books tagged “computers”

books tagged “computers”

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  • The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computer Exceed Human Intelligence
    by Ray Kurzweil
    ISBN 0140282025 (0-14-028202-5)
    Softcover, Penguin Group USA

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    Book summary:

    How much do we humans enjoy our current status as the most intelligent beings on earth? Enough to try to stop our own inventions from surpassing us in smarts? If so, we'd better pull the plug right now, because if Ray Kurzweil is right we've only got until about 2020 before computers outpace the human brain in computational power. Kurzweil, artificial intelligence expert and author of The Age of Intelligent Machines, shows that technological evolution moves at an exponential pace. Further, he asserts, in a sort of swirling postulate, time speeds up as order increases, and vice versa. He calls this the "Law of Time and Chaos," and it means that although entropy is slowing the stream of time down for the universe overall, and thus vastly increasing the amount of time between major events, in the eddy of technological evolution the exact opposite is happening, and events will soon be coming faster and more furiously. This means that we'd better figure out how to deal with conscious machines as soon as possible--they'll soon not only be able to beat us at chess, but also likely demand civil rights, and might at last realize the very human dream of immortality.

    The Age of Spiritual Machines is compelling and accessible, and not necessarily best read from front to back--it's less heavily historical if you jump around (Kurzweil encourages this). Much of the content of the book lays the groundwork to justify Kurzweil's timeline, providing an engaging primer on the philosophical and technological ideas behind the study of consciousness. Instead of being a gee-whiz futurist manifesto, Spiritual Machines reads like a history of the future, without too much science fiction dystopianism. Instead, Kurzweil shows us the logical outgrowths of current trends, with all their attendant possibilities. This is the book we'll turn to when our computers first say "hello." --Therese Littleton [via]

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  • Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C
    by Bruce Schneier
    ISBN 0471117099 (0-471-11709-9)
    Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc

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    Book summary:

    After a brief account of the history of cryptography, the latest data on encryption protocols and techniques are explained. Describes present-day applications ranging from electronic cash to anonymous messaging and current security concerns. The second section assumes fairly sophisticated knowledge of the C programming language and features numerous source code fragments. Practical implementations of the code are listed throughout the book's second half. [via]

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  • Being Digital
    by Nicholas Negroponte, Marty Asher
    ISBN 0679762906 (0-679-76290-6)
    Softcover, Vintage Books

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    Book summary:

    As the founder of MIT's Media Lab and a popular columnist for Wired, Nicholas Negroponte has amassed a following of dedicated readers. Negroponte's fans will want to get a copy of Being Digital, which is an edited version of the 18 articles he wrote for Wired about "being digital."

    Negroponte's text is mostly a history of media technology rather than a set of predictions for future technologies. In the beginning, he describes the evolution of CD-ROMs, multimedia, hypermedia, HDTV (high-definition television), and more. The section on interfaces is informative, offering an up-to-date history on visual interfaces, graphics, virtual reality (VR), holograms, teleconferencing hardware, the mouse and touch-sensitive interfaces, and speech recognition.

    In the last chapter and the epilogue, Negroponte offers visionary insight on what "being digital" means for our future. Negroponte praises computers for their educational value but recognizes certain dangers of technological advances, such as increased software and data piracy and huge shifts in our job market that will require workers to transfer their skills to the digital medium. Overall, Being Digital provides an informative history of the rise of technology and some interesting predictions for its future. [via]

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  • C Programming Language
    by Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis M. Ritchie
    ISBN 0131101633 (0-13-110163-3)
    Hardcover, Prentice-Hall

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    Book summary:

    An indisputably classic computing text, Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition, is the standard reference for learning and using ANSI C. Written by the co-inventors of C, this concise tutorial has a well-deserved reputation for clarity and precision as it defines one of the most successful programming languages of all time. It's an essential reference, which will be useful for beginners and experienced programmers alike.

    This masterful tour of C features concentrates on essential programming constructs, from the basics--such as data types, variables, operators and flow control--to more advanced topics. Short, effective programming samples are the rule here. (Many samples work with strings and text files). Along the way, the authors don't shy away from the thornier C topics. For example, when discussing pointers, they look at pointers to pointers and even pointers to functions. Later in the book, they offer useful code for a flexible memory allocation scheme and a binary tree. The text concludes with the formal specification for C and a compact listing of the functions in the C standard header files.

    C is still a great first programming language, and its influence is felt in Java and C++, both of which support many programming constructs based on C, while adding support for objects. The C Programming Language is still an excellent reference to one of our most successful and efficient programming languages. It's a book that deserves a place on the bookshelf of any C/C++ developer, regardless of your experience with the language. --Richard Dragan, Amazon.com

    Topics covered:

    • overview of ANSI C
    • introductory language tutorial
    • data types
    • variables
    • arrays
    • operators and operator precedence
    • flow control
    • functions
    • header files
    • recursion
    • macros and the C pre-processor
    • pointers and arrays
    • advanced pointer types (pointers to pointers, pointers to functions)
    • multidimensional arrays
    • structures and unions
    • dynamic memory allocation
    • console and file I/O
    • UNIX file functions
    • Formal description of the standard C language
    • Reference to C standard library header files and functions
    [via]

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  • The C Programming Language: ANSI C Version
    by Brian W. Kernighan
    ISBN 0131103628 (0-13-110362-8)
    Softcover, Prentice Hall

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    Book summary:

    An indisputably classic computing text, Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language, 2nd Edition, is the standard reference for learning and using ANSI C. Written by the co-inventors of C, this concise tutorial has a well-deserved reputation for clarity and precision as it defines one of the most successful programming languages of all time. It's an essential reference, which will be useful for beginners and experienced programmers alike.

