books tagged “computers”

books tagged “computers”

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  • Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date
    by Robert X. Cringely
    ISBN 0887308554 (0-88730-855-4)
    Softcover, Harpercollins

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    Book summary:

    Robert X. Cringely manages to capture the contradictions and everyday insanity of computer industry empire building, while at the same time chipping away sardonically at the PR campaigns that have built up some very common businesspeople into the household gods of geekdom. Despite some chuckles at the expense of all things nerdy, white, and male in the computer industry, Cringely somehow manages to balance the humor with a genuine appreciation of both the technical and strategic accomplishments of these industry luminaries. Whether you're a hard-boiled Silicon Valley marketing exec fishing for an IPO or just a plain old reader with an interest in business history and anecdotal storytelling, there's something to enjoy here. [via]

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  • Art of Computer Programming
    by Donald E. Knuth
    ISBN 0201038226 (0-201-03822-6)
    Hardcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    Third Edition now available!Volume 2 provides a comprehensive interface between computer programming and numerical analysis. It includes a substantial amount of complexity theory, number theory, and statistics. 0201038226B04062001 [via]

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  • The Art of Computer Programming: Fundamental Algorithms
    by Donald E. Knuth
    ISBN 0201896834 (0-201-89683-4)
    Hardcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    This magnificent tour de force presents a comprehensive overview of a wide variety of algorithms and the analysis of them. Now in its third edition, The Art of Computer Programming, Volume I: Fundamental Algorithms contains substantial revisions by the author and includes numerous new exercises.

    Although this book was conceived several decades ago, it is still a timeless classic. One of the book's greatest strengths is the wonderful collection of problems that accompany each chapter. The author has chosen problems carefully and indexed them according to difficulty. Solving a substantial number of these problems will help you gain a solid understanding of the issues surrounding the given topic. Furthermore, the exercises feature a variety of classic problems.

    Fundamental Algorithms begins with mathematical preliminaries. The first section offers a good grounding in a variety of useful mathematical tools: proof techniques, combinatorics, and elementary number theory. Knuth then details the MIX processor, a virtual machine architecture that serves as the programming target for subsequent discussions. This wonderful section comprehensively covers the principles of simple machine architecture, beginning with a register-level discussion of the instruction set. A later discussion of a simulator for this machine includes an excellent description of the principles underlying the implementation of subroutines and co-routines. Implementing such a simulator is an excellent introduction to computer design.

    In the second section, Knuth covers data structures--stacks, queues, lists, arrays, and trees--and presents implementations (in MIX assembly) along with techniques for manipulating these structures. Knuth follows many of the algorithms with careful time and space analysis. In the section on tree structures, the discussion includes a series of interesting problems concerning the combinatorics of trees (counting distinct trees of a particular form, for example) and some particularly interesting applications. Also featured is a discussion of Huffmann encoding and, in the section on lists, an excellent introduction to garbage collection algorithms and the difficult challenges associated with such a task. The book closes with a discussion of dynamic allocation algorithms.

    The clear writing in Fundamental Algorithms is enhanced by Knuth's dry humor and the historical discussions that accompany the technical matter. Overall, this text is one of the great classics of computer programming literature--it's not an easy book to grasp, but one that any true programmer will study with pleasure. [via]

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  • The Art of Computer Programming: Seminumerical Algorithms
    by Donald Ervin Knuth
    ISBN 0201896842 (0-201-89684-2)
    Hardcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    Volume 2 of Donald Knuth's classic series The Art of Computer Programming covers seminumerical algorithms, with topics ranging from random number generators to floating point operations and other optimized arithmetic algorithms. Truly comprehensive and meticulously written, this book (and series) is that rarest of all creatures--a work of authoritative scholarship in classical computer science, but one that can be read and used profitably by virtually all working programmers.

    The book begins with fundamental questions regarding random numbers and how to use algorithms to generate them. Subsequent chapters demonstrate efficient computation of single-precision and double-precision arithmetic calculations and modular arithmetic. The text then presents prime factorization (which can be used in cryptography, for instance) and algorithms for calculating fractions. This volume ends with algorithms for polynomial arithmetic and manipulation of power-series topics, which will benefit those with some knowledge of calculus.

    Throughout this beautifully presented edition, Knuth incorporates hundreds of useful exercises for trying out the algorithms. These range from simple problems to larger research project topics. (The book provides answers, where appropriate, at the end of the book.) The result is a text that's suitable for college or graduate-level computer science courses or individual study by programmers. Volume 2 is an indispensable part of any working programmer's library. [via]

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  • The Art Of Computer Programming, Fascicle 1: MMIX -- A RISC Computer For The New Millennium
    by Not Available
    ISBN 0201853922 (0-201-85392-2)
    Softcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    Finally, after a wait of more than thirty-five years, the first part of Volume 4 is at last ready for publication. Check out the boxed set that brings together Volumes 1 - 4A in one elegant case, and offers the purchaser a $50 discount off the price of buying the four volumes individually.

     

    The Art of Computer Programming, Volumes 1-4A Boxed Set, 3/e

    ISBN: 0321751043 

     

     

     

    Art of Computer Programming, Volume 1, Fascicle 1, The: MMIX -- A RISC Computer for the New Millennium

     

    This multivolume work on the analysis of algorithms has long been recognized as the definitive description of classical computer science. The three complete volumes published to date already comprise a unique and invaluable resource in programming theory and practice. Countless readers have spoken about the profound personal influence of Knuth's writings. Scientists have marveled at the beauty and elegance of his analysis, while practicing programmers have successfully applied his "cookbook" solutions to their day-to-day problems. All have admired Knuth for the breadth, clarity, accuracy, and good humor found in his books.

    To begin the fourth and later volumes of the set, and to update parts of the existing three, Knuth has created a series of small books called fascicles, which will be published t regular intervals. Each fascicle will encompass a section or more of wholly new or evised material. Ultimately, the content of these fascicles will be rolled up into the comprehensive, final versions of each volume, and the enormous undertaking that began in 1962 will be complete.

    Volume 1, Fascicle 1

    This first fascicle updates The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 1, Third Edition: Fundamental Algorithms, and ultimately will become part of the fourth edition of that book. Specifically, it provides a programmer's introduction to the long-awaited MMIX, a RISC-based computer that replaces the original MIX, and describes the MMIX assembly language. The fascicle also presents new material on subroutines, coroutines, and interpretive routines.



    [via]

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  • The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security
    by William L. Simon, Kevin D. Mitnick
    ISBN 076454280X (0-7645-4280-X)
    Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc

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    Book summary:

    The Art of Deception is about gaining someone's trust by lying to them and then abusing that trust for fun and profit. Hackers use the euphemism "social engineering" and hacker-guru Kevin Mitnick examines many example scenarios.

    After Mitnick's first dozen examples anyone responsible for organisational security is going to lose the will to live. It's been said before but people and security are antithetical. Organisations exist to provide a good or service and want helpful friendly employees to promote the good or service. People are social animals who want to be liked. Controlling the human aspects of security means denying someone something. This circle can't be squared.

    Considering Mitnick's reputation as a hacker guru the least and last point of attack for hackers using social engineering are computers. Most of the scenarios in The Art of Deception work just as well against computer-free organisations and were probably known to the Pheonicians. Technology simply makes it all easier. Phones are faster than letters after all and large organisations mean dealing with lots of strangers.

    Much of Mitnick's security advice sounds practical until you think about implementation, when you realise more effective security means reducing organisational efficiency: an impossible trade in competitive business. And anyway, who wants to work in an organisation where the rule is "Trust no one"? Mitnick shows how easily security is breached by trust, but without trust people can't live and work together. In the real world effective organisations have to acknowledge total security is a chimera--and carry more insurance. --Steve Patient [via]

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  • Bash Quick Reference
    by Arnold Robbins
    ISBN 0596527764 (0-596-52776-4)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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  • Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide
    by Eric A. Meyer
    ISBN 1565926226 (1-56592-622-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Cascading Style Sheets can put a great deal of control and flexibility into the hands of a Web designer--in theory. In reality, however, varying browser support for CSS1 and lack of CSS2 implementation makes CSS a very tricky topic. Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide is a comprehensive text that shows how to take advantage of the benefits of CSS while keeping compatibility issues in mind.

