6 ms·

Operating System Design Book Series

307 points by adamnemecek 9y ago

johndoe4711 9y ago
Nitpicking a bit, but from the description of the content, this rather seems to be a series of books on implementation of operating systems rather that on OS design. While this is certainly a worthwhile topic, I find the series title to be misleading.
userbinator 9y ago
Benjamin David Lunt. I recognise that name from the old DOS software scene. He also has a pretty good book on USB: http://www.fysnet.net/the_universal_serial_bus.htm http://www.fysnet.net/the_universal_serial_bus.htm Looks like his homepage still shows his old DOS stuff: http://www.fysnet.net/ http://www.fysnet.net/
PerusingAround 9y ago
I was ready to order the first book until I realized the second version is not available on the Kindle format, which really sucks. Digging deeper, I've found this on the change notes: "Please note that the Kindle version will not be updated at this time. I get very little interest in the Kindle version and at this time will no longer pursue that format. If I get enough interest from you readers about the Kindle version, I may decide to update that format then." That's a real bummer, I don't feel like paying the international shipping fees and hassles... this really demotivated me from the buy.
- pritambaral 9y ago
  I can't seem to find the quoted text on the website, nor any mention of the second version.
  - buzer 9y ago
    "Volume 1: The System Core" -> "The 2nd Edition is now available. See this .pdf for what's new" (http://www.fysnet.net/docs/vol1_whatsnew.pdf http://www.fysnet.net/docs/vol1_whatsnew.pdf) -> "Availability"
random3 9y ago
The typography of the website reminds me of Phrack magazine :)
adamnemecek 9y ago
What I like about this series is that there’s a whole book on GUI which most other resources ignore. http://www.fysnet.net/the_graphical_user_interface.htm http://www.fysnet.net/the_graphical_user_interface.htm
- chrisseaton 9y ago
  Have you read these books and are they reputable? The website seems a little... unconventional, and the books look like they're vanity published. But I have an open mind if they are indeed good.
  - adamnemecek 9y ago
    Check the screenshots http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_1.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_1.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_2.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_2.png I skimmed some of them. They look pretty legit. They are self published, so they might look somewhat unconventional.
  - anta40 9y ago
    I have the first 2 volumes. Bought them last year, but due to work, laziness, and other matters, I haven't finished reading them :p I'll post some pics of them once I arrive at home.
  - userbinator 9y ago
    The website seems a little... unconventional ...as in "handwritten HTML with no bloat"? This is what all sites used to be like, very information-packed and free of fluff. When I come across sites like these, the content is almost certainly going to be very good.
    - chrisseaton 9y ago
      > ...as in "handwritten HTML with no bloat"? ... free of fluff Are we looking at the same page or are you being sarcastic? The one I'm looking at has a ring binder theme, lots of random low resolution icons and is basically just a wrapper for a big pre element so everything appears in an awkward typewriter font. Part of it looks like it's dynamically generated by JavaScript. I mean the chap is free to design his website however works best for him. I'm just saying that and the vanity publishing triggers my skepticism before buying the book and I was looking for opinions.
azhenley 9y ago
I wish I would have known about this sooner. I taught an undergraduate OS course last year and the students found the Tanenbaum book to be very abstract and dry. It would have been nice to mix in some of this material.
- tomca32 9y ago
  I recently bought Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces after hearing good things about it. Didn't really have time to go through it yet, but it does seem interesting. There's also a free PDF version. http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/ http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/
benbenolson 9y ago
I'd love to have something like this, as it's got all of the practical information needed that most other books don't provide, but with so many volumes at >$22 each, it just seems a bit pricey.
- icholy 9y ago
  That's extremely cheap dude...
sigjuice 9y ago
According to the table of contents on Amazon, it looks more like an encyclopedia of x86 and PC platform minutiae.
benlunt 9y ago
Hi guys. I happened to stumble across this thread and was pleased to read your comments. Let me try to answer most of your questions in one reply. 1. The Kindle versions may not be available any longer, I am sorry to say, due to the fact that it does not display the images well, as well as the tables and figures. However, I have not totally abandoned the thought of updating them. 2. My web page is simple and to the point. I don't have any desire to make it otherwise. I do hand code it, as one mentioned. The reason for the script at the end, to display the few lines of text, is simply to allow me to modify one file and all pages will see that update. Yes, I could do it differently, but as you mention, it loads in less than a second. If that isn't fast enough for someone, they are in too much of a hurry. Besides, web development is not my interest. 3. My books are an on-going project that I enjoy doing and thought that others might benefit from my work. Yes, I make a slight profit from it, but nothing is free. You have to earn it some how. With that said, I fully support each book and its contents. If something is not clear or understandable, a simple email asking about that subject is happily accepted and replied to. I then try to make that subject more understandable in the next issue. 4. About the "Vanity Publishing" comment. I never looked at it that way. I started to write the book and looked at other books to see what they had for a Contents page. I filled in my name expecting to replace it with other names as that process was done. At this time, no outside sources have been used. Maybe a later time. However, please be assured that it is not due to "Vanity". I am a humble man, and am writing another book explaining exactly how humble I am (Yes, sarcasm intended) :-) My books aren't the next best thing, I admit that. I don't expect them to be wonderful and the best reference out there. The main reason I do the work is for the enjoyment of the project. If you see an improvement you would like, all suggestions are welcome. I won't promise that they will be added, but all suggestions are very welcome. I give credit at the end of the book to those who contribute. Again, if any questions are asked, I freely do my best to answer them, whether someone has bought my book(s) or not. I suggest obtaining the book first, then ask a question, but that is not required. Thank you for your comments. I was pleased to read them. Ben

