Advanced Linux Programming

Advanced Linux Programming is divided into two parts. The first covers generic UNIX system services, but with a particular eye towards Linux specific information. This portion of the book will be of use even to advanced programmers who have worked with other Linux systems since it will cover Linux specific details and differences. For programmers without UNIX experience, it will be even more valuable. The second section covers material that is entirely Linux specific. These are truly advanced topics, and are the techniques that the gurus use to build great applications. While this book will focus mostly on the Application Programming Interface (API) provided by the Linux kernel and the C library, a preliminary introduction to the development tools available will allow all who purchase the book to make immediate use of Linux.

Mark Mitchell received a bachelor of arts degree in computer science from Harvard in 1994 and a master of science degree from Stanford in 1999. His research interests centered on computational complexity and computer security. Mark has participated substantially in the development of the GNU Compiler Collection, and he has a strong interest in developing quality software.

Jeffrey Oldham received a bachelor of arts degree in computer science from Rice University in 1991. After working at the Center for Research on Parallel Computation, he obtained a doctor of philosophy degree from Stanford in 2000. His research interests center on algorithm engineering, concentrating on flow and other combinatorial algorithms. He works on GCC and scientific computing software.

Alex Samuel graduated from Harvard in 1995 with a degree in physics. He worked as a software engineer at BBN before returning to study physics at Caltech and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Alex administers the Software Carpentry project and works on various other projects, such as optimizations in GCC.

Mark and Alex founded CodeSourcery LLC together in 1999. Jeffrey joined the company in 2000. CodeSourcery's mission is to provide development tools for GNU/Linux and other operating systems; to make the GNU tool chain a commercial-quality, standards-conforming development tool set; and to provide general consulting and engineering services. CodeSourcery's Web site is http://www.codesourcery.com.