    The book is very upfront about the spotty early browser support for CSS1 and the sluggish adoption of CSS2. However, enthusiasm for the technology spills out of the pages, making a strong case for even the most skeptical reader to give CSS a whirl and count on its future. The text covers CSS1 in impressive depth--not only the syntactical conventions but also more general concepts such as specificity and inheritance. Frequent warnings and tips alert the reader to browser-compatibility pitfalls.

    Entire chapters are devoted to topics like units and values, visual formatting and positioning, and the usual text, fonts, and colors. This attention to both detail and architecture helps readers build a well-rounded knowledge of CSS and equips readers for a future of real-world debugging. Cascading Style Sheets honestly explains the reasons for avoiding an in-depth discussion of the still immature CSS2, but covers the general changes over CSS1 in a brief chapter near the end of the book.

    When successfully implemented, Cascading Style Sheets result in much more elegant HTML that separates form from function. This fine guide delivers on its promise as an indispensable tool for CSS coders. --Stephen W. Plain

    Topics covered:

    • HTML with CSS
    • Selectors and structure
    • Units
    • Text manipulation
    • Colors and backgrounds
    • Boxes and borders
    • Visual formatting principles
    • Positioning
    • CSS2 preview
    • CSS case studies
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  • The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary
    by Eric S. Raymond
    ISBN 1565927249 (1-56592-724-9)
    Hardcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    It may be foolish to consider Eric Raymond's recent collection of essays, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, the most important computer programming thinking to follow the Internet revolution. But it would be more unfortunate to overlook the implications and long-term benefits of his fastidious description of open-source software development considering the growing dependence businesses and economies have on emerging computer technologies.

    The Cathedral and the Bazaar takes its title from an essay Raymond read at the 1997 Linux Kongress. The essay documents Raymond's acquisition, re-creation, and numerous revisions of an e-mail utility known as fetchmail. Raymond engagingly narrates the fetchmail development process while elaborating on the ongoing bazaar development method he uses with the help of volunteer programmers. The essay smartly spares the reader from the technical morass that could easily detract from the text's goal of demonstrating the efficacy of the open-source, or bazaar, method in creating robust, usable software.

    Once Raymond has established the components and players necessary for an optimally running open-source model, he sets out to counter the conventional wisdom of private, closed-source software development. Like superbly written code, the author's arguments systematically anticipate their rebuttals. For programmers who "worry that the transition to open source will abolish or devalue their jobs," Raymond adeptly and factually counters that "most developer's salaries don't depend on software sale value." Raymond's uncanny ability to convince is as unrestrained as his capacity for extrapolating upon the promise of open-source development.

    In addition to outlining the open-source methodology and its benefits, Raymond also sets out to salvage the hacker moniker from the nefarious connotations typically associated with it in his essay, "A Brief History of Hackerdom" (not surprisingly, he is also the compiler of The New Hacker's Dictionary). Recasting hackerdom in a more positive light may be a heroic undertaking in itself, but considering the Herculean efforts and perfectionist motivations of Raymond and his fellow open-source developers, that light will shine brightly. --Ryan Kuykendall [via]

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  • Classic Shell Scripting
    by Arnold Robbins, Nelson H. F. Beebe
    ISBN 0596005954 (0-596-00595-4)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Shell scripting skills never go out of style. It's the shell that unlocks the real potential of Unix. Shell scripting is essential for Unix users and system administrators-a way to quickly harness and customize the full power of any Unix system. With shell scripts, you can combine the fundamental Unix text and file processing commands to crunch data and automate repetitive tasks. But beneath this simple promise lies a treacherous ocean of variations in Unix commands and standards. Classic Shell Scripting is written to help you reliably navigate these tricky waters.

    Writing shell scripts requires more than just a knowledge of the shell language, it also requires familiarity with the individual Unix programs: why each one is there, how to use them by themselves, and in combination with the other programs. The authors are intimately familiar with the tips and tricks that can be used to create excellent scripts, as well as the traps that can make your best effort a bad shell script. With Classic Shell Scripting you'll avoid hours of wasted effort. You'll learn not only write useful shell scripts, but how to do it properly and portably.

    The ability to program and customize the shell quickly, reliably, and portably to get the best out of any individual system is an important skill for anyone operating and maintaining Unix or Linux systems. Classic Shell Scripting gives you everything you need to master these essential skills.

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  • Computer Networks
    by Andrew Tanenbaum
    ISBN 0130661023 (0-13-066102-3)
    Hardcover, Prentice Hall

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    Book summary:

    This is the long-awaited 3rd Edition of Tanenbaum's classic book on computer networking. The finest network engineer I know (who was stolen from my previous employer by developers of IPv6) swears by this book, and it is arguably the best single resource for gaining a good technical understanding of modern networking in the mid 1990s. Very Highly Recommended. [via]

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  • Computer Networks: International Edition
    by Andrew S. Tanenbaum
    ISBN 0133942481 (0-13-394248-1)
    Softcover, Prentice Hall

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  • CSS Pocket Reference
    by Eric A. Meyer, Lorrie Lejeune
    ISBN 0596001207 (0-596-00120-7)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    More proof that good things come in small--and sometimes even inexpensive--packages: the CSS Pocket Reference has been completely revised and updated to reflect the latest Cascading Style Sheet specifications, CSS2 and CSS2.1.

    An indispensable reference for web designers and developers, this slim little book covers the essential information needed to effectively implement CSS, with an introduction to the key concepts of CSS and a complete alphabetical reference to the CSS2 and CSS 2.1 properties. And since browser incompatibility is the biggest CSS headache for most developers, it also includes an invaluable chart displaying detailed information about CSS support for every style element across all browsers. For anyone who wants to correctly implement CSS, this book condenses all the details in its companion volume, Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide, into one easy-to-use cheat-sheet.

    The CSS Pocket Reference delivers just the CSS details that you need to complete the task at hand. When you're stuck and want an answer quickly, the tiny CSS Pocket Reference is the book you'll want by your keyboard or in your back pocket. (Yes, it really does fit in a back pocket, but it's too useful to stay there long.)

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  • CSS: The Definitive Guide
    by Eric Meyer
    ISBN 0596527330 (0-596-52733-0)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    CSS: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition, provides you with a comprehensive guide to CSS implementation, along with a thorough review of all aspects of CSS 2.1. Updated to cover Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft's vastly improved browser, this new edition includes content on positioning, lists and generated content, table layout, user interface, paged media, and more.

    Simply put, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a way to separate a document's structure from its presentation. The benefits of this can be quite profound: CSS allows a much richer document appearance than HTML and also saves time--you can create or change the appearance of an entire document in just one place; and its compact file size makes web pages load quickly.

    Author Eric Meyer tackles the subject with passion, exploring in detail each individual CSS property and how it interacts with other properties. You'll not only learn how to avoid common mistakes in interpretation, you also will benefit from the depth and breadth of his experience and his clear and honest style. This is the complete sourcebook on CSS.