    This masterful tour of C features concentrates on essential programming constructs, from the basics--such as data types, variables, operators and flow control--to more advanced topics. Short, effective programming samples are the rule here. (Many samples work with strings and text files). Along the way, the authors don't shy away from the thornier C topics. For example, when discussing pointers, they look at pointers to pointers and even pointers to functions. Later in the book, they offer useful code for a flexible memory allocation scheme and a binary tree. The text concludes with the formal specification for C and a compact listing of the functions in the C standard header files.

    C is still a great first programming language, and its influence is felt in Java and C++, both of which support many programming constructs based on C, while adding support for objects. The C Programming Language is still an excellent reference to one of our most successful and efficient programming languages. It's a book that deserves a place on the bookshelf of any C/C++ developer, regardless of your experience with the language. --Richard Dragan, Amazon.com

    Topics covered:

    • overview of ANSI C
    • introductory language tutorial
    • data types
    • variables
    • arrays
    • operators and operator precedence
    • flow control
    • functions
    • header files
    • recursion
    • macros and the C pre-processor
    • pointers and arrays
    • advanced pointer types (pointers to pointers, pointers to functions)
    • multidimensional arrays
    • structures and unions
    • dynamic memory allocation
    • console and file I/O
    • UNIX file functions
    • Formal description of the standard C language
    • Reference to C standard library header files and functions
    [via]

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  • The C++ Programming Language
    by Bjarne Stroustrup
    ISBN 0201889544 (0-201-88954-4)
    Softcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    More than three-quarters of a million programmers have benefited from this book in all of its editions Written by Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, this is the world's most trusted and widely read book on C++. For this special hardcover edition, two new appendixes on locales and standard library exception safety (also available at www.research.att.com/~bs/) have been added. The result is complete, authoritative coverage of the C++ language, its standard library, and key design techniques. Based on the ANSI/ISO C++ standard, The C++ Programming Language provides current and comprehensive coverage of all C++ language features and standard library components. For example: abstract classes as interfaces class hierarchies for object-oriented programming templates as the basis for type-safe generic software exceptions for regular error handling namespaces for modularity in large-scale software run-time type identification for loosely coupled systems the C subset of C++ for C compatibility and system-level work standard containers and algorithms standard strings, I/O streams, and numerics C compatibility, internationalization, and exception safety Bjarne Stroustrup makes C++ even more accessible to those new to the language, while adding advanced information and techniques that even expert C++ programmers will find invaluable. [via]

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  • Code Complete
    by Steve McConnell
    ISBN 0735619670 (0-7356-1967-0)
    Softcover, Microsoft Pr

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    Book summary:

    Widely considered one of the best practical guides to programming, Steve McConnell's original CODE COMPLETE has been helping developers write better software for more than a decade. Now this classic book has been fully updated and revised with leading-edge practices-and hundreds of new code samples-illustrating the art and science of software construction. Capturing the body of knowledge available from research, academia, and everyday commercial practice, McConnell synthesizes the most effective techniques and must-know principles into clear, pragmatic guidance. No matter what your experience level, development environment, or project size, this book will inform and stimulate your thinking-and help you build the highest quality code.

    Discover the timeless techniques and strategies that help you:

    • Design for minimum complexity and maximum creativity
    • Reap the benefits of collaborative development
    • Apply defensive programming techniques to reduce and flush out errors
    • Exploit opportunities to refactor-or evolve-code, and do it safely
    • Use construction practices that are right-weight for your project
    • Debug problems quickly and effectively
    • Resolve critical construction issues early and correctly
    • Build quality into the beginning, middle, and end of your project
    [via]

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  • Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction
    by Steve McConnell
    ISBN 1556154844 (1-55615-484-4)
    Softcover, Microsoft Pr

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    Book summary:

    Believed by many of our customers to be the best practical guide to writing commercial software, and Highly Recommended. [via]

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  • Cryptonomicon
    by Neal Stephenson
    ISBN 0060512806 (0-06-051280-6)
    Softcover, Harpercollins

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    Book summary:

    Neal Stephenson enjoys cult status among science fiction fans and techie types thanks to Snow Crash, which so completely redefined conventional notions of the high-tech future that it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. But if his cyberpunk classic was big, Cryptonomicon is huge... gargantuan... massive, not just in size (a hefty 918 pages including appendices) but in scope and appeal. It's the hip, readable heir to Gravity's Rainbow and the Illuminatus trilogy. And it's only the first of a proposed series--for more information, read our interview with Stephenson.

    Cryptonomicon zooms all over the world, careening conspiratorially back and forth between two time periods--World War II and the present. Our 1940s heroes are the brilliant mathematician Lawrence Waterhouse, cryptanalyst extraordinaire, and gung ho, morphine-addicted marine Bobby Shaftoe. They're part of Detachment 2702, an Allied group trying to break Axis communication codes while simultaneously preventing the enemy from figuring out that their codes have been broken. Their job boils down to layer upon layer of deception. Dr. Alan Turing is also a member of 2702, and he explains the unit's strange workings to Waterhouse. "When we want to sink a convoy, we send out an observation plane first.... Of course, to observe is not its real duty--we already know exactly where the convoy is. Its real duty is to be observed.... Then, when we come round and sink them, the Germans will not find it suspicious."

    All of this secrecy resonates in the present-day story line, in which the grandchildren of the WWII heroes--inimitable programming geek Randy Waterhouse and the lovely and powerful Amy Shaftoe--team up to help create an offshore data haven in Southeast Asia and maybe uncover some gold once destined for Nazi coffers. To top off the paranoiac tone of the book, the mysterious Enoch Root, key member of Detachment 2702 and the Societas Eruditorum, pops up with an unbreakable encryption scheme left over from WWII to befuddle the 1990s protagonists with conspiratorial ties.

