Advanced Programming in the UNIX(R) Environment

W. Richard Stevens

1 Classic work - but in series need of updates as time goes on
I cannot fathom a guess as to how many times the books in this series have saved my in project work over the years. The only drawback with this series is that some publisher should endeavor to keep them up to date. Serious Unix system programmers must have copies of the complete series.

2 Mandatory
I just can't believe there are people who actually rate this at one star! Hey, have you read at least one chapter? I don't think so! Argh!

3 A Unix Programmers Bible
This is an essential book for any serious or professional Unix programmer.

Written in a clear paedagogical style, Professor Stevens demonstrates mastery of the subject, and his desire to pass that expertise on to the reader.

The API's are illuminated by clear examples of their use. He also mentions many of the pitfalls to look out for when programming across the different flavours (BSD, SRV4) and different standards (POSIX, ANSI).

It is a comprehensive tome that represents real value for money.

I use this book so much I will probably need to buy another copy in a few years, if it doesn't go on permanent loan first.

4 Lucid Explanations to understand UNIX !
This is inarguably the best book you can find to learn UNIX programming. Not only is everything that is required clearly explained with examples, the author goes out of his way to give us pertinent extra information.

Buy it!

5 "A Reader" from MI rates it one star?
How could anyone objectively rate this incredible text at one star!? Have you read any of it or do you just pick books to "dis"? This book, like all of Steven's books, is fantastic. And I'm not a Unix guru or a C guru.

6 Great book
The book is invaluable. The topics are covered clearly and deeply, this book is written with the word "teaching" in mind.
If you want to know how Unix works, this is a must-buy.
Lots of clear and useful code are included; the author not only effectively explains, but involves you in reading well-written code to let you comfortably understand also the most advanced aspects of Unix system programming.

7 Great book
I loved this book. You can open it anywhere and read it from there.
Text is very clear written and examples are just great. I fill like this book and some time :) is all I need to learn UNIX programming.
Highly recomended.

8 One of Two Must-Have UNIX Books
This is one of two must-have UNIX books ("UNIX Network Programming" and "Advanced Programming for the UNIX Environment"). After I had been using UNIX for a long time and was getting into more advanced UNIX programming about a decade ago, these two books were recommended. I checked around and made comparisons. Sure enough, I had to agree. I bought both of them and use them a lot, even when doing Windows programming.

As an example, I had to reference them again this weekend. I am using Visual Basic and C++ under Windows to connect some UDP/IP communications between applications. Once again, these books were indispensable (even after looking at online help, Google, Microsoft Knowledge Base and Experts-Exchange). Any Internet professional should have both of these books on their shelf.

9 The ESSENTIAL C Reference
If you are going to program in C, this is THE book to get. Simple as that. It has a comprehensive, logically organized walkthrough of every system call in every UNIX variant of C, and examples of how to use each. There are a host of sample problems and corresonding source code to demonstrate these examples, and an excellent explanation of the function of each element of the C language.

Everything from basic I/O to terminals is covered, which should be enough to write your own operating system if you ever felt the inclination to do so. All the important defined constants are listed out in tables. The book has a very clear structure that makes it easy to find what you want when you want it. There's also an exhaustive index that assists in the reference of more obscure items.

Since C is still used as a 'high-level assembly language,' especially in the development of fast applications like operating systems, this is a necessary reference in the library of any programmer. Accept no substitutes- Stevens' book is the very best.

10 APUE is the standard for Unix/POSIX API programming
Simply stated, Stevens' _APUE_ is the standard for learning the POSIX APIs for file/directory I/O and operations, processes, signals. (The only thing this book doesn't cover is threads, probably due to the fact that this book came out in 1992.)

Required reading for any aspiring Unix system programmer, this book serves as both a great book for learning as well a reference. I've had this book for close to 10 years, and I still refer to it.

Evrey Unix programmer should have a copy of this book.

11 SPEECHLESS....
This is a great..., no, REALLY great book to start Unix Programming. I thought I know C programming quite well, but when I read this book, I realize that I know nothing about Unix.

This book consists of 19 chapters. The first half explains Unix environment that you should aware of when you do programming in Unix. The second (last) half of the book contains 'the advanced Unix programming.' I thought I could skip the first half of this book and go straight to the advanced programming, but then I realised, that if I have never read the basics of Unix programming, then I should read the first half of the book first.