307 points by adamnemecek 9y ago

Nitpicking a bit, but from the description of the content, this rather seems to be a series of books on implementation of operating systems rather that on OS design. While this is certainly a worthwhile topic, I find the series title to be misleading.

userbinator 9y ago

Benjamin David Lunt. I recognise that name from the old DOS software scene. He also has a pretty good book on USB: http://www.fysnet.net/the_universal_serial_bus.htm http://www.fysnet.net/the_universal_serial_bus.htm Looks like his homepage still shows his old DOS stuff: http://www.fysnet.net/ http://www.fysnet.net/

PerusingAround 9y ago

I was ready to order the first book until I realized the second version is not available on the Kindle format, which really sucks. Digging deeper, I've found this on the change notes: "Please note that the Kindle version will not be updated at this time. I get very little interest in the Kindle version and at this time will no longer pursue that format. If I get enough interest from you readers about the Kindle version, I may decide to update that format then." That's a real bummer, I don't feel like paying the international shipping fees and hassles... this really demotivated me from the buy.

pritambaral 9y ago
I can't seem to find the quoted text on the website, nor any mention of the second version.
- buzer 9y ago
  "Volume 1: The System Core" -> "The 2nd Edition is now available. See this .pdf for what's new" (http://www.fysnet.net/docs/vol1_whatsnew.pdf http://www.fysnet.net/docs/vol1_whatsnew.pdf) -> "Availability"

random3 9y ago

The typography of the website reminds me of Phrack magazine :)

adamnemecek 9y ago

What I like about this series is that there’s a whole book on GUI which most other resources ignore. http://www.fysnet.net/the_graphical_user_interface.htm http://www.fysnet.net/the_graphical_user_interface.htm

chrisseaton 9y ago
Have you read these books and are they reputable? The website seems a little... unconventional, and the books look like they're vanity published. But I have an open mind if they are indeed good.
- adamnemecek 9y ago
  Check the screenshots http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_1.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_1.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_2.png http://www.fysnet.net/temp/vol6_gui_2.png I skimmed some of them. They look pretty legit. They are self published, so they might look somewhat unconventional.
- anta40 9y ago
  I have the first 2 volumes. Bought them last year, but due to work, laziness, and other matters, I haven't finished reading them :p I'll post some pics of them once I arrive at home.
- userbinator 9y ago
  The website seems a little... unconventional ...as in "handwritten HTML with no bloat"? This is what all sites used to be like, very information-packed and free of fluff. When I come across sites like these, the content is almost certainly going to be very good.
  - chrisseaton 9y ago
    > ...as in "handwritten HTML with no bloat"? ... free of fluff Are we looking at the same page or are you being sarcastic? The one I'm looking at has a ring binder theme, lots of random low resolution icons and is basically just a wrapper for a big pre element so everything appears in an awkward typewriter font. Part of it looks like it's dynamically generated by JavaScript. I mean the chap is free to design his website however works best for him. I'm just saying that and the vanity publishing triggers my skepticism before buying the book and I was looking for opinions.

azhenley 9y ago

I wish I would have known about this sooner. I taught an undergraduate OS course last year and the students found the Tanenbaum book to be very abstract and dry. It would have been nice to mix in some of this material.

tomca32 9y ago
I recently bought Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces after hearing good things about it. Didn't really have time to go through it yet, but it does seem interesting. There's also a free PDF version. http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/ http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/

benbenolson 9y ago

I'd love to have something like this, as it's got all of the practical information needed that most other books don't provide, but with so many volumes at >$22 each, it just seems a bit pricey.

icholy 9y ago
That's extremely cheap dude...

sigjuice 9y ago

According to the table of contents on Amazon, it looks more like an encyclopedia of x86 and PC platform minutiae.

benlunt 9y ago

Hi guys. I happened to stumble across this thread and was pleased to read your comments. Let me try to answer most of your questions in one reply. 1. The Kindle versions may not be available any longer, I am sorry to say, due to the fact that it does not display the images well, as well as the tables and figures. However, I have not totally abandoned the thought of updating them. 2. My web page is simple and to the point. I don't have any desire to make it otherwise. I do hand code it, as one mentioned. The reason for the script at the end, to display the few lines of text, is simply to allow me to modify one file and all pages will see that update. Yes, I could do it differently, but as you mention, it loads in less than a second. If that isn't fast enough for someone, they are in too much of a hurry. Besides, web development is not my interest. 3. My books are an on-going project that I enjoy doing and thought that others might benefit from my work. Yes, I make a slight profit from it, but nothing is free. You have to earn it some how. With that said, I fully support each book and its contents. If something is not clear or understandable, a simple email asking about that subject is happily accepted and replied to. I then try to make that subject more understandable in the next issue. 4. About the "Vanity Publishing" comment. I never looked at it that way. I started to write the book and looked at other books to see what they had for a Contents page. I filled in my name expecting to replace it with other names as that process was done. At this time, no outside sources have been used. Maybe a later time. However, please be assured that it is not due to "Vanity". I am a humble man, and am writing another book explaining exactly how humble I am (Yes, sarcasm intended) :-) My books aren't the next best thing, I admit that. I don't expect them to be wonderful and the best reference out there. The main reason I do the work is for the enjoyment of the project. If you see an improvement you would like, all suggestions are welcome. I won't promise that they will be added, but all suggestions are very welcome. I give credit at the end of the book to those who contribute. Again, if any questions are asked, I freely do my best to answer them, whether someone has bought my book(s) or not. I suggest obtaining the book first, then ask a question, but that is not required. Thank you for your comments. I was pleased to read them. Ben