Unix: A History and a Memoir, by Brian Kernighan (cs.princeton.edu)

Article summary

Brian Kernighan's book 'Unix: A History and a Memoir' is a historical account of the Unix operating system, its creation, and its impact on computer technology. The book is part history and part memoir, making it accessible to non-specialists. It has become a bestseller in the computing industry history category on Amazon. The book's publication has sparked interest in Kernighan's other works, including 'Understanding the Digital World' and 'The Go Programming Language'.

Main themes

• Unix history
• Computer science
• Book publishing
• Programming languages
• Technology memoir

What commenters say

• The book's success can be attributed to its well-written and engaging content, making it enjoyable for both technical and non-technical readers.
• The lack of a digital version of the book is a significant drawback for some readers, who prefer e-books over physical copies.
• The use of Kindle Direct Publishing allows authors to keep all the profits, making it a viable option for self-publishing.
• Some readers appreciate the book's utilitarian cover, seeing it as a fitting reflection of the subject matter, while others find it unappealing.
• Awk is a useful programming language for data pipelines and text processing, and its book is considered a masterpiece.
• The decision to initially publish only a physical version of the book may be a strategy to prevent manipulation of bestseller lists, but this theory is disputed.
• E-book sales are counted towards the NYT bestsellers list, making the lack of a digital version surprising for a mainstream title.