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If you haven't already, I would start with Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment by Stevens

https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment...

It is about using all Unix APIs from user space, including signals and processes.

(I am not sure what to recommend if you want to implement signals in the kernel, maybe https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.828/2012/xv6.html )

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It's honestly a breath of fresh air to simply read a book that explains clearly how Unix works, with self-contained examples, and which is comprehensive and organized. (If you don't know C, that can be a barrier, but that's also a barrier reading blog posts)

I don't believe the equivalent information is anywhere on the web. (I have a lot of Unix trivia on my blog, which people still read, but it's not the same)

IMO there are some things for which it's really inefficient to use blog posts or Google or LLMs, and if you want to understand Unix signals that's probably one of them.

(This book isn't "cheap" even used, but IMO it survives with a high price precisely because the information is valuable. You get what you pay for, etc. And for a working programmer it is cheap, relatively speaking.)



Not positive, but pretty sure that this, and the Unix Network book were golden for us in the 90s when we were writing MUDs. Explained so much about Socket communications (bind/listen/accept,...) Been a long time since I looked at that stuff, but those were fun times.


I believe that's the book I still have on my shelf. IIRC "UNIX Network Programming" and I learned a lot about networking and a lot about how UNIX works reading it cover to cover. I think I learned more from that book than any other.

Mr Stevens replied to something I wrote back in the day. I can't recall if it was a Usenet post or email, but I was over the moon!


I believe this was the 3rd time I’ve seen this book being recommended this week. It must mean something.


It is a must for anyone serious about UNIX programming.

Additionally one should get the TCP/IP and UNIX streams books from the same collection.


Is the Unix streams book “Unix Systems V network programming”?


That one is also relevant, yeah.

Although, I did a mistake, I was thinking about all Richard Stevens books for networking, that go beyond plain TCP, UDP, IP.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Richard_Stevens

Unfortunelly given their CS focus, they are kind of on the expensive side, I read most of them via libraries, or eventually getting my own copies.


It's been the standard reference for decades for a reason. I learned from it, too. There's really nothing else quite like it available.


It might mean the Baader–Meinhof effect.


It's well written and full of practical advice and fun to read.




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