    Cryptonomicon is vintage Stephenson from start to finish: short on plot, but long on detail so precise it's exhausting. Every page has a math problem, a quotable in-joke, an amazing idea, or a bit of sharp prose. Cryptonomicon is also packed with truly weird characters, funky tech, and crypto--all the crypto you'll ever need, in fact, not to mention all the computer jargon of the moment. A word to the wise: if you read this book in one sitting, you may die of information overload (and starvation). --Therese Littleton [via]

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  • Cuckoo's Egg
    by Clifford Stoll
    ISBN 1416507787 (1-4165-0778-7)
    Softcover, Pocket Books

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    Book summary:

    A sentimental favorite, The Cuckoo's Egg seems to have inspired a whole category of books exploring the quest to capture computer criminals. Still, even several years after its initial publication and after much imitation, the book remains a good read with an engaging story line and a critical outlook, as Clifford Stoll becomes, almost unwillingly, a one-man security force trying to track down faceless criminals who've invaded the university computer lab he stewards. What first appears as a 75-cent accounting error in a computer log is eventually revealed to be a ring of industrial espionage, primarily thanks to Stoll's persistence and intellectual tenacity. [via]

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  • The Cuckoo's Egg: Inside the World of Computer Espionage
    by Clifford Stoll, Julie Rubenstein
    ISBN 0671726889 (0-671-72688-9)
    Softcover, Simon & Schuster

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    Book summary:

    A sentimental favorite, The Cuckoo's Egg seems to have inspired a whole category of books exploring the quest to capture computer criminals. Still, even several years after its initial publication and after much imitation, the book remains a good read with an engaging story line and a critical outlook, as Clifford Stoll becomes, almost unwillingly, a one-man security force trying to track down faceless criminals who've invaded the university computer lab he stewards. What first appears as a 75-cent accounting error in a computer log is eventually revealed to be a ring of industrial espionage, primarily thanks to Stoll's persistence and intellectual tenacity. [via]

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  • Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
    by Ralph Johnson, Erich Gamma, John Vlissides, Richard Helm
    ISBN 0201633612 (0-201-63361-2)
    Hardcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    Published in 1995, design patterns: elements of reusable object-oriented software has elicited a great deal of praise from the press and readers. The 23 patterns contained in the book have become an essential resource for anyone developing reusable software designs. In response to a great number of requests from readers of the book and from the object-oriented community as a whole, these designs patterns, along with the entire text of the book, are being made available on cd. This electronic version will enable students to install the patterns directly onto a computer and create an architecture for using and building reusable components. Produced in html format, the cd is heavily cross-referenced with numerous links to the online text [via]

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  • Essential System Administration
    by Aeleen Frisch
    ISBN 1565921275 (1-56592-127-5)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Essential System Administration,3rd Edition is the definitive guide for Unix system administration, covering all the fundamental and essential tasks required to run such divergent Unix systems as AIX, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Tru64 and more. Essential System Administration provides a clear, concise, practical guide to the real-world issues that anyone responsible for a Unix system faces daily.

    The new edition of this indispensable reference has been fully updated for all the latest operating systems. Even more importantly, it has been extensively revised and expanded to consider the current system administrative topics that administrators need most. Essential System Administration,3rd Edition covers: DHCP, USB devices, the latest automation tools, SNMP and network management, LDAP, PAM, and recent security tools and techniques.

    Essential System Administration is comprehensive. But what has made this book the guide system administrators turn to over and over again is not just the sheer volume of valuable information it provides, but the clear, useful way the information is presented. It discusses the underlying higher-level concepts, but it also provides the details of the procedures needed to carry them out. It is not organized around the features of the Unix operating system, but around the various facets of a system administrator's job. It describes all the usual administrative tools that Unix provides, but it also shows how to use them intelligently and efficiently.

    Whether you use a standalone Unix system, routinely provide administrative support for a larger shared system, or just want an understanding of basic administrative functions, Essential System Administration is for you. This comprehensive and invaluable book combines the author's years of practical experience with technical expertise to help you manage Unix systems as productively and painlessly as possible.

    [via]

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  • Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
    by Douglas R. Hofstadter
    ISBN 0465026567 (0-465-02656-7)
    Softcover, Basic Books

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    Book summary:

    As stated in the Scientific American, "Every few decades an unknown author brings out a boof of such depth, clarity range, wit beauty and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary event - this is such a work." [via]

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  • The Hacker Crackdown
    by Bruce Sterling
    ISBN 1404306404 (1-4043-0640-4)
    Hardcover, Indypublish.Com

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  • The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier
    by Bruce Sterling
    ISBN 1404306412 (1-4043-0641-2)
    Softcover, Indypublish.Com

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    Book summary:

    Bruce Sterling's classic work highlights the 1990 assault on hackers, when law-enforcement officials successfully arrested scores of suspected illicit hackers and other computer-based law-breakers. These raids became symbolic of the debate between fighting serious computer crime and protecting civil liberties. However, The Hacker Crackdown is about far more than a series of police sting operations. It's a lively tour of three cyberspace subcultures--the hacker underworld, the realm of the cybercops, and the idealistic culture of the cybercivil libertarians.

