Annotation of www/books.html, Revision 1.14
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6: <meta name="description" content="Books about BSD and OpenBSD">
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13: <title>The OpenBSD Bookstore</title>
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18: <p>
19: <h2><font color=#e00000>Books about BSD</font><hr></h2>
1.1 ian 20:
1.13 deraadt 21: <P>We are now associated with <a href="http://www.amazon.com"> Amazon.com</a>
1.2 ian 22: so that you can order some of these books directly from them.
23: <EM>Ordering from these "Order from Amazon" links is a way of helping to
1.4 ian 24: fund the OpenBSD project</EM>.
1.13 deraadt 25:
26: <h3><font color=#e00000>User Guides</font></h3><p>
27:
28: "Berkeley UNIX" is so widely known that there is no need to list
1.1 ian 29: the basic "how-to" books about it here - there are too many to list!
1.13 deraadt 30: While some user guides exclusively cover System V Unix, or some
31: other specific implementation such as Solaris, Linux, or whichever,
32: most others try to be general.
33: These are some that cover Berkeley UNIX.<p>
34:
35: <dl>
36: <li><strong><font color=#0000e0>UNIX Made Easy</font></strong>
37: is one general book that is said to be good, though we've not
38: tested it.
39: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0078821738/openbsdA/">Order from Amazon</a>)<p>
40:
41: <li><strong><font color=#0000e0>
42: Berkeley Unix: A Simple and Comprehensive Guide
43: </font></strong>
44: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=047161582X/openbsdA/">
45: Order from Amazon</a>)
46: <p>
47:
48: <li>For the more ambitious,
49: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
50: An Introduction to Berkeley Unix and ANSI C
51: </font></strong>
52: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0130684953/openbsdA/">
53: Order from Amazon</a>)
54: <p>
55:
56: <li>Every advanced UNIX user will probably want a copy of
57: <strong><font color=#0000e0>UNIX Power Tools</font></strong>,
58: now in its second edition.
1.12 ian 59: This book discusses hundreds of neat tricks, little-known techniques,
60: and add-on utilities.
61: Be aware that many of the utilities are either included with OpenBSD
62: or, more commonly, are already available as ports or packages.
63: So most of section 52.03, complaining about how hard it is to port
64: software to different UNIXes, can be disregarded if you learn about
1.13 deraadt 65: the
66: <a href="ports.html">Ports Mechanism</a>
67: that is part of OpenBSD.
68: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1565922603/openbsdA/">
69: Order from Amazon</a>)
70: <p>
71:
72: </dl>
73: <p>
74:
75: You may see reference to the
76: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
77: 4.4 BSD User's Reference Manual (URM)</font></strong>,
78: (O'Reilly, 1994).
1.12 ian 79: This is just a reprint of the man pages for users.
1.2 ian 80: Your OpenBSD distribution includes the online man pages,
81: which are specific to OpenBSD, and more up-to-date. So
1.13 deraadt 82: you don't need this one: use the <em>man</em> command instead.
83: <p>
84:
85: <h3><font color=#e00000>Administering the OpenBSD System</font></h3><p>
1.2 ian 86:
87: We can't unreservedly recommend any books specifically on OpenBSD
88: Administration at present. However, if you're administering OpenBSD
1.13 deraadt 89: you may also have to administer other versions of UNIX.
90: A good book on UNIX administration, with special mentions of details in
91: SunOS, Solaris, and BSDI (the commercial 4.4BSD distribution) is
92: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
93: UNIX System Administration Handbook</font></strong>
94: (Second Edition, by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, et al.)
95: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0131510517/openbsdA/">
96: Order from Amazon</a>.)<p>
97:
98: The <strong><font color=#0000e0>
99: 4.4 BSD System Manager's Manual (SSM)</font></strong>
100: (O'Reilly, 1994)
101: details what you need to know to run a BSD system.
1.2 ian 102: Quite a bit of this material is relevant to OpenBSD.
103: Unfortunately it is currently out of print.
1.13 deraadt 104: Worse, due to licensing restrictions from AT&T,
105: the electronic editions of these were not included in the
1.2 ian 106: 4.4BSD distributions, so most of them are not included with OpenBSD.
1.13 deraadt 107: The few that are may be found via the <a href="docum.html">Documents page</a>.
108: <p>
1.2 ian 109:
1.13 deraadt 110: <strong><font color=#0000e0>Building Linux and OpenBSD Firewalls
111: </font></strong>(Wes Sonnenreich, Tom Yates)
112: describes the OpenBSD 2.5 installation process and the elementary management
113: of the system firewalling tools.
114: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0471353663/openbsdA/">
115: Order from Amazon</a>.)<p>
116:
117: We recommend against buying books that concentrate on installation or
118: configuration of particular "other" distributions of BSD, as the
119: installation procedures for each are wildly different.<p>
120:
121: <h3><font color=#e00000>Books on Programming Under the BSD System</font></h3><p>
122:
123: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
124: 4.4 BSD Programmer's Reference Manual (PRM)</font></strong>
125: (O'Reilly, 1994)
126: is a printed version of the Programmer's Manual.
1.2 ian 127: You have the online man pages, which are specific to OpenBSD, instead.
1.13 deraadt 128: Since the descriptions in the book pre-date the POSIX specification,
129: please use the online pages, using the <em>man</em> command.<p>
1.2 ian 130:
1.13 deraadt 131: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
132: BSD-Lite 4.4 CD-ROM Companion: International Edition</font></strong>
133: (UC Berkeley Staff, Computer Systems Research Group; O'Reilly, 1994)
134: is a neat little package containing a CD-ROM with just the unbundled
135: portions of 4.4BSD-Lite-1, which is not only obsolete, but also an incomplete
136: and unbootable system. A small booklet is included listing the original
137: BSD contributors, and an index to the printed man pages.