Richard Stevens is so clever to arrange the sequence of the chapters. Each chapter is like a 'linked-list' (if you're a C programmer, you know what I'm talking :) ), in order to understand a certain chapter, you must first understand the preceeding chapter.

If you go to BrainBench.com and check their test syllabus for Unix Programming, this book definitely covers the syllabus. Although I have never taken their test for Unix programming, I think the guys at brainbench are also using this book when developing the test.

If you had other Stevens' book like the famous "Unix Network Programming," (UNP) this book is a must! There's a lot of things I cannot understand when reading UNP until I read this book. But I should warn you: This book is definitely NOT for beginners....

12 Horrible Book
A better choice would be Linux Programming unleashed. This book skims over certain details and is poorly written.

13 Still an excellent resource
Although it's nearly a decade old, this book is still the best resource for understanding the intricacies of UNIX system calls. It does not cover graphical interfaces or networking; those are topics for other books. Highly recommended for seasoned programmers.

14 If you want to understand UNIX...
... then this book is probably THE top candidate for helping you to achieve that goal. It's one thing to understand, and be able to exercise, UNIX system administration and maintenance. It's yet another to understand the system calls which allow you to perform the latter. Although both of them rely on each other, it is the latter that I feel is necessary for the most thorough understanding.
Advanced Programming In The UNIX Environment does a MOST EXCELLENT job of lending what is required for both system administrators and programmers alike to work in said environment with a broad realization of what they're working with. Don't let the title scare you --- the word "advanced" in the title should not be equated with "complex." It simply means that, if you choose to learn more, this book will provide it --- it is an exhaustive library of information about both the fundamentals and the subtleties of the UNIX operating environment packed into one book. The author of this book obviously has many years of experience to share, and this book is, by far, _the_ resource to turn to when and if you want a precise and accurate understanding of the topic at hand. I give it ten stars.

15 not very good
i think the 2-volume UNP (2nd ed.) is much better.

16 Very Nice...
Yep. It is very useful. You cannot consider yourself a competent unix developer without this in your library. Though, slightly outdated - I am satisfied. Good ideas, well written commentaries and plenty of code to work with. A Magnus Opus.

17 The best reference for C programming under Unix Environment
This book is the most complete reference about C programming under Unix Environment. It not only tells you how to use system calls, but also teaches you how the system calls actually works. Although it's written almost a decade ago, all contents are compliant to POSIX 1. So it's still useful to any *n*x operating system that are compliant to POSIX. If you will write programs that run under unix like system, this book is a must have.

18 An Excellent Unix programming book
This book is the best when it comes to explaining and illustrating the key elements to programming in UNIX. This is a must have for every _good_ programmer.

19 After 10 years, it is still the best book about UNIX' API
This book is for C programmers. Though there have been many years since it appeared, it is still an invaluable book. The book is full of examples, which is considered as the best way to learn programming language and API.
For an application programmer, it is important to know Unix interfaces clearly and how to use them together. There are a lot of books about Unix, but many of them describe the kernel or other things, and the manual is too large and troublesome to read. So we need the book written by Stevens, which tell you interfaces with examples.

20 Go and Get it
If you don't have this book, you're not serious about UNIX. It's sufficient to say it's by Stevens. This book is not gonna guide you to the internals of Unix, and will not even lay the ground for that, except maybe if you're curious and you reached the last chapters. However, it's an excellent, unvaluable reference, and book to read if you want to be a good Unix developer. Have not come across any other book that does it as well as Stevens does it.

21 Good reference in basic Unix API.
This book seemed to be magnificent at first as it's big (700 pages), heavy and has a nice cover. And most of the text turned out to be great as well. But there were downsides.

From the first 14-15 chapters it seems like this is one of the best API references I saw. It's not just Unix, it's the way the author writes. He tells you what can be done, how exactly and what to watch for. Typical chapter can look something like:

---

Chapter 93. Cooking Eggs.

