Operating systems are large and complex, and yet must function with near-absolute reliability - thats why they were a class unto themselves in the field of software development. Since its first release 20 years ago, "the dinosaur book" - Operating System Concepts by Abraham Silberschatz, Peter Baer Galvin, and Greg Gagne - has been a valuable reference for designers and implementers of operating systems. The newly released sixth edition of this book maintains the volumes authority with new sections on thread management, distributed processes, and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
Galvin slides [Link]
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.
The book, designed in a modular way, is adaptable to a variety of course sequences to meet the needs of courses in operating systems for computer science and engineering students.
