Now in its Sixth Edition, UNDERSTANDING OPERATING SYSTEMS continues to provide a clear and straightforward explanation of operating theory and practice. As in previous editions, the book's highly-regarded structure begins with a discussion of fundamentals before moving on to specific operating systems. This edition has been updated and modernized; now included are enhanced discussions of the latest innovation evolutions (multi-core processing, wireless technologies, PDA and telephone operating systems, and Blu-ray optical storage) and how they affect operating systems. Revised Research Topics in the exercise section encourage independent research among students. Content in the final four chapters has been updated to include information about a few of the latest versions of UNIX (including specific mention of the latest Macintosh OS), Linux, and Windows