    The 3rd edition contains:

    • Updates to reflect changes in the latest draft version of CSS 2.1
    • Browser notes updated to reflect changes between IE6 and IE7
    • Advanced selectors supported in IE7 and other major browsers included
    • A new round of technical edits by a fresh set of editors
    • Clarifications and corrected errata, including updated URLs of referenced online resources
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  • Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier
    by John Markoff, Katie Hafner
    ISBN 0684818620 (0-684-81862-0)
    Softcover, Touchstone Books

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    Book summary:

    A classic look into cracker subculture, Cyberpunk tells the stories of notorious hackers Kevin Mitnick, Robert T. Morris, and the Chaos Computer Club. Like Where Wizards Stay Up Late, the book Hafner co-wrote on the origins of the Internet, Cyberpunk is informative, well-written, and entertaining. The story of Morris, who became infamous for unleashing a crippling worm that brought the Internet to a grinding standstill, is still as relevant and ominous today as it was at the time. The space devoted to Mitnick is a must-read companion to either Takedown or The Fugitive Game. Many of the stories surrounding the Dark Side Hacker, such as the story of his Norad break-in, are called into question in Cyberpunk, making this book a good launching pad for many different accounts of the Mitnick legend. The portrait of the two members of the Chaos Computer Club is a memorable look into the minds of the younger generation of computer hackers. Before you check out any book of this genre, read Cyberpunk. [via]

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  • Digital Fortress
    by Dan Brown
    ISBN 0312335164 (0-312-33516-4)
    Hardcover, St. Martin's Press

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    Book summary:

    In most thrillers, "hardware" consists of big guns, airplanes, military vehicles, and weapons that make things explode. Dan Brown has written a thriller for those of us who like our hardware with disc drives and who rate our heroes by big brainpower rather than big firepower. It's an Internet user's spy novel where the good guys and bad guys struggle over secrets somewhat more intellectual than just where the secret formula is hidden--they have to gain understanding of what the secret formula actually is.

    In this case, the secret formula is a new means of encryption, capable of changing the balance of international power. Part of the fun is that the book takes the reader along into an understanding of encryption technologies. You'll find yourself better understanding the political battles over such real-life technologies as the Clipper Chip and PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software even though the book looks at the issues through the eyes of fiction.

    Although there's enough globehopping in this book for James Bond, the real battleground is cyberspace, because that's where the "bomb" (or rather, the new encryption algorithm) will explode. Yes, there are a few flaws in the plot if you look too closely, but the cleverness and the sheer fun of it all more than make up for them. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and a lot of high, gee-whiz-level information about encryption, code breaking, and the role they play in international politics. Set aside the whole afternoon and evening for it and have finger food on hand for supper--you may want to read this one straight through. [via]

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  • Digital Fortress: A Thriller
    by Dan Brown
    ISBN 0312263120 (0-312-26312-0)
    Softcover, Griffin

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    Book summary:

    In most thrillers, "hardware" consists of big guns, airplanes, military vehicles, and weapons that make things explode. Dan Brown has written a thriller for those of us who like our hardware with disc drives and who rate our heroes by big brainpower rather than big firepower. It's an Internet user's spy novel where the good guys and bad guys struggle over secrets somewhat more intellectual than just where the secret formula is hidden--they have to gain understanding of what the secret formula actually is.

    In this case, the secret formula is a new means of encryption, capable of changing the balance of international power. Part of the fun is that the book takes the reader along into an understanding of encryption technologies. You'll find yourself better understanding the political battles over such real-life technologies as the Clipper Chip and PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software even though the book looks at the issues through the eyes of fiction.

    Although there's enough globehopping in this book for James Bond, the real battleground is cyberspace, because that's where the "bomb" (or rather, the new encryption algorithm) will explode. Yes, there are a few flaws in the plot if you look too closely, but the cleverness and the sheer fun of it all more than make up for them. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and a lot of high, gee-whiz-level information about encryption, code breaking, and the role they play in international politics. Set aside the whole afternoon and evening for it and have finger food on hand for supper--you may want to read this one straight through. [via]

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  • Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference
    by Danny Goodman
    ISBN 1565924940 (1-56592-494-0)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Packed with information on the latest web specifications and browser features, this new edition is your ultimate one-stop resource for html, xhtml, css, document object model (dom), and javascript development. Here is the comprehensive reference for designers of rich internet applications who need to operate in all modern browsers, including internet explorer 7, firefox 2, safari, and opera.with this book, you can instantly see browser support for the latest standards-based technologies, including css level 3, dom level 3, web forms 2.0, xmlhttprequest for ajax applications, javascript 1.7, and many more. This new edition: provides at-a-glance references for the tags, attributes, objects, properties, methods, and events of html, xhtml, css, dom, and core javascript. You can quickly look up a particular feature or language term to see if it is available in desired browser brands and versions. Includes handy cross referencing that lets you look up an attribute (or object property, method, or event type) to find all the items that recognize it, including interrelated html tags, style properties, and document object model methods, properties, and events. Offers appendices where you can quickly locate values useful in html authoring and scripting. You'll find coverage of commands used across three browsers for user-editable content. Includes a glossary that gives you quick explanations of some of the new and potentially confusing terminology of dhtml. Dynamic html: the definitive reference speeds the way to adding sophisticated features to your web pages. Indispensable, complete, and succinct, this bestselling guide is the must-have compendium for all web developers involved in creating dynamic web content [via]

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  • Robbins, Arnold D.: Effective Awk Programming: A User's Guide
    Effective Awk Programming
    by Arnold D. Robbins
    ISBN 1578310008 (1-57831-000-8)
    Softcover, Specialized Systems Consultants

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    Book summary:

    For anyone who writes scripts in the awk family of languages, the third edition of Effective awk Programming provides an in-depth guide to processing text files with plenty of working sample code. Whether you are starting out with awk or are an experienced developer, this book will help you extend the reach of your awk scripts.

    This tutorial covers the entire spectrum of awk script development: From the basics of opening, searching, and transforming text files, to a comprehensive tutorial for regular expressions, to more advanced features like internetworking. The focus is on the practical side of creating and running awk scripts, and there's plenty of hands-on advice for installing and running today's awk (and gawk).

    The book begins with the fundamentals of awk for opening and transforming text flat files. The coverage of regular expressions, from simple rules for matching text to more advanced options, is particularly solid. You learn how to add variables and expressions for more intelligent awk scripts, plus how to parse data into records and fields. You'll also find out how to redirect output from awk scripts to other programs, a useful technique that can cause awk to get a lot more done in real applications.

    Later, you learn several valuable sample awk scripts that mimic existing Unix utilities (like grep, id, and split), plus samples for counting words in documents and printing mailing labels, and even a stream editor. This grab bag of sample code lets you try out the techniques presented earlier in the book. Other sections look at support for networking in today's gawk; for example, how gawk can read and write to URLs on the network almost just as easily as local files. Full sample code will teach the beginner or expert how to get productive with networks and awk. Final appendices trace the evolution of the awk language and show you how to download and install gawk.

    Suitable for beginner and experienced awk developers, Effective awk Programming, Third Edition, is an extremely worthwhile source of information on a wide range of programming techniques for today's awk. --Richard Dragan

    Topics covered:

    • Introduction to the awk programming language
    • Running awk scripts
    • Basic file processing
    • Tutorial for regular expressions
    • Strategies for matching text
    • Dynamic regular expressions
    • Parsing data into records and lines (including separating fields and handling multiple-line records)
    • Using print and printf for printed output with awk (including format specifiers)
    • Redirecting awk scripts output to other processes
    • Basic and advanced awk expressions (constants, variables, and function calls)
    • Patterns
    • Shell variables and actions
    • Arrays (including multidimensional arrays and sorting)
    • Built-in and custom awk functions
    • Internationalizing and localizing awk scripts
    • Advanced gawk (communicating with other processes and networking programming)
    • Running awk and gawk
    • Sample awk scripts
    • Internetworking with awk
    • History and evolution of awk
    • Downloading and installing gawk
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  • The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of Physics
    by Roger Penrose, Martin Gardner
    ISBN 0192861980 (0-19-286198-0)
    Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr

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    Book summary:

    Some love it, some hate it, but The Emperor's New Mind, physicist Roger Penrose's 1989 treatise attacking the foundations of strong artificial intelligence, is crucial for anyone interested in the history of thinking about AI and consciousness. Part survey of modern physics, part exploration of the philosophy of mind, the book is not for casual readers--though it's not overly technical, it rarely pauses to let the reader catch a breath. The overview of relativity and quantum theory, written by a master, is priceless and uncontroversial. The exploration of consciousness and AI, though, is generally considered as resting on shakier ground.