    Sterling begins his story at the birth of cyberspace: the invention of the telephone. We meet the first hackers--teenage boys hired as telephone operators--who used their technical mastery, low threshold for boredom, and love of pranks to wreak havoc across the phone lines. From phone-related hi-jinks, Sterling takes us into the broader world of hacking and introduces many of the culprits--some who are fighting for a cause, some who are in it for kicks, and some who are traditional criminals after a fast buck. Sterling then details the triumphs and frustrations of the people forced to deal with the illicit hackers and tells how they developed their own subculture as cybercops. Sterling raises the ethical and legal issues of online law enforcement by questioning what rights are given to suspects and to those who have private e-mail stored on suspects' computers. Additionally, Sterling shows how the online civil liberties movement rose from seemingly unlikely places, such as the counterculture surrounding the Grateful Dead. The Hacker Crackdown informs you of the issues surrounding computer crime and the people on all sides of those issues. [via]

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  • Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
    by Steven Levy
    ISBN 0141000511 (0-14-100051-1)
    Softcover, Penguin Group USA

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    Book summary:

    Steven Levy's classic book explains why the misuse of the word "hackers" to describe computer criminals does a terrible disservice to many important shapers of the digital revolution. Levy follows members of an MIT model railroad club--a group of brilliant budding electrical engineers and computer innovators--from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. These eccentric characters used the term "hack" to describe a clever way of improving the electronic system that ran their massive railroad. And as they started designing clever ways to improve computer systems, "hack" moved over with them. These maverick characters were often fanatics who did not always restrict themselves to the letter of the law and who devoted themselves to what became known as "The Hacker Ethic." The book traces the history of hackers, from finagling access to clunky computer-card-punching machines to uncovering the inner secrets of what would become the Internet. This story of brilliant, eccentric, flawed, and often funny people devoted to their dream of a better world will appeal to a wide audience. [via]

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  • White, Ron: How Computers Work
    How Computers Work
    by Ron White, Timothy Edward Downs
    ISBN 1562761692 (1-56276-169-2)
    Softcover, Ziff-Davis Press

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    How Computers Work is a sort of picture encyclopedia illustrating the various technologies that make up the computer on your desk. It will appeal to anyone who's curious about how a disk drive stores a word processing document, what is actually happening when your PC runs through its lengthy startup process, how a modem transmits data, or how a sound card turns your voice into a data file.

    You could of course lead a long and productive computing life without ever knowing how data moves across the Internet, what happens when a computer is connected to a network, or what RAM is. You might have no interest in how fonts work, what's laser about a laser printer, or how e-mail moves your messages around the globe. You could still have a computer and not know what SCSI is, how a scanner scans, or how your graphics adapter creates accelerated 3-D graphics. And sure, you may have been blasting away at tanks without knowing how that force-feedback joystick works. But where's the fun in that?

    How Computers Work focuses primarily on the IBM-compatible PC and its peripheral products. Because much of this technology exists on the Mac and other platforms, Mac users might be a little unsatisfied at being excluded. Otherwise, this handsomely illustrated book of PC technology has something for every computer user. [via]

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  • How Computers Work: Includes Interactive Cd-Rom
    by Ron White
    ISBN 1562763644 (1-56276-364-4)
    Softcover, Macmillan Computer Pub

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    Book summary:

    How Computers Work is a sort of picture encyclopedia illustrating the various technologies that make up the computer on your desk. It will appeal to anyone who's curious about how a disk drive stores a word processing document, what is actually happening when your PC runs through its lengthy startup process, how a modem transmits data, or how a sound card turns your voice into a data file.

    You could of course lead a long and productive computing life without ever knowing how data moves across the Internet, what happens when a computer is connected to a network, or what RAM is. You might have no interest in how fonts work, what's laser about a laser printer, or how e-mail moves your messages around the globe. You could still have a computer and not know what SCSI is, how a scanner scans, or how your graphics adapter creates accelerated 3-D graphics. And sure, you may have been blasting away at tanks without knowing how that force-feedback joystick works. But where's the fun in that?

    How Computers Work focuses primarily on the IBM-compatible PC and its peripheral products. Because much of this technology exists on the Mac and other platforms, Mac users might be a little unsatisfied at being excluded. Otherwise, this handsomely illustrated book of PC technology has something for every computer user. [via]

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  • How Computers Work: Millennium Edition
    by Ron White, Stephen Adams, Timothy Downs
    ISBN 0789721120 (0-7897-2112-0)
    Softcover, Macmillan Computer Pub

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    Book summary:

    Sometimes you have to take a step back from "choose this, click that" computer books and survey the technologies that underpin the personal computers we use every day. We all know how to connect to the Internet, but few of us really know how a modem works. It's broadly understood that data written to a hard disk sticks around when the power goes off and data in RAM is lost--but why? Author Ron White and illustrator Timothy Edward Downs explain these and hundreds of other aspects of PC tech in How Computers Work. A typical spread tackles a single PC detail, such as uninterruptible power supplies or scanners, with one or more large, full-color drawings of the equipment in question and a series of detailed callouts that explain what different parts do. Where there's a process (such as the one behind optical character recognition), White and Downs present a series of illustrations and sequential bits of explanatory text. Plus, there's lots of historical information and speculation on technologies to come.

