Monolithic Kernel
A monolithic kernel is an operating system architecture where the entire kernel, including device drivers, file systems, and memory management, runs in a single address space in kernel mode. It provides all core OS services as a single large program, with components tightly integrated and communicating through function calls. This design contrasts with microkernels, which separate core services into user-space processes.
Developers should learn about monolithic kernels when working on or studying traditional operating systems like Linux or Unix, as they offer high performance due to direct function calls and minimal context switching. It's essential for system programming, kernel development, and understanding OS internals, particularly in scenarios requiring efficient hardware interaction and low-latency operations, such as embedded systems or high-performance computing.