The Linux phenomenon gets bigger by the day and more developers are drawn into developing for it. The heart of this very phenonmenon is its kernel and as time goes by it becomes more mature but also bigger and more complex. New developers would have trouble diving in and code for it, hence the "Linux Kernel Development" book by well known kernel hacker Robert Love (of preemptive-patch fame).
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It is indeed an excellent read. This book is my first exposure to kernel development, therefore, I did have to re-read several chapters a few times. One of the the things that made this book special to me is the fact that its based on the latest series of the kernel as opposed to the 2.4 series which most kernel books are based on. I highly suggest this book to anyone that wants to get into kernel development.
Doesn't seem to be much judging from the contents. But I suspect that that is whole 'nother book.
So far the 80 pages of the book I've read have been well written. I read the book with thought, and it was surprisingly easy to grasp the message. IMO, Linux Device Drivers book (see O'reilly) is not written as well, though it's a good read too. I would recommend this book for everyone interested in kernel mechanisms, not just people into Linux.
i bought it (online is cheaper than most real shops) - and its very nice... very clear and very easy to digest... a gentle slide into the more diffilcult areas....
i would have liked more illustrative source code perhaps as a CDROM or at the end of the chapters or appendizx... i would have really loved a chepter on writing modules and drivers... modules and drivers which touch different parts of teh kernel... not just the sdtandard "netfilter hook".
but a good book - and the best i currentrlty have on the kernel. also teh 4.4BSD design of book by mcKusick is excellent.
t
What is a good book/tutorial for writing drivers/modules for Linux?
Here it is, it is free and online:
http://www.xml.com/ldd/chapter/book/
Unfortunately, that book is from 2001 though, this is why I also wanted Robert's book to feature some info about driver writing for the 2.6 kernel.
For device driver in 2.6, probably this one is what you really want:
http://lwn.net/Articles/driver-porting/
and it is free.
Thanks guys. BTW, Eugenia, thank you for all your journalism. I'm a regular here and I always enjoy your level-headed reviews and comments.
i loved this book and thought it was amazing. i definitely recommend it.