Eggs are one of the delicious and nutricious meals. Kitchenware provides the following functions to cook eggs:

egg_t eboil(egg_t egg, time_t time);
egg_t epanfry(egg_t egg, time_t time);
egg_t emicrowave(egg_t egg, time_t time);

All three functions take egg and time to cook and return egg. If time is 0 the egg is cooked until ready. If time is less than 0, it's cooked either for abs(time) or until ready whichever is less. Note, that only superuser can microwave an egg. Historically, these functions were written to operate with kitchen eggs only. Latest versions of Kitchenware add a function yolkctl(egg_t egg, bird_t whose) that you call with eggs before you pass them cooking functions.

Exercises:

1. Microwave an egg. What happened ? Explain why.

---

Well, this is just a few lines, whereas in the book it takes pages and pages of very detailed pedantic explanation. And this was great until approximately chapter 14, when the author started to put more and more sample code inline, in pursue of showing the functional working application or set of functions. This is one of the downsides (to me, if you like to dig through C code rather than reading plain text words - all the better). I think that a book like that should be a reference. The author does not show any algorithms and ideas anyway, so why bothering writing something big ? Give men a bricks and they will build the house themselves.

The other downside is also about the C sample code. As I said - the way Mr. Stevens writes text is very good. And the code is good as well, but not for a sample. In every single sample he is checking every possible error and not simply puts nice little trellis (...) where error handling should be, but actually handles them. Too pedantic and turns half of all the samples into calls to err_output or something. And at the very same time he uses custom header file (ourhdr.h) listed in appendix X, thus making it confusing to catch which is a new function you are reading about, and which is another auxiliary macro from that custom header.

One more thing - the book is basically all about & Co, it does not tell anything about advanced libraries, like regular expressions, Berkeley DB or zlib. I guess that's why there are several more volumes of the same author.

The bottom line is, this book makes a good reference in basic Unix API.

22 Still a great book (even after 8 years)
The author of this book is famous for writing very clear and detailed (two characteristics which usually do not go hand in hand) programming books for the Unix environment. I don't think this book could possibly be more comprehensive at the time that it was written. Code examples are excellent and so are the explanations. Unfortunately, this book is old and only getting older. It was published in 1993, which is ancient history in the computer industry. But don't worry, most of the material in this book is still very useful and practical in today's world. That's why I think that this is still the best Unix programming book you can buy. I would have given this book five stars in 1993. I am lowering the rating to four stars only due to its age.

23 Helpful writing style; not for "smart beginners"
I've discovered through this volume just how popular Stevens' work really is: you can find his examples, even his discussions, reprinted verbatim in more than one professional course on systems interface programming. I won't name names here. :-)

Stevens' writing style is relaxed but focussed. It's easy to follow his points, which is not a short list. The book is 740 pages, the font size is modest, the margins thin. The coverage is comprehensive, making it a useful reference. What I appreciate though is that Stevens didn't slide on too many topics, something references do when the reader is likely to spot-read. It's a well-organized book, full of many well-thought out descriptions and examples.

The reader must bring some C programming and Unix systems experience to appreciate this book; it doesn't complement intuition or mere absorption very well. Intelligent systems programming starts with someone who needs things the operating system can provide, and needs to know how asking for resources changes application and OS behavior. Without some foundation, this book is just a very thick list of some special function calls.

Buy this book only after you're comfortable with your compiler. Otherwise it'll get buried under a mound of installation and release notes, and put back on the shelf when your time runs out. A book like this deserves 2-3 days of study that is unbroken by tracking down tangents you're not familiar with; save your $60 until you have that kind of time and preparation.

24 The Real Deal
This book really helps you get the maximum out of your UNIX-based OS. Has enough information in it to handle some of the finer implementation differences between POSIX and SVR5. Very comprehensive and doesn't waste 3/4 of the book on redundant basics as most books do. Even the final chapter on psuedo terminals -- that could easily be dismissed as high-technical garble -- proved invaluable at my last position!

Maybe the only downside is that this is a book is clearly targeted for the advanced. Beware! I don't know if I'd call this "enjoyable reading".

Definitely a must reference for the bookshelf.

25 Unix programming bible
Up to now, this is still the ONLY bible about UNIX programming. Even though Stevens is long gone, we will all remember his great work that gives us light while coding on UNIX.

