Poised Solutions Tech Library

Kernel Coding is about the development of software that interfaces with the hardware and userland programs via an Application Programming Interface (API). The Kernel of an operating system orchestrates the various drivers for the hardware in a computer system, and often also controls access to the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and Main Memory.

Unix kernels including the Linux kernel are perhaps the most documented kernels on the planet, and the selection of books in the Poised Solutions Tech Library strongly reflects that position. There are some books in here from the early days of UNIX, some BSD Kernel books, and a few Linux Kernel books.

Kernel Development is a useful skill to have especially for System Development (Driver Development) in Embedded Systems where processor speed and memory size is at a premium.

The best type of Kernel to extend or develop drivers tend to be open source kernels where the full code base is available. The BSD style kernels (FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD) tend to have a very open licence that is useful for commercial projects. The Linux Kernel is under the GPL (General Programming License) and whilst can be used commercially there are some requirements of source code distribution with the compiled binary kernel and the right to allow others to extend and redistribute any of the source code.

Kernel Coding Book Reviews

Kernel Coding Book Reviews

Lion's Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition

Lion's Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition is a classic text on UNIX. This book use to be one of the most Xeroxed books around, and has now been released officially so we can all have a legitimate copy. Whilst UNIX has evolved, and of course branched out, a lot of the core principles remain the same. So, whilst this is perhaps not the best book on System Development for Modern Software Development it is still a very informative book, and one where the history of UNIX is preserved. If you are into UNIX-like systems, and are a C Developer you will find Lion's Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition a worthwhile and enjoyable read, and is a good book to have in a Tech Library.

Understanding the Linux Kernel

Linux Kernel Development

Linux Device Drivers

The Design and Implementation of the 4.3BSD Unix Operating System