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This book is basically a guide to UNIX system programming for C++ programmers. Many books have been written on the subject, most of which provide examples in the C programming language. This book covers the same ground as many of these other books but provides examples using C++. The book includes a chapter which gives a brief overview of C++ including templates, it does not, however, cover some of the newer features such as namespace, STL, RTTI, etc. The rest of the book is devoted to various aspects of UNIX system programming. The system programming chapters cover everything from files and processes to threads and remote procedure calls. Within each chap-ter the main library calls are described and examples of their use are given. Each chapter also describes the differences, if any, between the main UNIX camps e.g. POSIX standards, SVR4, Solaris, etc.

This is a reasonable, though not outstanding, book. There are, no doubt, better books that cover C++ and probably better books that cover UNIX system programming. That said, if the idea of having a book that covers both C++ and UNIX system programming appeals to you, then this book may be worth having a look at.