    Will it help you get more work done with your computer? No. Will it enable you to do things you couldn't do before? No. Rather, How Computers Work will help you understand in a broad sense what's going on when you tap the keys, click the mouse, and set software to work. Reading White's sharp prose and examining Downs's sparkling illustrations won't make you qualified to work as a computer repair technician (refer to detail-laden tomes like Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs and Mark Minasi's The Complete PC Upgrade & Maintenance Guide for that). This book will, however, make you a more informed computer user. You'll have a better idea of what's going on inside the beige enclosure. --David Wall

    Topics covered: Processors, random-access memory (RAM), expansion cards, modems, persistent storage devices (such as hard disks and Zip disks), digital cameras, printers, networks, and the basics of the Internet. [via]

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  • How Computers Work/Book and Cd-Rom
    by Ron White, Timothy Edward Downs
    ISBN 1562762508 (1-56276-250-8)
    Softcover, Macmillan Computer Pub

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    Book summary:

    Think you know your computer? You've only scratched the surface until you've experienced this CD-ROM-equipped version of PC/Computing's How Computers Work. One of the bestselling computer books of all time, it features two valuable educational and entertainment resources in one affordable package--a CD-ROM and a colorfully illustrated book. [via]

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  • In the Beginning...Was the Command Line
    by Neal Stephenson
    ISBN 0380815931 (0-380-81593-1)
    Softcover, Harpercollins

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    Book summary:

    Neal Stephenson, author of the sprawling and engaging Cryptonomicon, has written a manifesto that could be spoken by a character from that brilliant book. Primarily, In the Beginning ... Was the Command Line discusses the past and future of personal computer operating systems. "It is the fate of manufactured goods to slowly and gently depreciate as they get old," he writes, "but it is the fate of operating systems to become free." While others in the computer industry express similarly dogmatic statements, Stephenson charms the reader into his way of thinking, providing anecdotes and examples that turn the pages for you.

    Stephenson is a techie, and he's writing for an audience of coders and hackers in Command Line. The idea for this essay began online, when a shortened version of it was posted on Slashdot.org. The book still holds some marks of an e-mail flame gone awry, and some tangents should have been edited to hone his formidable arguments. But unlike similar writers who also discuss technical topics, he doesn't write to exclude; readers who appreciate computing history (like Dealers of Lightning or Fire in the Valley) can easily step into this book.

    Stephenson tackles many myths about industry giants in this volume, specifically Apple and Microsoft. By now, every newspaper reader has heard of Microsoft's overbearing business practices, but Stephenson cuts to the heart of new issues for the software giant with a finely sharpened steel blade. Apple fares only a little better as Stephenson (a former Mac user himself) highlights the early steps the company took to prepare for a monopoly within the computer market--and its surprise when this didn't materialize. Linux culture gets a thorough--but fair--skewering, and the strengths of BeOS are touted (although no operating system is nearly close enough to perfection in Stephenson's eyes).

    As for the rest of us, who have gladly traded free will and an intellectual understanding of computers for a clutter-free, graphically pleasing interface, Stephenson has thoughts to offer as well. He fully understands the limits nonprogrammers feel in the face of technology (an example being the "blinking 12" problem when your VCR resets itself). Even so, within Command Line he convincingly encourages us as a society to examine the metaphors of technology--simplifications that aren't really much simpler--that we greedily accept. --Jennifer Buckendorff [via]

    More editions of In the Beginning...Was the Command Line:

  • Introduction to Algorithms
    by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson
    ISBN 0262531968 (0-262-53196-8)
    Softcover, Mit Pr

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    Book summary:

    Aimed at any serious programmer or computer science student, the new second edition of Introduction to Algorithms builds on the tradition of the original with a truly magisterial guide to the world of algorithms. Clearly presented, mathematically rigorous, and yet approachable even for the math-averse, this title sets a high standard for a textbook and reference to the best algorithms for solving a wide range of computing problems.

    With sample problems and mathematical proofs demonstrating the correctness of each algorithm, this book is ideal as a textbook for classroom study, but its reach doesn't end there. The authors do a fine job of explaining each algorithm. (Reference sections on basic mathematical notation will help readers bridge the gap, but it will help to have some math background to appreciate the full achievement of this handsome hardcover volume.) Every algorithm is presented in pseudo-code, which can be implemented in any computer language, including C/C++ and Java. This ecumenical approach is one of the book's strengths. When it comes to sorting and common data structures, from basic linked lists to trees (including binary trees, red-black, and B-trees), this title really shines, with clear diagrams that show algorithms in operation. Even if you just glance over the mathematical notation here, you can definitely benefit from this text in other ways.

    The book moves forward with more advanced algorithms that implement strategies for solving more complicated problems (including dynamic programming techniques, greedy algorithms, and amortized analysis). Algorithms for graphing problems (used in such real-world business problems as optimizing flight schedules or flow through pipelines) come next. In each case, the authors provide the best from current research in each topic, along with sample solutions.

    This text closes with a grab bag of useful algorithms including matrix operations and linear programming, evaluating polynomials, and the well-known Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) (useful in signal processing and engineering). Final sections on "NP-complete" problems, like the well-known traveling salesman problem, show off that while not all problems have a demonstrably final and best answer, algorithms that generate acceptable approximate solutions can still be used to generate useful, real-world answers.

    Throughout this text, the authors anchor their discussion of algorithms with current examples drawn from molecular biology (like the Human Genome Project), business, and engineering. Each section ends with short discussions of related historical material, often discussing original research in each area of algorithms. On the whole, they argue successfully that algorithms are a "technology" just like hardware and software that can be used to write better software that does more, with better performance. Along with classic books on algorithms (like Donald Knuth's three-volume set, The Art of Computer Programming), this title sets a new standard for compiling the best research in algorithms. For any experienced developer, regardless of their chosen language, this text deserves a close look for extending the range and performance of real-world software. --Richard Dragan