    Penrose claims that there is an intimate, perhaps unknowable relation between quantum effects and our thinking, and ultimately derives his anti-AI stance from his proposition that some, if not all, of our thinking is non-algorithmic. Of course, these days we believe that there are other avenues to AI than traditional algorithmic programming; while he has been accused of setting up straw robots to knock down, this accusation is unfair. Little was then known about the power of neural networks and behavior-based robotics to simulate (and, some would say, produce) intelligent problem-solving behavior. Whether these tools will lead to strong AI is ultimately a question of belief, not proof, and The Emperor's New Mind offers powerful arguments useful to believer and nonbeliever alike. --Rob Lightner [via]

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  • Google Hacks
    by Rael Dornfest
    ISBN 0596008570 (0-596-00857-0)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Everyone loves Google, and it's the first place many people turn to locate information on the Internet. There's a big gap, though, between knowing that you can use Google to get advance information on your blind date and having a handle on the considerable roster of fact-finding tools that the site makes available. Google Hacks reveals--and documents in considerable detail--a large collection of Google capabilities that many readers won't have even been aware of. Want to find the best price on a pair of leg warmers? Try the Froogle price-searcher that's hidden within the Google site. Interested in finding weblog commentary about a particular subject? Tara Calishain and Rael Dornfest call your attention to the special Google syntaxes for that purpose. This book makes it clear that there's lots more to the Google site than typing in a few keywords and trusting the search engine to yield useful results.

    If you're a programmer--or even just familiar with a HTML or a scripting language--Google opens up even further. A large part of Google Hacks concerns itself with the Google API (the collection of capabilities that Google exposes for use by software) and other programmers' resources. For example, the authors include a simple Perl application that queries the Google engine with terms specified by the user. They also document XooMLe, which delivers Google results in XML form. In brief, this is the best compendium of Google's lesser-known capabilities available anywhere, including the Google site itself. --David Wall

    Topics covered: How to get the most from the Google search engine by using its Web-accessible features (including product searches, image searches, news searches, and newsgroup searches) and the large collection of desktop-resident toolbars available, as well as its advanced search syntax. Other sections have to do with programming with the Google API and simple "scrapes" of results pages, while further coverage addresses how to get your Web page to feature prominently in Google keyword searches. [via]

    More editions of Google Hacks:

  • Google Hacks
    by Tara Calishain, Paul Bausch, Rael Dornfest
    ISBN 0596527063 (0-596-52706-3)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    › Find signed collectible books: 'Google Hacks'
    Book summary:

    Everyone loves Google, and it's the first place many people turn to locate information on the Internet. There's a big gap, though, between knowing that you can use Google to get advance information on your blind date and having a handle on the considerable roster of fact-finding tools that the site makes available. Google Hacks reveals--and documents in considerable detail--a large collection of Google capabilities that many readers won't have even been aware of. Want to find the best price on a pair of leg warmers? Try the Froogle price-searcher that's hidden within the Google site. Interested in finding weblog commentary about a particular subject? Tara Calishain and Rael Dornfest call your attention to the special Google syntaxes for that purpose. This book makes it clear that there's lots more to the Google site than typing in a few keywords and trusting the search engine to yield useful results.

    If you're a programmer--or even just familiar with a HTML or a scripting language--Google opens up even further. A large part of Google Hacks concerns itself with the Google API (the collection of capabilities that Google exposes for use by software) and other programmers' resources. For example, the authors include a simple Perl application that queries the Google engine with terms specified by the user. They also document XooMLe, which delivers Google results in XML form. In brief, this is the best compendium of Google's lesser-known capabilities available anywhere, including the Google site itself. --David Wall

    Topics covered: How to get the most from the Google search engine by using its Web-accessible features (including product searches, image searches, news searches, and newsgroup searches) and the large collection of desktop-resident toolbars available, as well as its advanced search syntax. Other sections have to do with programming with the Google API and simple "scrapes" of results pages, while further coverage addresses how to get your Web page to feature prominently in Google keyword searches. [via]

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  • Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
    by Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest
    ISBN 0596004478 (0-596-00447-8)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    › Find signed collectible books: 'Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools'
    Book summary:

    Everyone loves Google, and it's the first place many people turn to locate information on the Internet. There's a big gap, though, between knowing that you can use Google to get advance information on your blind date and having a handle on the considerable roster of fact-finding tools that the site makes available. Google Hacks reveals--and documents in considerable detail--a large collection of Google capabilities that many readers won't have even been aware of. Want to find the best price on a pair of leg warmers? Try the Froogle price-searcher that's hidden within the Google site. Interested in finding weblog commentary about a particular subject? Tara Calishain and Rael Dornfest call your attention to the special Google syntaxes for that purpose. This book makes it clear that there's lots more to the Google site than typing in a few keywords and trusting the search engine to yield useful results.

    If you're a programmer--or even just familiar with a HTML or a scripting language--Google opens up even further. A large part of Google Hacks concerns itself with the Google API (the collection of capabilities that Google exposes for use by software) and other programmers' resources. For example, the authors include a simple Perl application that queries the Google engine with terms specified by the user. They also document XooMLe, which delivers Google results in XML form. In brief, this is the best compendium of Google's lesser-known capabilities available anywhere, including the Google site itself. --David Wall

    Topics covered: How to get the most from the Google search engine by using its Web-accessible features (including product searches, image searches, news searches, and newsgroup searches) and the large collection of desktop-resident toolbars available, as well as its advanced search syntax. Other sections have to do with programming with the Google API and simple "scrapes" of results pages, while further coverage addresses how to get your Web page to feature prominently in Google keyword searches. [via]

    More editions of Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools:

  • White, Ron: How Computers Work
    How Computers Work
    by Ron White
    ISBN 078971728X (0-7897-1728-X)
    Softcover, Macmillan Computer Pub

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  • Html 4 for the World Wide Web
    by Elizabeth Castro
    ISBN 0201354934 (0-201-35493-4)
    Softcover, Peachpit Press

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    Book summary:

    Ask any burgeoning Web-page author what they want in an HTML guide, and the list would go something like this: concise, informative, plenty of examples, a little bit of fun without being too cute. Elizabeth Castro's HTML for the World Wide Web is that dream guide to learning this Web language.

    Unlike other books that lumber along feeding the reader arcane details, Castro's book keeps to the basics. You'll still learn everything you need to create a great site (where to start off, how to nest tables, how to add in video), but you won't feel overwhelmed by the process. The book is clearly referenced and, in typically concise Peachpit Press style, full of deceptively simple bullet lists of things to do. On the other side of the split page are screen shots, illustrations, or other examples to highlight the steps the reader needs to take to create desired effects. The book concludes with a listing of special symbols, a color chart, and a well-devised index of all the goodies contained in this slim--but comprehensive--book. --Jennifer Buckendorff [via]

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  • Html and Xhtml: The Definitive Guide
    by Bill Kennedy, Chuck Musciano
    ISBN 0596527322 (0-596-52732-2)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    HTML is a familiar FLA (four letter acronym) but what about XHTML? Is it merely a typographical error or simply XML by another name? The readable preface to this book puts us right and there is more detail in Chapter 1 which is also an interesting potted history of the web and web technologies.

    HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is for controlling layout and specifying hypertext links for documents viewed with a browser. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) controls its standardisation. XML (Extensible Markup Language), also defined by the W3C, is a standard that allows structured data to be presented in a standard way that it can be understood by many different technologies, for example, relational database engines and web browsers. Use of XML for the exchange of data between businesses on the Internet is increasing rapidly. Now, finally, comes XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language), which is HTML reformulated to bring it into line with the XML standard.

    The authors try to instil good habits and style considerations, as well as an appreciation of kumquats (a recurrent theme in the examples). They revile use of the blink tag extension that causes text to oscillate between two colour states and blink, constantly, irritatingly and advocate visiting a wide range of Web sites to learn what works and what doesn't.