138: Besides being a piece of history, this is not very useful.
139: <a href="orders.html">We suggest you buy an OpenBSD CD-ROM instead.</a><p>
140:
141: A much older book which still sheds much light on the philosophy
142: of programming UNIX is
143: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
144: The UNIX Programming Environment</font></strong>,
145: (Kernighan and Pike). While not specific to BSD, most of it applies today.
146: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=013937681X/openbsdA/">
147: Order from Amazon</a>).<p>
1.8 ian 148:
1.14 ! ian 149: Brian Kernighan had a hand in two other books which we recommend even
! 150: though they're not UNIX specific, but are useful to programmers on UNIX
! 151: and elsewhere.
! 152: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
! 153: The Practice of Programming</font></strong> (with Rob Pike, 1999)
! 154: covers practical programming considerations for C, C++ and Java.
! 155: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/020161586X/openbsdA/">
! 156: Order from Amazon</a>).<p>
! 157:
! 158: The older of the two is
1.13 deraadt 159: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
160: The Elements of Programming Style</font></strong>.
1.8 ian 161: This book contains more common sense than many books triple or quadruple
162: its weight.
1.13 deraadt 163: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0070342075/openbsdA/">
164: Order from Amazon</a>).<p>
165:
1.14 ! ian 166: <h3><font color=#e00000>Books about how the System works, for those wanting to modify it</font></h3><p>
1.2 ian 167:
1.13 deraadt 168: <strong><a href="http://cseng.aw.com/bookdetail.qry?ISBN=0-201-54979-4&ptype=0">
169: The Design and Implementation of the 4.4 BSD Operating System</a></strong>
1.1 ian 170: Marshal Kirk McKusick, Keith Bostic, Michael J. Karels, John S. Quarterman
1.13 deraadt 171: Addison-Wesley: 1996. ISBN 0-201-54979-4.<br>
1.1 ian 172:
1.13 deraadt 173: At 549 pages plus an index, this must be considered comprehensive.
1.1 ian 174: McKusick, Bostic and Karels are well known as prime movers at
175: Berkeley CSRG (Computer Systems Research Group) during the 4.3/4.4BSD
176: period. This book covers the 4.4 and 4.4-Lite releases, and discusses
177: everything you wanted to know about how the system operates. Not
178: 100% applicable, but probably the closest there is to an overall
179: system internals manual for OpenBSD.
1.13 deraadt 180: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0201549794/openbsdA/">
181: Order from Amazon</a>).<p>
1.1 ian 182:
1.13 deraadt 183: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
184: The Design and Implementation of the 4.3 BSD Unix Operating System</font></strong>
185: (Samuel J. Leffler, Marshall Kirk McKusick).<br>
186: An earlier book from many of the same good folk at CSRG.
1.1 ian 187: Slightly dated, but gives an overall feel for the beast if you can find
1.13 deraadt 188: it real cheap at a garage sale.<p>
1.2 ian 189:
1.13 deraadt 190: <strong><font color=#0000e0>
191: The Design and Implementation of the 4.3 BSD Unix Operating System : Answer Book
192: </font></strong>
1.1 ian 193: Samuel J. Leffler, Marshall Kirk McKusick
1.13 deraadt 194: 1991<br>
195: Answers to the "exercises for the reader" in the 4.3 version of the book.<p>
1.1 ian 196:
1.13 deraadt 197: <strong><font color=#0000e0>Source Code Secrets: The Basic 386BSD
198: Operating System Reference
199: (Volume 1 of Operating System Source Code Secrets)</font></strong>
200: (L. W. Jolitz, William Jolitz, 1997)<br>
201: The Jolitzes built the first port of BSD to the PC-386 architecture,
1.1 ian 202: and deserve a lot of credit for making BSD portable to this low-cost
203: architecture. The earliest versions, called "386bsd", were described
204: in articles in <EM>Dr. Dobbs Journal</EM>. This book goes beyond the articles,
205: and provides a comprehensive annotated collection of source code.
206: Not all of it applies to modern versions of OpenBSD, of course, but
207: you can still learn a lot from it.
1.13 deraadt 208: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1573980269/openbsdA/">
209: Order from Amazon</a><p>
1.1 ian 210:
1.13 deraadt 211: <strong><font color=#0000e0>Lions' Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition with Source Code</font></strong>,
1.1 ian 212: Peer-to-Peer ommunications, 1996. ISBN 1-57398-013-7.
1.2 ian 213: Although the UNIX described in this book is to BSD as a Model T Ford
1.1 ian 214: is to a 70's Mustang or Thunderbird, UNIX inventor Ken Thompson
215: claims that "After 20 years, this is still the best exposition
216: of the workings of a 'real' operating system." Originally circulated
217: in illicit photocopies, this is the book that most first- and second-generation
218: UNIX hackers cut their code-teeth on. Recommended as a good introduction
219: to how a timesharing OS works, if you've not been inside one before.
220: Substantially shorter than the McKusick book above.
1.13 deraadt 221: (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1573980137/openbsdA/">
222: Order from Amazon</a>)<p>
223:
224: <hr>
225: <a href="index.html"><img height=24 width=24 src="back.gif" border=0 alt="OpenBSD"></a>
226: <a href="mailto:www@openbsd.org">www@openbsd.org</a>
227: <br>
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