1. Introduction to the Linux Kernel
This chapter introduces the Linux kernel and Linux operating system, placing them in the historical context of Unix. Today, Unix is a family of operating systems implementing a similar application programming interface (API) and built around shared design decisions. But Unix is also a specific operating system, first built more than 40 years ago. To understand Linux, we must first discuss the first Unix system.
History of Unix
After four decades of use, computer scientists continue to regard the Unix operating system as one of the most powerful and elegant systems in existence. Since the creation of Unix in 1969, the brainchild of Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson has become a creature of legends, a system ...
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