26 A rarity - a great computer book.
The computer industry is notable for the huge quantity of really bad books it engenders. This, however, is not one of those books - this is a great book. Before explaining why it is great, I'd like to get the table of contents out of the way, so that you will know what it covers:

Preface

1. Introduction (a "whirlwind tour of Unix")

2. Unix Standardization and Implementations

3. File I/O

4. Files and Directories

5. Standard I/O Library

6. System Data Files and Information

7. The Environment of a Unix Process

8. Process Control

9. Process Relationships

10. Signals

11. Terminal I/O

12. Advanced I/O

13. Daemon Processes

14. Interprocess Communication

15. Advanced Interprocess Communication

16. A Database Library

17. Communicating with a PostScript Printer

18. A Modem Dialer

19. Pseudo Terminals

Appendices

A. Function Prototypes

B. Miscellaneous Source Code (all source code is available for download)

C. Solutions to Selected Exercises

Bibliography

Index

The first thing to understand about the book is that while it can be used as just a reference work (the index is wonderful), it really is a book you can and should read. Even if you think you know a lot of this stuff, you can be surprised at what you can still learn.

What makes the book so much more useful than just a collection of man-page print-outs (that dreary and painfully common form of UNIX "book") is the method of presentation. Stevens' basic atom of organization is the function call. For each call (or minor variations on a single call), he provides the C prototype, and then, in text, explains what the function does, what it's arguments are for, and then typically provides a small C program that demonstrates it in action, which he then explains. These function-level building blocks are arranged into related sets, each of which is a chapter in the book. Each chapter has a wrapper that consists of an introduction explaining some basic concepts and history of the functions described in that chapter, and some review exercises at the end. The chapters themselves are arranged so that the earlier chapters describe the basic functions, and the later chapters describe the more difficult functions. Every chapter both teaches the reader something of immediate use in writing code (even the introduction has sample programs), as well as preparing him for the more difficult subjects that lie ahead.

Now for the caveats. Stevens absolutely assumes that you know how to program in C and that you know how to use Unix development tools (or at least that you have some other source from which to learn them). This is not the book to learn how to use C or particular shells, editors, compilers, linkers, or debuggers. Similarly, new Unix variants, such as Linux and MacOS X, receive no specific mention here at all (though the book is invaluable for both). Also, there is no discussion of the various GUI interfaces offered on many current Unix systems - for those, some other book will necessary.

One other thing worth mentioning is the cost of the book. Don't be put off by it - Stevens' book has been justifying that cost for a lot of readers for a lot of years.

In closing, I've been a developer for many years and have owned many computer books. I recommend very few of them, but can't recommend this one highly enough. It is one of the few books I've had that routinely lies open beside me when I work. In addition to my personal recommendation, you might look not only at all the positive reviews for this book, but also at the reviews for "competitive" books and notice how often they refer you back to this one. This book is the standard by which other UNIX programming books are measured, and so far, it has not been surpassed.

27 How to get it in China mainland
How can I get it(English version books) in China mainland !

28 Excellent for novices and advanced users alike.
Well, this is one of those rare books (like "Applied Cryptography") which manages to cover all aspects of the material, but also makes it easy for novices to understand. I'd suggest having a fairly thorough background in C before you try this book. However, you don't need a deep knowledge of UNIX to understand it!

After you get this book, you may want to do some socket (internet) programming. Since this book doesn't cover sockets in depth, I'd recommend (as a complement), "UNIX Network Programming, Volume 1: Networking APIs - Sockets and XTI " also by W. Richard Stevens.

29 The best ever printed
There's always something to learn. I must have read this book a dozen times, and I can say it's the best book I've ever read. If you really want to understand how Unix works, if you want a book really clear, coincise and useful, then you must buy this.. Don't care if it's a bit outdated, if you wanna learn Unix or Linux ... you can't avoid reading this!

30 It's out of date but GOOOOOD.
This book is really very out of date. Alas, Stevens is no longer with us so there won't be an updated edition that deals with pthreads and other Posix issues. There are other books for that but this book really helped ground 9/10 decent systems programmers. It's a good read, mostly for key concepts and historical perspective, however its use as a cookbook for for todays programmers is limited.