    Topics covered: Overview of algorithms (including algorithms as a technology); designing and analyzing algorithms; asymptotic notation; recurrences and recursion; probabilistic analysis and randomized algorithms; heapsort algorithms; priority queues; quicksort algorithms; linear time sorting (including radix and bucket sort); medians and order statistics (including minimum and maximum); introduction to data structures (stacks, queues, linked lists, and rooted trees); hash tables (including hash functions); binary search trees; red-black trees; augmenting data structures for custom applications; dynamic programming explained (including assembly-line scheduling, matrix-chain multiplication, and optimal binary search trees); greedy algorithms (including Huffman codes and task-scheduling problems); amortized analysis (the accounting and potential methods); advanced data structures (including B-trees, binomial and Fibonacci heaps, representing disjoint sets in data structures); graph algorithms (representing graphs, minimum spanning trees, single-source shortest paths, all-pairs shortest paths, and maximum flow algorithms); sorting networks; matrix operations; linear programming (standard and slack forms); polynomials and the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT); number theoretic algorithms (including greatest common divisor, modular arithmetic, the Chinese remainder theorem, RSA public-key encryption, primality testing, integer factorization); string matching; computational geometry (including finding the convex hull); NP-completeness (including sample real-world NP-complete problems and their insolvability); approximation algorithms for NP-complete problems (including the traveling salesman problem); reference sections for summations and other mathematical notation, sets, relations, functions, graphs and trees, as well as counting and probability backgrounder (plus geometric and binomial distributions). [via]

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  • Java In A Nutshell
    ISBN 0596007736 (0-596-00773-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    'Java in a Nutshell', fifth edition, covers all the extensive changes implicit in 5.0, the latest and greatest version of Java yet. Among the improvements: more discussion on tools and frameworks, and new code examples to illustrate the working of APIs. [via]

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  • Java in a Nutshell
    by David Flanagan
    ISBN 1600330029 (1-60033-002-9)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    With more than 700,000 copies sold to date, "Java in

    a Nutshell

    from O'Reilly is clearly the favorite resource amongst the legion of

    developers and programmers using Java technology. And now, with the

    release of the 5.0 version of Java, O'Reilly has given the book that

    defined the "in a Nutshell" category another impressive tune-up.

    In this latest revision, readers will find "Java in a

    Nutshell,

    5th Edition does more than just cover the extensive changes implicit in

    5.0, the newest version of Java. It's undergone a complete makeover--in

    scope, size, and type of coverage--in order to more closely meet the

    needs of the modern Java programmer.

    To wit, "Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition

    now places less emphasis on coming to

    Java from C and C++, and adds more discussion on tools and frameworks.

    It also offers new code examples to illustrate the working of APIs,

    and, of course, extensive coverage of Java 5.0. But faithful readers

    take comfort: it still hasn't lost any of its core elements that made

    it such a classic to begin with.

    This handy reference gets right to the

    heart of the program with an accelerated introduction to the Java

    programming language and its key APIs--ideal for developers wishing to

    start writing code right away. And, as was the case in previous

    editions, Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition is once again chock-full of

    poignant tips, techniques, examples, and practical advice. For as long

    as Java has existed, "Java in a Nutshell has helped

    developers maximize the capabilities of the program's newest versions.

    And this latest edition is no different. [via]

    More editions of Java in a Nutshell:

  • Java in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference
    by David Flanagan
    ISBN 156592262X (1-56592-262-X)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    The 3rd edition of the well-known reference, Java in a Nutshell, covers the essential APIs of Java 1.2, including networking, security, input and output, and basic language and utility classes. Due to the size of the Java 1.2 API, graphics and graphical user interface classes are now examined in a volume called Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell, and server-side and enterprise programming are detailed in Java Enterprise in a Nutshell.

    Though primarily a reference, the book starts off with a thorough, fast-paced introduction to Java, exploring all the key topics, including syntax, object-oriented programming, security, beans, and tools. These discussions are brief and very information-dense, and if you are buying this book to learn the language, you will probably be overwhelmed by the speed of this initiation.

    This book intends to document quite a bit of Java, and it easily succeeds with broad coverage of Java programming in Part I, and API cataloging broken down by package in Part II. For example, discussions in Part I explain Types, Reflection, and Dynamic Loading. The handling of these topics takes a little over a page, but the book gives a useful overview with code examples that clearly illustrate the points made. It is one of the clearest and most concise treatments of these three topics available.

    The chapters in Part II include an introduction, diagrams, and sections for each class in the package. The sections for each class can be very informative, as in the discussion of the Socket class in the java.net chapter, which includes how to instantiate a Socket object, getting I/O streams from the object you instantiated, and how to alter the behavior of sockets. This discussion, like most in this book, is brief, clear, and to the point.

    If you are looking for a Java reference, this is a solid volume that will provide lasting value. --John Keogh

    Topics covered: Part I, "Introducing Java," provides broad coverage of Java programming topics, including data types, syntax, classes, and objects; Java file structure; inner classes; interfaces; packages; creating and initializing objects; destroying and finalizing objects; input/output; cryptography; networking; security; threads; JavaBeans; JavaDoc; and tools that come with Java 1.2 SDK.

    Part II, "The Java API Quick Reference," includes chapters on the following Java packages: java.beans, java.beans.beancontext, java.io, java.lang, java.lang.ref, java.lang.reflect, java.math, java.net, java.security, java.security.acl, java.security.cert, java.security.interfaces, java.security.spec, java.text, java.util, java.util.jar, java.util.zip, javax.crypto, javax.crypto.interfaces, javax.crypto.spec, and a final chapter, which provides an index for classes, methods, and fields. [via]

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  • Java in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference for Java Programmers
    by David Flanagan
    ISBN 1565921836 (1-56592-183-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Java in a Nutshell is a complete quick-reference guide to Java, the hot new programming language from Sun Microsystems. This comprehensive volume contains descriptions of all of the classes in the Java 1.0 API, with a definitive listing of all methods and variables. It also contains an accelerated introduction to Java for C and C++ programmers who want to learn the language fast.

