Operating Systems

This book must be read from everybody who wants to know what is operating system (OS). The fact that the samples included in the book is for old computers (IBM/360 ) does not matter. After reading this book the reader will understand are modern OS really OS.

Thirty years ago, Madnick and Donovan were respected profs at MIT and this book is based on class tested material on operating system theory and design. It is largely based on the IBM MVS OS implemented on the IBM 360 architecture, two of the finest achievements in computer history. The book covers the fundamentals of OS design, including memory, processor, device, and data management with lots of discussion on the pros and cons of design choices and problem/question sets to make the reader think through design alternatives. The specifics relating to hardware constraints are obsolete, but the book serves to remind one of the logic and efficiency of true operating systems. By contrast, the grotesque travesty of an OS called "DOS/Windows" reminds one of the illogic and gross inefficiency of a design based on marketing campaigns of prettified appearances. If the Windows authors had read Madnick's book we'd all be better off computing today.