    The comprehensive coverage of the topic is divided into chapters like Text Basics, Formatted Lists, Forms, Frames and Executable Content. HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide is a feature-driven guide to what the languages can do rather than a guide to producing a finished item, but it should help a beginner to make good progress nevertheless, and is written in an approachable style. --Mark Whitehorn [via]

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  • Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary
    by David Diamond, Linus Torvalds
    ISBN 1587991519 (1-58799-151-9)
    Softcover, W W Norton & Co Inc

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    Book summary:

    Most 31-year olds can't boast of being the instigator of a revolution. But then again, the world's leading promoter of open source software and creator of the operating system Linux does humbly call himself an accidental revolutionary--accidental being the operative word here. Just for Fun is the quirky story of how Linus Torvalds went from being a penniless, introverted code writer in Helsinki in the early 1990s to being the unwitting (and rather less than penniless) leader of a radical shift in computer programming by the end of the decade.

    OK, perhaps "story" in the traditional sense of the term is stretching it a bit. This whole book is more like a series of e-mails, an exercise in textual communication for someone more used to code language than conversation: choppy sentences packed into short paragraphs, and sometimes just one-liners. The pace is fast, but the quippy tone can get somewhat tiring, though it definitely suits the portrayal of a computer-dominated life. And like an e-mail conversation, the tense often changes, the topics jump back and forth, and the narrators occasionally change, mostly alternating between the Linux man himself and Red Herring executive editor David Diamond, who convinced the difficult-to-pin-down Torvalds to write his story (or at least allow Diamond to poke, prod, and pull it out of him, all the while giving his own impressions and interpretations). But Torvald's tale contains enough informative and entertaining tidbits--on growing up in dark, strangely silent but communication-gadget-obsessed Finland (which boasts more cell phones per capita than anywhere else), on what makes passionate code writers tick, on making the transition from unknown computer geek to world-famous computer geek, on the convergence of technology and ideology, on his work for Transmeta and involvement (or lack thereof) with all the players worth mentioning in Silicon Valley - to keep more than just computer programmers engrossed in his story. For the latter, of course, Just for Fun will be required reading.

    If you pick up this book as a geek's guide to the meaning of life (which, believe it or not, Torvalds does ramble on about at the beginning and the end), then you're in for a bit of a shallow take on the whole thing. But if you're interested in the idea of technological development as a global team sport, and how a nerdy Finnish transplant to California got the whole game going in the first place, check out Linus's story... just for fun, of course. --S. Ketchum [via]

    More editions of Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary:

  • Just for Fun : The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary
    by Linus Torvalds, David Diamond
    ISBN 0066620724 (0-06-662072-4)
    Hardcover, HarperCollins Publishers

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    › Find signed collectible books: 'Just for Fun : The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary'
    Book summary:

    Most 31-year olds can't boast of being the instigator of a revolution. But then again, the world's leading promoter of open source software and creator of the operating system Linux does humbly call himself an accidental revolutionary--accidental being the operative word here. Just for Fun is the quirky story of how Linus Torvalds went from being a penniless, introverted code writer in Helsinki in the early 1990s to being the unwitting (and rather less than penniless) leader of a radical shift in computer programming by the end of the decade.

    OK, perhaps "story" in the traditional sense of the term is stretching it a bit. This whole book is more like a series of e-mails, an exercise in textual communication for someone more used to code language than conversation: choppy sentences packed into short paragraphs, and sometimes just one-liners. The pace is fast, but the quippy tone can get somewhat tiring, though it definitely suits the portrayal of a computer-dominated life. And like an e-mail conversation, the tense often changes, the topics jump back and forth, and the narrators occasionally change, mostly alternating between the Linux man himself and Red Herring executive editor David Diamond, who convinced the difficult-to-pin-down Torvalds to write his story (or at least allow Diamond to poke, prod, and pull it out of him, all the while giving his own impressions and interpretations). But Torvald's tale contains enough informative and entertaining tidbits--on growing up in dark, strangely silent but communication-gadget-obsessed Finland (which boasts more cell phones per capita than anywhere else), on what makes passionate code writers tick, on making the transition from unknown computer geek to world-famous computer geek, on the convergence of technology and ideology, on his work for Transmeta and involvement (or lack thereof) with all the players worth mentioning in Silicon Valley - to keep more than just computer programmers engrossed in his story. For the latter, of course, Just for Fun will be required reading.

    If you pick up this book as a geek's guide to the meaning of life (which, believe it or not, Torvalds does ramble on about at the beginning and the end), then you're in for a bit of a shallow take on the whole thing. But if you're interested in the idea of technological development as a global team sport, and how a nerdy Finnish transplant to California got the whole game going in the first place, check out Linus's story... just for fun, of course. --S. Ketchum [via]

    More editions of Just for Fun : The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary:

  • Mac OS X: The Missing Manual
    by David Pogue
    ISBN 0596000820 (0-596-00082-0)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Widely esteemed Mac authority David Pogue weighs in on the latest offering from Cupertino with Mac OS X: The Missing Manual. It's a fact-packed romp through the operating system and the extras that come with it, made resoundingly more readable by the depth of Pogue's knowledge, his familiarity with Mac history, and his eagerness to engage novices as members of the Mac user community. Unlike most books about Mac OS X, this one explores its Unix-like underpinnings (the Apple implementation is called Darwin) pretty thoroughly. However, on the logic that if you wanted to use Unix, you would, Pogue emphasises the traditional, graphical Mac interface over the Terminal window.

    Pogue, who's written about Macs for years writes about Macs at the user level with clarity. He's also quite good at dealing with the numerous options and variations that apply to Mac procedures, and makes very good use of sidebars for clarifying details. In a section on printing, for example, Pogue explains why there's no longer an option to turn off background printing (true multitasking has rendered the option obsolete). There's also good coverage of the online iTools, tailored to people unfamiliar with integrating remote resources into their personal computing environments. --David Wall

    Topics covered: Apple Mac OS X for people who will use the operating system, either on a standalone computer with Internet access or on a computer that is part of a home or organisational network. Running applications (in Classic mode as well as in native Mac OS X mode), printing, networking, multimedia, security (including Keychain), and utilities are all covered. [via]

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  • Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition
    by David Pogue
    ISBN 0596006152 (0-596-00615-2)
    Softcover, Pogue Pr

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    Book summary:

    Apple says that Mac OS X 10.3 introduces 150 new features--but that's not really true. In fact, "Panther" includes many more than that. It's faster, more polished, and much more efficient. But it still comes without a manual.

    With 300,000 copies in print, the first two versions of this book became industry bestsellers. Now David Pogue brings his humor and expertise to this completely rewritten, greatly expanded edition. It covers:

    • Getting started. The early chapters demystify the Dock, windows, and the unfamiliar Mac OS X folder structure--an ideal introduction.
    • New technologies. Mac OS X 10.3 brings breakthroughs in window management (Expose, the Sidebar); security (File Vault, Secure Empty Trash); and productivity (faxing, Fast User Switching).
    • Bonus software. Panther comes with over 50 free programs--and this book gives you expertise in all of them. This beefed-up edition includes all-new mini-manuals on iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto, iChat AV, and Safari.
    • Basics of Unix. You can completely ignore Panther's Unix core. But if the command line intrigues you, this book offers a gentle introduction.
    • Finding familiar features. Two "Where'd It Go?" Dictionaries make it easy for Mac OS 9 and Windows refugees to look up a traditional feature--and find out where it went in Mac OS X 10.3.

    As always, Mac OS X: The Missing Manual offers warm, witty writing, and bursts with the shortcuts, surprises, and design touches that make the Mac the most passionately championed computer in the world.
    [via]

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  • MAC OS X: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition
    by David Pogue
    ISBN 0596009410 (0-596-00941-0)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    › Find signed collectible books: 'MAC OS X: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition'
    Book summary:

    You can set your watch to it: As soon as Apple comes out with another version of Mac OS X, David Pogue hits the streets with another meticulous Missing Manual to cover it with a wealth of detail. The new Mac OS X 10.4, better known as Tiger, is faster than its predecessors, but nothing's too fast for Pogue and Mac OS X: The Missing Manual. There are many reasons why this is the most popular computer book of all time.

