Lions book

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The Lions book

The Lions book, so named as it was written by John Lions, was the first work to document how the UNIX kernel works. It's based on UNIX Sixth Edition, and includes the complete source code for the kernel.

It was out-of-print for a long time, from shortly after it first appeared in 1976, after AT+T cracked down on it to protect their UNIX intellectual property. During this period, it became probably the most widely circulated item of samizdat in the West. It is now finally available again.

You can find more information on the book, and a PDF copy of it, online (below).

See also

  • UNIX V6 internals - a few notes on various specific topics covered in more detail than in Lions,

External links

A Commentary on The Sixth Edition Unix Operating System - PDF (not a scan)