Linux, Unix, /etc

Danger Will Robinson! You are now entering a condescending Unix user zone!

Review of Inside Linux

The Linux kernel is not a subject that has received much attention from writers on Linux. Though there are now quite a few books devoted to this operating system, they deal with the user side of things: installation, configuration, and what to do with the damned thing once it's up and running. Bentson is to my knowledge the first in print to examine the Linux kernel. (The Linux Documentation Project does have a "Kernel Hackers' Guide", but that is not published and is aimed squarely at the implementor).

The book is quite short, and less than half is devoted to the kernel proper, the remainder treating of Linux's history, command syntax for the various shells, etc. From one aspect, this is a disappointment; on the other hand, the OS is commonly understood as being more than just the kernel, so it is a justifiable approach. It does have the advantage of showing how the kernel integrates with the higher levels of Linux. Althogh the book's page count is low, there is very little padding; and this, with Bentson's terse style, means that there is more content than in many books twice the size.

He starts by telling us what Linux is; then places it in historical context; descends through an examination of the user interface to the details of the kernel; then up to networking support and development tools; and ends with well thought-out biblography, a useful list of the Linux system calls, and a credit listing of those "who have made direct contributions to the kernel and run-time library".

Bentson is objective, and does not shrink from remarking on some of Linux's failings: for example, as regards security, where he makes the apposite comment (on the risks associated with sendmail running as root): "If the mail spool files could be tagged with an entry which says "sendmail can append", a large class of problems would disappear."

One double-edged feature is the heavy use of URLs as references. While it may be that, such is the reliance of Linux development on the Net, there is no other source for the information , such references are commonly short-lived and unstable. By the time the book becomes redistributable under the GNU Public Licence, in 2010, I wonder how many of them will still be live? In fairness, it must be said that until the problem of inconstant URLs is solved, Bentson had no way, other than including the bulk of all those web pages, ftp sites, etc in his book, of providing the reader with access to their contents.

In conclusion, I can say that this is a worthwhile book for several audiences. For anyone with good Unix experience, and for whom therefore the standard "introducing Linux" text is a litle basic, this is a great means to understanding the similiarties and differences between Linux and its kin. It also works as an introduction to OS design in general. Finally, anyone who runs Linux would benefit in their understanding of their system from reading it.

Title: Inside Linux
Author: Randolph Bentson
Publisher: SSC
ISBN: 0-916151-89-1
Price: ?
Pages: 290
Date: February 1996

Check my Amazon marketplace — I might have a copy of this book for sale.

Paul Dunne 1996

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