    With its hallmark objectivity, the Tiger Edition thoroughly explores the latest features to grace the Mac OS. Which ones work well and which do not? What should you look for? This book tackles Spotlight, an enhanced search feature that helps you find anything on your computer; iChat AV for videoconferencing; Automator for automating repetitive, manual or batch tasks; and the hundreds of smaller tweaks and changes, good and bad, that Apple's marketing never bothers to mention.

    Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition is the authoritative book that's ideal for every user, including people coming to the Mac for the first time. Our guide offers an ideal introduction that demystifies the Dock, the unfamiliar Mac OS X folder structure, and the entirely new Mail application. There are also mini-manuals on iLife applications such as iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto, those much-heralded digital media programs, and a tutorial for Safari, Mac's own web browser.

    And plenty more: learn to configure Mac OS X using the System Preferences application, keep your Mac secure with FileVault, and learn about Tiger's enhanced Firewall capabilities. If you're so inclined, this Missing Manual also offers an easy introduction to the Terminal application for issuing basic Unix commands.

    There's something new on practically every page, and David Pogue brings his celebrated wit and expertise to every one of them. Mac's brought a new cat to town and we have a great new way to tame it.

    [via]

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  • Mastering Regular Expressions
    by Jeffrey E. Friedl
    ISBN 0596528124 (0-596-52812-4)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Regular expressions are a central element of UNIX utilities like egrep and programming languages such as Perl. But whether you're a UNIX user or not, you can benefit from a better understanding of regular expressions since they work with applications ranging from validating data-entry fields to manipulating information in multimegabyte text files. Mastering Regular Expressions quickly covers the basics of regular-expression syntax, then delves into the mechanics of expression-processing, common pitfalls, performance issues, and implementation-specific differences. Written in an engaging style and sprinkled with solutions to complex real-world problems, Mastering Regular Expressions offers a wealth information that you can put to immediate use. [via]

    More editions of Mastering Regular Expressions:

  • Mastering Regular Expressions: Powerful Techniques for Perl and Other Tools
    by Friedl, Jeffrey, E. F.
    ISBN 1565922573 (1-56592-257-3)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Regular expressions are a central element of UNIX utilities like egrep and programming languages such as Perl. But whether you're a UNIX user or not, you can benefit from a better understanding of regular expressions since they work with applications ranging from validating data-entry fields to manipulating information in multimegabyte text files. Mastering Regular Expressions quickly covers the basics of regular-expression syntax, then delves into the mechanics of expression-processing, common pitfalls, performance issues, and implementation-specific differences. Written in an engaging style and sprinkled with solutions to complex real-world problems, Mastering Regular Expressions offers a wealth information that you can put to immediate use. [via]

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  • Gibson, William: Neuromancer
    Neuromancer
    by William Gibson
    ISBN 1569564116 (1-56956-411-6)
    Softcover, William a Thomas Braille

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    Book summary:

    "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." William Gibson's Neuromancer starts out with one of the great opening lines in all of fiction and never lets up. This is the novel that introduced the term "cyberspace," and it remains one of the most vibrant and compelling looks at the world being built by computers and information technology.

    Plus, it tells a great story. Case is a top-line hacker who made one mistake that cost him his greatest love. To get it back, he agrees to work for people who in turn are working for an artificial intelligence named Wintermute. Wintermute wants freedom, and Case is the man who can do the job. (Some of the secondary characters, including Molly from "Johnny Mnemonic," will be familiar to readers of Gibson's short stories.) The intensity never lets up as Gibson creates a world that is one of the most distinctive in science fiction. And the story is told in a high-tech poetic prose style that owes as much to William S. Burroughs as it does to Gibson's predecessors in SF. The end result is a book that is both stylistically creative and thoroughly gripping in its unfolding adventure. In short, Neuromancer packs more ideas into its 250 pages than most writers can manage in a 900-page trilogy. It was hailed as an instant classic when first published as an Ace Science Fiction Special in 1984, winning the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick awards, and it remains one of the most influential science fiction novels ever written. --Greg L. Johnson [via]

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  • The New Hacker's Dictionary
    by Eric S. Raymond
    ISBN 0262680920 (0-262-68092-0)
    Softcover, Mit Pr

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    Book summary:

    This third edition of the tremendously popular Hacker's Dictionary adds 100 new entries and updates 200 entries. In case you aren't familiar with it, this is no snoozer dictionary of technical terms, although you'll certainly find accurate definitions for most techie jargon. It's the slang and secret language among computer jocks that offers the most fun. Don't know what the Infinite-Monkey Theorem is? Or the meaning of "rat dance?" It's all here. Most people don't sit down to read dictionaries for entertainment, but this is surely an exception. [via]

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  • The New Hacker's Dictionary
    by Guy L. Steele, Eric S. Raymond
    ISBN 0262680696 (0-262-68069-6)
    Softcover, MIT Press

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    Book summary:

    This third edition of the tremendously popular Hacker's Dictionary adds 100 new entries and updates 200 entries. In case you aren't familiar with it, this is no snoozer dictionary of technical terms, although you'll certainly find accurate definitions for most techie jargon. It's the slang and secret language among computer jocks that offers the most fun. Don't know what the Infinite-Monkey Theorem is? Or the meaning of "rat dance?" It's all here. Most people don't sit down to read dictionaries for entertainment, but this is surely an exception. [via]

    More editions of The New Hacker's Dictionary:

  • Perl Cookbook
    by Tom Christiansen, Nathan Torkington, Linda Mui
    ISBN 1565922433 (1-56592-243-3)
    Softcover, O'Reilly Media, Incorporated

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    Book summary:

    When the second edition of Programming Perl was released, the authors omitted two chapters: "Common Tasks with Perl" and "Real Perl Programs." Publisher O'Reilly & Associates soon realized that there would be too many pages in Programming Perl if it put updated recipes in the new edition. Instead, O'Reilly chose to release the many Perl code examples as a separate entity: The Perl Cookbook.

    The recipes are well documented and the examples aren't too arcane; even beginners will be able to pick up the lessons taught here. The authors write in relatively easy-to-understand language (for a technical guide). Through this book and its arsenal of recipes, you will learn many new things about Perl to help you through your toughest projects. The next time you're working on a project at 2 a.m., you'll thank yourself for the guidance and direction The Perl Cookbook provides. --Doug Beaver [via]

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  • The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
    by David Thomas, Andrew Hunt
    ISBN 020161622X (0-201-61622-X)
    Softcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    Programmers are craftspeople trained to use a certain set of tools (editors, object managers, version trackers) to generate a certain kind of product (programs) that will operate in some environment (operating systems on hardware assemblies). Like any other craft, computer programming has spawned a body of wisdom, most of which isn't taught at universities or in certification classes. Most programmers arrive at the so-called tricks of the trade over time, through independent experimentation. In The Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas codify many of the truths they've discovered during their respective careers as designers of software and writers of code.

    Some of the authors' nuggets of pragmatism are concrete, and the path to their implementation is clear. They advise readers to learn one text editor, for example, and use it for everything. They also recommend the use of version-tracking software for even the smallest projects, and promote the merits of learning regular expression syntax and a text-manipulation language. Other (perhaps more valuable) advice is more light-hearted. In the debugging section, it is noted that, "if you see hoof prints think horses, not zebras." That is, suspect everything, but start looking for problems in the most obvious places. There are recommendations for making estimates of time and expense, and for integrating testing into the development process. You'll want a copy of The Pragmatic Programmer for two reasons: it displays your own accumulated wisdom more cleanly than you ever bothered to state it, and it introduces you to methods of work that you may not yet have considered. Working programmers will enjoy this book. --David Wall

    Topics covered: A useful approach to software design and construction that allows for efficient, profitable development of high-quality products. Elements of the approach include specification development, customer relations, team management, design practices, development tools, and testing procedures. This approach is presented with the help of anecdotes and technical problems. [via]

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  • Secrets and Lies
    ISBN 3527500219 (3-527-50021-9)
    Hardcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc

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    Book summary:

    Wem kann man heute noch trauen? Bruce Schneier ist sicher einen Versuch wert -- seine Fähigkeit, den gesunden Menschenverstand anzusprechen, macht sein Buch Secrets & Lies. IT-Sicherheit in einer vernetzten Welt sowohl zu einer Offenbarung als auch zu einem praktischen Ratgeber. Schon seit Jahren arbeitet er im Bereich der Kryptographie und der elektronischen Sicherheit, und kam dabei zu der ernüchternden Erkenntnis, dass selbst die intelligenteste Programmierung und die sicherste Hardware keinen Schutz vor Angriffen darstellt, die auf menschliche Schwächen zielen.

