Stephen A. Rago

This is a serious, genuine, OMG sort of update. It came out in 2013, and is current with the way the world works today (well, the world of computing, at least). It makes me regret being retired.

Library Thing believes that this book is the same as the previous versions, but trust me, it isn't. It's a dramatic change even from the second edition (which Stephen Rago also updated), and light years away from the first edition. The format was the same for all three, but some of the old information show more is gone (STREAMS is a notable example), and the reference operating systems match the current reality.

It's an excellent book, and if you're currently working in the field, you should get this edition. show less

Stevens had an amazing ability to simply and clearly explain technical topics that can be quite complex. While I knew quite a bit about UNIX system programming, these book helped pull this topic together in a more complete way that I could have on my own, or by reading several other books. I still find myself regularly reaching for this book.

Somewhere or other, on one of the computers in my lab, I still have all the example code from all six precious volumes from Stevens.

I borrowed other people's copies of this book for years, even though I had the other five, but bought this after Stevens' untimely death in 1999. This is the final key to knowing how it all works. It belongs on your bookshelf (or your desk).

This is the bible of UNIX systems programming.