    Java in a Nutshell introduces the Java programming language and contains many practical examples that show programmers how to write Java applications and applets. It is also an indispensable quick reference designed to wait faithfully by the side of every Java programmer's keyboard. It puts all the information Java programmers need right at their fingertips.

    Contents include:

    • An advanced introduction to Java. The first three chapters will teach C and C++ programmers everything they need to know to start programming with Java right away.
    • Practical, real-world examples that show programmers how to write applets; implement smooth animation; create graphical user interfaces; write client and server programs that communicate over the network; use threads; and more
    • A compact reference to the 211 classes, 1828 methods and 235 variables in the Java 1.0 API
    • Descriptions of each class
    • A Java keyword and concept glossary
    • Quick-reference tables of operators, primitives, escape characters, visibility modifiers, doc comment syntax, events, keysyms, fonts, colors, cursors, system properties, Unicode and Java-related HTML syntax
    • Documentation for the Java compiler, interpreter, and other tools in the Java Developer's Kit
    [via]

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  • Javascript: The Definitive Guide
    by David Flanagan
    ISBN 1565921933 (1-56592-193-3)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    In typical O'Reilly & Associates fashion, this book documents every nuance of the JavaScript 1.1 language specification. It may appear dry on the surface (many pages have the spare style of UNIX online documentation), but this is the book you'll pull off your shelf when you want to know which method returns the primitive value of an object. Flanagan's book comes out ahead of its competitors in a few other areas, too. JavaScript features a useful discussion of the limited JavaScript support found in Microsoft Internet Explorer and provides excellent documentation of LiveConnect, the software that allows JavaScript to communicate with Java applets. It also offers a taste of what's in store for the just-released JavaScript 1.2.

    With a relatively small number of examples and no CD-ROM, this guide is more of a reference than a tutorial. It will serve experienced JavaScript programmers far better than those who are just starting out with the language. [via]

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  • Learning Perl
    by Randal L. Schwartz
    ISBN 1565920422 (1-56592-042-2)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    In this update of a bestseller, two leading Perl trainers teach you to use the most universal scripting language in the age of the World Wide Web. With a foreword by Larry Wall, the creator of Perl, this smooth, carefully paced book is the "official" guide for both formal (classroom) and informal learning. It is now current for Perl version 5.004. Learning Perl is a hands-on tutorial designed to get you writing useful Perl scripts as quickly as possible. Exercises (with complete solutions) accompany each chapter. A lengthy new chapter in this edition introduces you to CGI programming, while touching also on the use of library modules, references, and Perl's object-oriented constructs. Perl is a language for easily manipulating text, files, and processes. It comes standard on most UNIX platforms and is available free of charge on all other important operating systems. Perl technical support is informally available -- often within minutes -- from a pool of experts who monitor a USENET newsgroup (comp.lang.perl.misc) with tens of thousands of readers. Contents include: A quick tutorial stroll through Perl basics Systematic, topic-by-topic coverage of Perl's broad capabilities Lots of brief code examples Programming exercises for each topic, with fully worked-out answers How to execute system commands from your Perl program How to manage DBM databases using Perl An introduction to CGI programming for the Web [via]

    More editions of Learning Perl:

  • Learning Perl : Making Easy Things Easy and Hard Things Possible
    by Randal L. Schwartz, Tom Phoenix
    ISBN 0596001320 (0-596-00132-0)
    Softcover, O'Reilly Media, Incorporated

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    Book summary:

    If you ask Perl programmers today what book they relied on most when they were learning Perl, you'll find that an overwhelming majority will name Learning Perl--also known affectionately as "the Llama." The first edition of Learning Perl appeared in 1993 and has been a bestseller ever since. Written by two of the most prominent and active members of the Perl community, this book is the quintessential tutorial for the Perl programming language.

    Perl began as a tool for Unix system administrators, used for countless small tasks throughout the workday. It has since blossomed into a full-featured programming language on practically every computing platform, and is used for web programming, database manipulation, XML processing, and (of course) system administration--all this while still remaining the perfect tool for the small daily tasks it was designed for. Perl is quick, fun, and eminently useful. Many people start using Perl because they need it, but they continue to use Perl because they love it.

    The third edition of Learning Perl has not only been updated for Perl 5.6, but has also been rewritten from the ground up to reflect the needs of programmers learning Perl today. Informed by their years of success at teaching Perl as consultants, the authors have re-engineered the book to better match the pace and scope appropriate for readers trying to get started with Perl, while retaining the detailed discussion, thorough examples, and eclectic wit for which the book is famous.

    This edition of the Llama includes an expanded and more gently-paced introduction to regular expressions, new exercises and solutions designed so readers can practice what they've learned while it's still fresh in their minds, and an overall reworking to bring Learning Perl into the new millennium.

    Perl is a language for getting your job done. Other books may teach you to program in Perl, but this book will turn you into a Perl programmer.

    [via]

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  • Linux in a Nutshell
    by Ellen Siever, Stephen Figgins, Aaron Weber
    ISBN 0596004826 (0-596-00482-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Linux in a Nutshell, now in its fourth edition, has won awards in the Linux community as the most indispensable book about Linux. It is an essential desktop reference for the commands that users of Linux utilize every day, with the depth of information and the practical, succinct "In a Nutshell" format that made the previous editions so popular.