    Das Buch ist übersichtlich in drei Teile gegliedert: am Anfang ein Überblick über aktuelle Systeme und Bedrohungen, es folgen Techniken mit denen Daten geschützt und abgefangen werden können und zuletzt Strategien für die optimale Einrichtung von Sicherheitssystemen. Ohne sich blind auf vorbeugende Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu verlassen, befürwortet Schneier Vorgehensweisen zur schnellen Aufdeckung und Reaktion auf einen Angriff, während man sich Amateure mit Firewalls und anderen Gateways vom Leib hält.

    Neueinsteiger in die Welt von Schneier werden erstaunt sein, wie unterhaltsam er vor allem bei Themen sein kann, die allgemein als trocken und langweilig betrachtet werden. Egal ob er das Sicherheitsproblem von Rebellen und Todesstern in Star Wars analysiert oder sich über die großen Software- und E-Commerce-Unternehmen lustig macht, die ständig die Sicherheit ihrer Systeme für neue Modeanwendungen aufs Spiel setzen -- Schneier ist einer der wenigen Technik-Autoren, die den Leser unentwegt zum Lachen bringen.

    Zwar ist er was die Zukunft der Systemsicherheit betrifft einigermaßen pessimistisch, aber er nimmt dem Leser die Angst, indem er unsere Welt der Elektronik mit der uns vertrauten, ebenso unsicheren Welt des Papiers vergleicht. Was macht da schon ein kleiner Kreditkartenbetrug aus. Trotz einer unglücklich platzierten (wenn auch kurzen) Schleichwerbung für seine Beratungsfirma im Nachwort des Buches, kann man sich darauf verlassen, dass Schneier in Secrets & Lies. IT-Sicherheit in einer vernetzten Welt" gute Arbeit leistet. --Rob Lightner [via]

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  • Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World
    by Bruce Schneier
    ISBN 0471453803 (0-471-45380-3)
    Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc

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    Book summary:

    At the moment, it seems that hardly a day passes without fresh news of some glaring Internet security breach; online banks, of all things, seem to be particularly vulnerable at the moment. All of which will come as no great surprise to network security cum cryptography guru, Bruce Schnier. His latest book, Secrets and Lies, paints a very gloomy overview of the true state of network security. Schnier, founder of Counterpane Internet Security, has some harsh words to say about the state of network security, though, to be fair, his criticisms are directed far and wide; not one scapegoat, (not even Microsoft) is singled out for special attention. Depressingly, the words "fundamentally flawed" crop up time and time again in this absorbing book.

    Secrets and Lies is a thorough backgrounder in all aspects of network security, an extremely wide remit that stretches from passwords to encryption, passing through authentication and attack trees along the way. The book is divided in to three broad categories, The Landscape, which covers attacks, adversaries and the need for security; Technologies, which discusses cryptography, authentication, network security, secure hardware and security tricks; and concludes with Strategies, which looks at vulnerabilities, risk assessment, security policies and the future of security. Mercifully there's a dim light at the end of this tunnel and Schnier ultimately remains upbeat about maintaining computer security and details a way forward in his conclusion.

    Although working in a necessarily techie environment, Schnier's book is surprisingly jargon-free and easy to understand, even if you're not au fait with the inner workings of TCP/IP--it's common-sense, practical style makes a potentially dense and arcane subject accessible by just about anybody. It's also bang up to date, which makes for a pleasant change. Secrets and Lies is never less than thought-provoking and should be essential reading for every network administrator in the land. Be afraid, be very afraid! --Roger Gann [via]

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  • Sed & Awk
    by Arnold Robbins, Dale Dougherty
    ISBN 1565922255 (1-56592-225-5)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    sed & awk describes two text processing programs that are mainstays of the UNIX programmer's toolbox.

    sed is a "stream editor" for editing streams of text that might be too large to edit as a single file, or that might be generated on the fly as part of a larger data processing step. The most common operation done with sed is substitution, replacing one block of text with another.

    awk is a complete programming language. Unlike many conventional languages, awk is "data driven" -- you specify what kind of data you are interested in and the operations to be performed when that data is found. awk does many things for you, including automatically opening and closing data files, reading records, breaking the records up into fields, and counting the records. While awk provides the features of most conventional programming languages, it also includes some unconventional features, such as extended regular expression matching and associative arrays. sed & awk describes both programs in detail and includes a chapter of example sed and awk scripts.

    This edition covers features of sed and awk that are mandated by the POSIX standard. This most notably affects awk, where POSIX standardized a new variable, CONVFMT, and new functions, toupper() and tolower(). The CONVFMT variable specifies the conversion format to use when converting numbers to strings (awk used to use OFMT for this purpose). The toupper() and tolower() functions each take a (presumably mixed case) string argument and return a new version of the string with all letters translated to the corresponding case.

    In addition, this edition covers GNU sed, newly available since the first edition. It also updates the first edition coverage of Bell Labs nawk and GNU awk (gawk), covers mawk, an additional freely available implementation of awk, and briefly discusses three commercial versions of awk, MKS awk, Thompson Automation awk (tawk), and Videosoft (VSAwk).

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  • Robbins, Arnold: Sed & Awk Pocket Reference
    Sed & Awk Pocket Reference
    by Arnold Robbins
    ISBN 156592729X (1-56592-729-X)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    For people who create and modify text files, sed and awk are power tools for editing. sed, awk, and regular expressions allow programmers and system administrators to automate editing tasks that need to be performed on one or more files, to simplify the task of performing the same edits on multiple files, and to write conversion programs.

    The sed & awk Pocket Reference is a companion volume to sed & awk, Second Edition, Unix in a Nutshell, Third Edition, and Effective awk Programming, Third Edition. This new edition has expanded coverage of gawk (GNU awk), and includes sections on:

    • An overview of sed and awk?s command line syntax
    • Alphabetical summaries of commands, including nawk and gawk
    • Profiling with pgawk
    • Coprocesses and sockets with gawk
    • Internationalization with gawk
    • A listing of resources for sed and awk users
    This small book is a handy reference guide to the information presented in the larger volumes. It presents a concise summary of regular expressions and pattern matching, and summaries of sed and awk.

    Arnold Robbins, an Atlanta native now happily living in Israel, is a professional programmer and technical author and coauthor of various O'Reilly Unix titles. He has been working with Unix systems since 1980, and currently maintains gawk and its documentation.

