Rating: 

first 1/3 and many topics after. I am still reading.

This book is excellent for such a difficult

and complex topic. It fills the gaps that the

How-To's and online docs don't cover! For such

a complex topic, the writing and editing is far

above average - indeed, while I could make suggestions,

more than likely they would only end up degrading

the material upon implementation.

The requirements are misleading, as in all technical

books forward. I suggest most readers have some advanced

C - by this I mean a true understanding of pointers,

structures and linked lists, and also have some

familiarity with x86 'kernel' mode. You should

have an Intel data book, and perhaps Tanenbaums book

on Operating System Theory handy (sorry O'Reilly, I

didn't check your catalog).

Like any technical book, plan at least 3 read thru's.

I want to say - again - I am most impressed with the

writing and the editing (often, editors don't get

proper pats-on-backs). In every OS book I've

perused, they mention a program 'loader' and don't specify it.

I've always wondered where Linux's 'loader' was. Now I know.