Raoul-Sam

31 It's out of date but GOOOOOD.
This book is really very out of date. Alas, Stevens is no longer with us so there won't be an updated edition that deals with pthreads and other Posix issues. There are other books for that but this book really helped ground 9/10 decent systems programmers. It's a good read, mostly for key concepts and historical perspective, however its use as a cookbook for for todays programmers is limited.

Raoul-Sam

32 The most comprehensive book on UNIX
Very clear examples and a very good read.

33 Simply the best, too bad no place for 6th star.
This is simply the best book that teaches you about Unix system level programming. Almost all system calls are explained in great details along with very comprehensible examples. The author made a claim that this book is not a mere repetition of Unix Programmer's Manual as the manual lacks logic and examples which this book provides. I think he really lived up to that claim.

Many difficult topics are made so easy to grasp, sometimes I think this book should be retitled "Advanced Unix Programming Made Easy". The explanation are smooth with pointers to previously discussed concepts just in case you're lost. Each chapter comes with a number of exercises to try your understanding of the chapter, and most of the answers are available in the appendix of the book so this book is also great for self-learners. Before reading this book, I have read "Advanced Unix Programming" by Marc J. Rochkind, and I was confused by many things the guy said in the book plus the code is pretty outdated already and this book just filled in the gaps I had.

The explanation is not geared towards any flavor of Unix, but pretty much all the mainstream Unix flavors such as BSD, SVR4, etc. So that gives a pretty wide horizon of view into Unix in general. I'm personally very impressed with his explanations on signal concept and concurrency controls.

This book will provide a solid background for anyone wishing to become Unix/Linux kernel hacker. An investment worth every penny. Beware though, you must have a solid C programming background if you want to reap the maximum benefit out of this book. I found out that it's also a good idea to have K&R "C Programming Language" book around just in case you got confused with pointers, arrays and friends. This guy knows exactly what he is talking about and he expects you to know enough to understand him.

34 We miss the author
This book is praised as "one of the best books in unix programming", even if not the best. It is meaningless to repeat what many people said before, but I must state that THIS BOOK IS A GOOD INVESTMENT, although thing seems to be not up-to-date. Another weak point is that this book will not have it second edition, as the author, Stevens, pass-by in last year Sept.

35 Lucid Systemprogramming
A superb book, a classic. Good explanations and lot's of ready to use code segments. Stevens was a Guru to most programmers and all appreciated his writings very much. I give only the table of contents, because that is something I like in reviews about such kinds of books:

1.) Introduction, 2.) Unix Standardization and Implementations, 3.) File I/O, 4.) Files and Directories, 5.) Standard I/O Library, 6.) System Data Files and Information, 7.) The Environment of a Unix Process, 8.) Process Control, 9.) Process Relationships, 10.) Signals, 11.) Terminal I/O, 12.) Advanced I/O, 13.) Daemon Processes, 14.) Interprocess Communication, 15.) Advanced Interprocess Communication, 16.) A Database Library, 17.) Communicating with a PostScript Printer, 18.) A Modem Dialer, 19.) Pseudo Terminals.

For many topics one needs his further books. Either the tripple set about TCP/IP or the double set about network programming. The last one is the newest book of him, just finished, before he died.

36 Nothing better than this book.
The only complete reference for programmers working in the UNIX enviroment. Not just a reference book but a very well guide to learn fundamentals of UNIX programming. Everything you want to know about UNIX programming. Signal handling, file system, I/O and lots of other chapters about advanced programming with UNIX. If you're looking a book to develop "real" advanced apps. or to join the development of Linux kernel and other open system projects, this is the FIRST book you must buy...

It's sad to say this but the author of this book; the big guru, Richard Stevens is nomore with us. rest it peace guru...

37 Clearly the Bible of Unix - GREAT
This is the BEST and most complete book on Programming Unix. If you're hiring an Unix developer and he doesn't own a copy of this book, he's clearly just a hack. Stevens writing style is clear, easy to read and provides alot of insight. Had a little trouble getting some of the examples to run on Linux but,learned a great deal while figuring out why. ;-)

38 A Must Have for any UNIX & Linux Programmers
This book should always in the reachable place for any UNIX & Linux programmers. This is probraby the most detailed book about UNIX programming in the market. Moreover, the writting style is easy-to-understand, and the examples are really usable and make sense (unlike many examples in many other books..).