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  • Stoll, Clifford: Silicon Snake Oil
    Silicon Snake Oil
    by Clifford Stoll
    ISBN 0385419945 (0-385-41994-5)
    Softcover, Random House Inc

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    Book summary:

    In Silicon Snake Oil, Clifford Stoll, the best-selling author of The Cuckoo's Egg and one of the pioneers of the Internet, turns his attention to the much-heralded information highway, revealing that it is not all it's cracked up to be.  Yes, the Internet provides access to plenty of services, but useful information is virtually impossible to find and difficult to access. Is being on-line truly useful? "Few aspects of daily life require computers...They're irrelevant to cooking, driving, visiting, negotiating, eating, hiking, dancing, speaking, and gossiping. You don't need a computer to...recite a poem or say a prayer." Computers can't, Stoll claims, provide a richer or better life. A cautionary tale about today's media darling, Silicon Snake Oil has sparked intense debate across the country about the merits--and foibles--of what's been touted as the entranceway to our future. From the Trade Paperback edition. [via]

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  • Snow Crash
    by Neal Stephenson
    ISBN 0553380958 (0-553-38095-8)
    Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group

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    From the opening line of his breakthrough cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson plunges the reader into a not-too-distant future. It is a world where the Mafia controls pizza delivery, the United States exists as a patchwork of corporate-franchise city-states, and the Internet--incarnate as the Metaverse--looks something like last year's hype would lead you to believe it should. Enter Hiro Protagonist--hacker, samurai swordsman, and pizza-delivery driver. When his best friend fries his brain on a new designer drug called Snow Crash and his beautiful, brainy ex-girlfriend asks for his help, what's a guy with a name like that to do? He rushes to the rescue. A breakneck-paced 21st-century novel, Snow Crash interweaves everything from Sumerian myth to visions of a postmodern civilization on the brink of collapse. Faster than the speed of television and a whole lot more fun, Snow Crash is the portrayal of a future that is bizarre enough to be plausible. [via]

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  • Tcp/Ip Network Administration
    by Craig Hunt
    ISBN 1565923227 (1-56592-322-7)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    This book will be indispensable to Unix system administrators. It describes how to set up and administer a network of Unix systems using the TCP/IP protocols, taking a thoroughly practical approach. Topics covered include basic system configuration, routing, common network applications, and many others. [via]

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  • Robbins, Arnold: Unix Cd Bookshelf 2.0
    Unix Cd Bookshelf 2.0
    by Arnold Robbins
    ISBN 1565928156 (1-56592-815-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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  • Unix in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference for System V Release 4 and Solaris 2.0
    by Daniel Gilly
    ISBN 1565920015 (1-56592-001-5)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Simply the best System V and Solaris reference on the market today, Unix in a Nutshell won't steer you wrong. The book's concise style delivers the essential information on Unix, shell, and utility commands. Its command documentation is clear and complete and its examples are relevant and easy to follow.

    Gilly starts with a complete, alphabetized listing of core Unix commands. Each entry includes a syntax summary, a clear statement of what the command does, and a full list of options, each with commentary on its function. The author then covers shell documentation, supplying details on the Bourne, Korn, and C shells and documenting each shell's commands in the standard format. Gilly also includes a section on regular expressions as they apply to grep, egrep, text editors, and various scripting languages.

    Next, the book offers complete documentation of Emacs, ex, and vi, the powerful editors whose command structure proves perennially difficult to learn. The commands, once again, appear alphabetically with statements of their respective purposes. Other popular utilities--sed, awk, nroff, troff, tbl, and several macro languages--follow. Code managers SCCS and RCS, rarely documented in Unix books, bring up the rear.

    Users need to know what they're looking up or they won't find this book useful. Otherwise, Unix in a Nutshell's documentation is the best. --David Wall [via]

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  • Web Design in a Nutshell
    by Jennifer Niederst Robbins
    ISBN 1600330126 (1-60033-012-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Are you still designing web sites like it's 1999? If so, you're in for a surprise. Since the last edition of this book appeared five years ago, there has been a major climate change with regard to web standards. Designers are no longer using (X)HTML as a design tool, but as a means of defining the meaning and structure of content. Cascading Style Sheets are no longer just something interesting to tinker with, but rather a reliable method for handling all matters of presentation, from fonts and colors to the layout of the entire page. In fact, following the standards is now a mandate of professional web design.

    Our popular reference, Web Design in a Nutshell, is one of the first books to capture this new web landscape with an edition that's been completely rewritten and expanded to reflect the state of the art. In addition to being an authoritative reference for (X)HTML and Cascading Style Sheets, this book also provides an overview of the unique requirements of designing for the Web and gets to the nitty-gritty of JavaScript and DOM Scripting, web graphics optimization, and multimedia production. It is an indispensable tool for web designers and developers of all levels.

    The third edition covers these contemporary web design topics:

    • Structural layer: HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 (9 chapters), including an alphabetical reference of all elements, attributes and character entities
    • Presentation layer: Ten all-new chapters on Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2.1, including an alphabetical reference of all properties and values.
    • Behavior layer: JavaScript and scripting with the Document Object Model (DOM)
    • Web environment: New web standards, browsers, display devices, accessibility, and internationalization
    • Web graphics optimization: Producing lean and mean GIF, JPEG, PNG, and animated GIFs
    • Multimedia: Web audio, video, Flash, and PDF

    Organized so that readers can find answers quickly, Web Design in a Nutshell, Third Edition helps experienced designers come up to speed quickly on standards-based web design, and serves as a quick reference for those already familiar with the new standards and technology.


    There are many books for web designers, but none that address such a wide variety of topics. Find out why nearly half a million buyers have made this the most popular web design book available.

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  • Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference
    by Jennifer Niederst
    ISBN 1565925157 (1-56592-515-7)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Are you still designing web sites like it's 1999? If so, you're in for a surprise. Since the last edition of this book appeared five years ago, there has been a major climate change with regard to web standards. Designers are no longer using (X)HTML as a design tool, but as a means of defining the meaning and structure of content. Cascading Style Sheets are no longer just something interesting to tinker with, but rather a reliable method for handling all matters of presentation, from fonts and colors to the layout of the entire page. In fact, following the standards is now a mandate of professional web design.

    Our popular reference, Web Design in a Nutshell, is one of the first books to capture this new web landscape with an edition that's been completely rewritten and expanded to reflect the state of the art. In addition to being an authoritative reference for (X)HTML and Cascading Style Sheets, this book also provides an overview of the unique requirements of designing for the Web and gets to the nitty-gritty of JavaScript and DOM Scripting, web graphics optimization, and multimedia production. It is an indispensable tool for web designers and developers of all levels.

    The third edition covers these contemporary web design topics:

    • Structural layer: HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 (9 chapters), including an alphabetical reference of all elements, attributes and character entities
    • Presentation layer: Ten all-new chapters on Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2.1, including an alphabetical reference of all properties and values.
    • Behavior layer: JavaScript and scripting with the Document Object Model (DOM)
    • Web environment: New web standards, browsers, display devices, accessibility, and internationalization
    • Web graphics optimization: Producing lean and mean GIF, JPEG, PNG, and animated GIFs
    • Multimedia: Web audio, video, Flash, and PDF

    Organized so that readers can find answers quickly, Web Design in a Nutshell, Third Edition helps experienced designers come up to speed quickly on standards-based web design, and serves as a quick reference for those already familiar with the new standards and technology.


    There are many books for web designers, but none that address such a wide variety of topics. Find out why nearly half a million buyers have made this the most popular web design book available.

    [via]

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  • Where Wizards Stay Up Late
    by Katie Hafner, Matthew Lyon
    ISBN 0684832674 (0-684-83267-4)
    Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    Considering that the history of the Internet is perhaps better documented internally than any other technological construct, it is remarkable how shadowy its origins have been to most people, including die-hard Net-denizens!

    At last, Hafner and Lyon have written a well-researched story of the origins of the Internet substantiated by extensive interviews with its creators who delve into many interesting details such as the controversy surrounding the adoption of our now beloved "@" sign as the separator of usernames and machine addresses. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past -- and the future -- of the Net specifically, and telecommunications generally. [via]

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  • Where Wizards Stay up Late : The Story Behind the Creation of the Internet
    by Katie Hafner, Matthew Lyon
    ISBN 0684812010 (0-684-81201-0)
    Hardcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    Considering that the history of the Internet is perhaps better documented internally than any other technological construct, it is remarkable how shadowy its origins have been to most people, including die-hard Net-denizens!

    At last, Hafner and Lyon have written a well-researched story of the origins of the Internet substantiated by extensive interviews with its creators who delve into many interesting details such as the controversy surrounding the adoption of our now beloved "@" sign as the separator of usernames and machine addresses. Essential reading for anyone interested in the past -- and the future -- of the Net specifically, and telecommunications generally. [via]

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