An essential reader containing the 25 most important papers in the development of modern operating systems for computer science and software engineering. The editor provides an overview chapter and puts all development in perspective with chapter introductions and expository apparatus. Essential resource for graduates, professionals, and researchers in CS with an interest in operating system principles.

The Evolution of Operating Systems.- I Open Shop.- 1 The IBM 701 Computer at the General Motors Research Laboratories.- II Batch Processing.- 2 The BKS System for the Philco-2000.- III Multiprogramming.- 3 The Atlas Supervisor.- 4 Operating System for the B5000.- 5 Description of a High Capacity, Fast Turnaround University Computing Center.- 6 The Egdon System for the KDF9.- IV Timesharing.- 7 An Experimental Time-Sharing System.- 8 A General-Purpose File System for Secondary Storage.- 9 File Integrity in a Disc-Based Multi-Access System.- 10 The Unix Time-Sharing System.- V Concurrent Programming.- 11 The Structure of the THE Multiprogramming System.- 12 RC 4000 Software: Multiprogramming System.- 13 The Design of the Venus Operating System.- 14 A Large Semaphore Based Operating System.- 15 The Solo Operating System: A Concurrent Pascal Program.- 16 The Solo Operating System: Processes, Monitors and Classes.- VI Personal Computing.- 17 OS6-An Experimental Operating System for a Small Computer: Input/Output and Filing System.- 18 An Open Operating System for a Single-User Machine.- 19 Pilot: An Operating System for a Personal Computer.- 20 The Star User Interface: An Overview.- VII Distributed Systems.- 21 WFS: A Simple Shared File System for a Distributed Environment.- 22 The Design of a Reliable Remote Procedure Call Mechanism.- 23 The Newcastle Connection or Unixes of the World Unite!.- 24 Experiences with the Amoeba Distributed Operating System.