to address these issues. Tanenbaum's style is lively and informative, like the cover of his books. He appears knowledgeable and opinionated -- especially concerning problems with the Windows OS -- but he can back up his assertions. The best features of MOS:2E are found in chapters ten and eleven. Here Tanenbaum illuminates UNIX and Microsoft Windows 2000, respectively, building upon the material found in the previous nine chapters. He gives real reasons why Windows suffers security problems, such as internal complexity, code bloat, and design choices. UNIX is also critically evaluated, but stands up better to Tanenbaum's scrutiny. I don't recommend computer novices read MOS:2E. One needs a certain amount of interest and motivation to digest this material, and Tanenbaum's explanations of some concepts did not seem sufficient. However, after having finished this 900 page tome, I feel more comfortable reading about design issues for the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD scheduler. If you're looking to learn the how and why of operating system design and implementation, I strongly recommend MOS:2E.

I think this book is a great book on OS. It's easy to read (don't forget Tanenbaum humor :)), it explains difficult issues using simple analogies and is certainly an up-to-date book on the field.It has one chapter covering Unix (and Linux) and another one for Windows 2000, two of the more important Operating Systems well explained here.The Chapter on processes and threads is great. It really clarifies the difference between processes and threads.Although I found the book as easy to read as it can get, I must admit that I had litle bit of a hard time reading that Memory Chapter. I'd prefer it didn't had so many algoritms. I shorter chapter would probably be better, at least for me ;).It also has a chapter on security, a must have nowdays. If you are a first-time learner on Operating Systems I think this is the one.

From what i recall (i read this book 3 years ago, when i was a graduate student), this book is good for introduction as well as for advanced concepts in operating systems. I fully aggree with the reviewer from 1997. I don't think this book being sloppy nor difficult for beginners (sorry other reviewers). It certainly requires some time to be read (i recall having read it at a pace of about two or three evenings for one chapter, with about 2-3 hours per evening so i don't think it is that difficult for beginners). In addition, Tanenbaum's style is always good and his sense of humor makes the text full of those subtle remarks that make you dive into the subject with less pain.Probably that the third part of the book about Distributed OS is not a good reading for beginners but just skip it on your first reading and go back to it when you'll be ready.An important thing is that Part II which is about case studies should not be skipped by newcomers ! This is exactly while reading this part of the book that you'll understand all the concepts you learned in the first part, by applying all this theoretical stuff on actual OS implementations. Probably the reviewer that states this book is not for beginners didn't make it to Part II because one cannot understand OS just by learning concepts, like everything else in computer science...

Andrew Tanenbaum ( http://www.cs.vu.nl/~ast/ ) boots your neural network in the right direction in his classic introductory text to Operating Systems and the pre-cursor to his more recent "Distributed Operating Systems" (ISBN: 0132199084). He presents bit-level discussions addressing the core OS issues of processes, memory management, file systems and I/O (among others). He then buffers the information with in-depth, case study comparisons of unix, ms-dos, mach and amoeba (which Tanenbaum co-developed; see: http://www.am.cs.vu.nl/ ). Tanenbaum does not ignore theory altogether, but puts most of his effort into relaying practical concerns and solutions to real OS's. Tanenbaum's sense of humor never flags or fails to register; a most desirable quality in a technical book one is reading after 8-10 hours in the cubicle world. For instance, regarding the POSIX standard, "The [RFC] 1003.1 document is written in such a way that both operating system implementers and software writers can understand it, [a] novelty in the standards world, although work is already underway to remedy this." The book assumes the reader has basic programming knowledge, though nothing beyond first year C. Tanenbaum has included numerous clear and helpful diagrams, as well as problem sets at the end of each chapter. Thoroughly enjoyed - highly recommended.