Now, I really want to know if the author has any plan for writting "Advanced Programming in the MFC", which would become a best book on MFC and he did with this one.

Finally : Don't live without this book, if you want to program in UNIX & Linux.

39 Excellent but outdated
All of the other reviews are right, this is an excellent book. Unfortunately the book was written in 1992 and the world of Unix has changed substantially in the last 8 years. While still relevant, the book must be supplemented by the latest documentation for your target OS.

40 Indispensible. No other book like it.
This is the best book on UNIX Systems Programming. There is no other book like it. It is indispensible.

It is clearly written, the technical information is flawless, and the insights it offers are profound.

Don't try to make UNIX Systems calls without this book.

Hopefully, the publisher will keep it updated since its author died untimely.

Richard Stevens will be missed. All his books are essential to the UNIX practioner.

41 The best unix programming companion
Being an engineer and writing software on unix platforms, this book has been my constant companion. It gives a good understanding of the structures and system calls on unix platforms.

The book goes straight to the point and the related text is kept to the minimum. This makes it a great reference book while programming.

Along with unix man pages, it is the only book you'll require for unix system programming.

42 The book for UNIX programming
Tragically, mr. Stevens passed away 4 days ago.

However, I am certain that APUE will live on for a long time. I have been a professional UNIX programmer for several years, and no other book, no other course, no other person has taught me as much about UNIX programming as Steven and his book.

Every library function, every system call is meticously described. Especially valuable is the book's description on how each function works under various flavours of UNIX: Is this covered by POSIX, does it come from BSD or System 5?

APUE is the only book that has a permanent place on my desk. If you do UNIX programming, you should have it too.

Thank you, Richard. I wish though I had thanked you while you still lived.

43 Beautiful book!
This is a very nice book on the C programming behind the UNIX operating system. It should be of great interest to those who are working on security issues in the UNIX operating system as well as those curious about how the UNIX shell command code is written. Chapter 4 on files and directories was exceptionally well written. A definite buy for those who are really embedded in the intricacies of UNIX.

44 needed bit level understanding
Basical normal more bit better unix programming but still needed to explore byte level understanding

45 The only book you'll ever need for Unix programming.
This book has helped me a lot in my technical career. I've used it extensively in mission critical projects. There's no way these projects would have succeeded if not for this book.

46 This Book is A Must Read!
Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment is one of the best programming books that I have read. Chapters 7 and 8 are outstanding. The book would be worth it just for either of those chapters alone. Surprisingly enough, though, the section which I have referred to the most is 6.9, which discusses date and time routines in C/UNIX; 6.9 is a critical reference on date-time issues. This is truly one of those rare books that you could read multiple times, and it would be worth the time and effort to do so. A good reader will often want to quarrel or wrestle with the observations of a writer; that is not true with this book. With Stevens as the writer, you as the reader will KNOW that he clearly has a complete, total, and utter mastery of this subject; and you, as the reader, will feel compelled to simply learn everything you can that this man has to say about UNIX and C. I highly recommend this book.

47 The best book since The UNIX Programming Environment (1978)
Not only does this tell you everything there is to know about the fine points of UNIX process programming (especially if you don't have source) code, but it also covers THREE versions of UNIX. People keep borrowing my copy and I never get to read it myself !!!

48 Amazing! The BEST UNIX programming book
This book is amazing, just like what everybody said, BUY these book, you'll be glad you did!

49 Unix Programming??? --**THE BEST CHOICE**---
*--from basic to detail... *--simple and clear examples... *--life explaination... *--technical and U get what u desire... *--U will found EXTRA tips on execises...

50 Good for Any Language
When one normally thinks of advanced UNIX programming, one thinks of C. However, Stevens explanations of the concepts are so clear cut it's easy to adapt the material to other programming environments. My first experience with process groups/signals/forking and waitng was with Perl 5.0 and this book. A great read from a real authority.

