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Protected Mode Software Architecture
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Author: Inc. MindShare, Tom Shanley
List Price: $44.99
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 020155447X
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co (06 March, 1996)
Edition: Paperback
Sales Rank: 65,408
Average Customer Rating: 3.75 out of 5
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Customer ReviewsRating: 5 out of 5
Mindshare series
The mindshare series of books is a great way to get started on something new, and this book is no exception. Tom Shanley is renowned for his clear, concise and to-the-point descriptions. Use this book if you want to get work done. Use intel manuals if you have the time to read through tons of corporate language.This is why I strongly disagree with the reviewers who have given it 1 star claiming it is rephrased intel manuals. This is true for all mindshare books. Would you rather learn PCI using PCI 2.0 spec or by reading through a few chapters of mindshare PCI book? The same argument applies here. If you quickly want to get up and running with protected mode, read this book. Use the manuals for the details if (rarely) needed.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Excellent Material and Reference
I really found this book to be very helpful. Some have stated that you can get this information from Intel and, of course you can. Just like most technical books of this type, you can get the information for free else where. Regardless of this, I would prefer to have this book over the Intel documents. It's easier to find things, I don't have to spend time printing it, and it cuts out on most of the useless garbage.It is very simple and direct. It's an excellent resource for both reference and understanding. Some of also stated in previous reviews that this has 'meandering' discussions on what an OS should be. Most all resources of this nature have some bias in design (as they should). However, this bias does not destroy the quality of the book at all, it complements it. Unless you're writing an Operating System or are curious about how interaction with the Intel microprocessor works (paging, task-switching, etc.), then this book isn't for you. If you are, however, then I would consider this book essential.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Mainly a waste of time
I think you will find this book useful in only two instances:
1) you can't get your hands on Intel's manuals (available from the Intel website);
2) you need a pep-talk on what makes Wintel so wonderful.The book primarily rephrases the Intel manuals, with significantly less information (the chapter on running the processor with a flat memory model is 3 pages long). Also, the regular editorials on The Right Way to write operating systems (ie. the way Microsoft has done it), really grate on the nerves. The author's credits include "corporate" training on systems design, and this book reads like a converted PowerPoint presentation.
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