Getting Started with Linux Systems and the POSIX Standard

This book is about Linux and how we use C++ in Linux environments to manage critical resources. The C++ language is continuously improving, as you’ll explore in the following chapters. Before we go there, we’d like to spend some time in this chapter developing a fundamental understanding of operating systems (OSs). You are going to learn more about the origins of some specific techniques, the system call interface and the Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX).

Your choice of OS matters. Although OSs were created with a single purpose, nowadays their roles differ. Much is expected of them as well. Each OS has its own strengths and weaknesses, which we are going to discuss briefly. Linux is in widespread use across multiple technological areas and has a huge community worldwide, so it is perfect for our practical purposes. In our experience, programming in Linux or other Unix-based OS environments is rather...