51 Spin me, hit me, kick me, don't take this book away from me.
Best book on unix programming that money can buy. Every morning I wake up I make sure it's in place, which would be right beside my computer. If you don't have it and want to learn about Unix programming, ***BUY IT!!!***

52 Excellent Programmer Guide
This book has been helping me to understand unix system calls as well as to programming in the unix ENVIRONMENT. The book structure is great since all the details needed for a good unix program is covered. Excellent book!

53 An essential reference for any unix programmer
This book as been more useful than any I've bought in the past, and is always by my computer.

54 This is THE reference/tutorial on UNIX.
This tome is a reference and a tutorial combined. The beginning UNIX programmer will find an absolute goldmine of information on both BSD and System 5 UNIX. Stevens constantly juxtiposes the two standards. And for the experienced, as my Computer Consultant friend says, all his mentors turn to this Stevens book when they are stumped. This book is both academic and practical in scope and comes highly recommended!

55 The Single Book Answer
All the other praise is well deserved. This book sets an incredibly high precedent as to the quality of technical literature. GET THIS BOOK. The UNIX API has never been presented better.

My only single complaint is that the text is written as a programmer would have written it: that is, much passive voice. Just make sure you have some coffee and a lot of time. It took me a little time to get through it (a 3 day cruise in the bahamas, actually), but I am to this day thankful that I did.

56 A great book
Mr. Stevens' book is very readable and loaded with working sample code of just-the-right size to illustrate his points without being *too* simplistic. Another great Addison-Wesley book.

57 This book is the best one on Unix programming.
I'm interested in Unix system. I have heard of this book a long time ago. It gives a full description of programming skills in Unix environment. I like this book very much!

58 Too bad all technical books weren't this good
When you first pick up this book you are struck by the very plain paper and simple presentation. Then you start reading and learning and learning. This book is a worthwhile investment at any price, but it will make you wish all technical books were like this...

59 Excellent book on UNIX programming
It is only book I have seen that illustrate unix programming so clear and so detail. Mr.stevens makes many difficult fetures of unix to easy grasp.In the book ,author describes more than 200 system calls and functions;a brief example accompanies each description. Building upon information presented in the first 15 chapters, the author offers chapter-long examples teaching you how to create a database library, a PostScript printer driver, a modem dialer, and a program that runs other programs under a pseudo terminal. To make your analysis and understanding of this code even easier, and to allow you to modify it, all of the code in the book is available via UUNET.

60 Great...but we need a new edition!
"Definitive", "canonical" and "standard" are among the terms that apply to Steven's "APiTUE". Numerous examples combined with a clear style make even difficult features of Unix easy to grasp. His treatment of interprocess communication is especially well done. With the rising popularity of Linux, though, Stevens owes it to the Unix community to update this now half-decade old book

61 Great book on UNIX advanced programmers
This book illustrates the most essential UNIX system calls. Few books have described so many details on how to use them. So if you want to write your own true-UNIX programs, this book is a must-see. But this book lacks some recent features of UNIX like threads

62 Necessary book for any Unix Programmer
This book is a standard for Unix programmers. It covers almost every important system call / feature available. Enough implementation detail is covered to understand how to use Unix system calls efficiently. Networking is the prime weakness of this book; Berkeley Sockets on top of TCP/IP are not covered in this book. Web and other network programmers still need this book, but will also need a complementary networking book

63 The finest Unix programming book yet ?
This book, in common with all of Stevens's works is a fine example of how to write technical literature without boring the reader.

He starts with an discussion of the multitude of differing Unixes, explaining the geneology of each. Along with the work on standards, this is essential reading for any Unix user, from Wizard to Weenie.

As the book progresses, he takes you through the Unix API, step by step. IO, Processes, Tasks; it's all their. If you have a more advanced understanding, you can leap to the parts you want without fear of losing the rythm of the book. The best

64 _THE_ book of UNIX programming
You need to know something about UNIX programming? It's probably in this book. You need to know about Pipes and file IO? It's in this book. You need to know about processes? It's in this book. It doesn't contain the kitchen sink, but almost everything else you can think of needing.

65 Comprehensive teaching text on the system calls in unix.
This book organizes and illustrates the standard system calls in unix. Since the calls define the operating system, this book is an excellent way to learn how unix is structured. The examples are from SVR4 and 4.4BSD. The code is available online and it does work. This book is an essential reference and learning tool for anybody writing unix code.