    Comprehensive but concise, Linux in a Nutshell covers all substantial user, programming, administration, and networking commands for the most common Linux distributions. It's several quick references rolled into one: sed, gawk, RCS, CVS, vi, Emacs, bash, tcsh, regular expressions, package management, bootloaders, and desktop environments are all covered in this clear, to-the-point volume, along with core command-line utilities.

    The fourth edition continues to track the major changes in bootloaders, the GNOME and KDE desktops, and general Unix commands. Several commands related to CDs and music reflect the evolution of multimedia on Linux. Coverage has been added for GRUB, which has become the default bootloader on several Linux distributions, and for vim, the popular and feature-loaded extension to vi. The addition of several new options to the iptables firewall command and new commands related to DNSSEC and ssh show the book's value as a security tool. With this book, you no longer have to grope through long manpages and info documents for the information you need; you'll find it here in clear language and an easy-to-read format.

    Contents include:

    • Programming, system administration, networking, and user commands with complete lists of options
    • GRUB, LILO, and Loadlin bootloaders
    • Shell syntax and variables for the bash, csh, and tcsh shells
    • Pattern matching
    • Emacs, vi, and vim editing commands
    • sed and gawk commands
    • The GNOME and KDE desktops and the fvwm2 window manager
    • Red Hat and Debian package managers
    [via]

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  • Linux In A Nutshell
    by Robert Love, Arnold Robbins, Stephen Figgins, Aaron Weber, Ellen Siever
    ISBN 0596009305 (0-596-00930-5)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Over the last few years, Linux has grown both as an operating system and a tool for personal and business use. Simultaneously becoming more user friendly and more powerful as a back-end system, Linux has achieved new plateaus: the newer filesystems have solidified, new commands and tools have appeared and become standard, and the desktop--including new desktop environments--have proved to be viable, stable, and readily accessible to even those who don't consider themselves computer gurus.

    Whether you're using Linux for personal software projects, for a small office or home office (often termed the SOHO environment), to provide services to a small group of colleagues, or to administer a site responsible for millions of email and web connections each day, you need quick access to information on a wide range of tools. This book covers all aspects of administering and making effective use of Linux systems. Among its topics are booting, package management, and revision control. But foremost in Linux in a Nutshell are the utilities and commands that make Linux one of the most powerful and flexible systems available.

    Now in its fifth edition, Linux in a Nutshell brings users up-to-date with the current state of Linux. Considered by many to be the most complete and authoritative command reference for Linux available, the book covers all substantial user, programming, administration, and networking commands for the most common Linux distributions.

    Comprehensive but concise, the fifth edition has been updated to cover new features of major Linux distributions. Configuration information for the rapidly growing commercial network services and community update services is one of the subjects covered for the first time.

    But that's just the beginning. The book covers editors, shells, and LILO and GRUB boot options. There's also coverage of Apache, Samba, Postfix, sendmail, CVS, Subversion, Emacs, vi, sed, gawk, and much more. Everything that system administrators, developers, and power users need to know about Linux is referenced here, and they will turn to this book again and again.

    [via]

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  • Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference
    by Jessica Perry Hekman
    ISBN 1565921674 (1-56592-167-4)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Linux in a Nutshell incorporates all the typical characteristics of a command reference. On the positive side, there's no extraneous narrative gunk to get between you and the specific piece of information you're searching for. On the negative side, there's no entry-level instruction here to guide the uninitiated. While that's not a bad thing, it should serve as a warning to Linux newbies: supplement this book with another if you don't know what you're doing.

    Hekman devotes about a third of the book to Linux user commands that aren't part of specific shells, programming languages, applications, or the set of administrator commands. These commands are presented as straight man-page-style documentation in table form, listing commands, their switches, and succinct descriptions alphabetically. The author then goes on to document the three Linux shells--bash, csh, and tcsh--and the GNU utilities. The book's coverage of emacs, vi, pattern matching (regular expressions), sed, and gawk distinguishes it from its competitors. Hekman wraps up with more man-page-style documentation of programming commands and Linux's complete complement of administrator commands. [via]

    More editions of Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference:

  • Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference
    by O'Reilly Staff, Jessica Perry Linux in a Nutshell Hekman, Ellen Siever
    ISBN 1565925858 (1-56592-585-8)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference is a 612-page command and program reference guide for this red-hot Unix derivative. While Linux couldn't be easier to get--it's a free download from the Web--clear and concise documentation is key to successful application.

    Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference is only a minimal introduction to this remarkable operating system; the book's real strength lies in the simple alphabetical table of Linux commands that runs for more than 150 pages. Each command is documented with its various switches including occasional examples and brief overviews of especially interesting commands. Author Ellen Siever dedicates a section of the book to covering three common shell programs for Linux: bash, csh, and tcsh. In the short introduction to shells, Siever lists the commands that are common to all three as well as those that differ. This is followed by individual references for each.

    Coverage of the Emacs, ex, sed, and vi programs and command sets comprise the material on Linux text editors. The gawk scripting language is also represented, as well as sections detailing programming commands and the RCS and CVS file-versioning programs. The book also covers Perl, system administration commands, and dual booting.

    While Linux can be lots of fun, no one should dive in ill equipped. Using Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference will help you navigate this OS safely. --Stephen Plain [via]

    More editions of Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference:

  • Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference
    by Stephen Spainhour, Jessica P. Hekman, Stephen Figgins, Ellen Siever
    ISBN 0596000251 (0-596-00025-1)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    › Find signed collectible books: 'Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference'
    Book summary:

    Linux has command line utilities, boy does it have them. Linux In A Nutshell lists around 200 basic utilities beginners should find immediately useful in the first few pages. This is a little odd as it really isn't a book aimed at beginners. Rather, it is for the competent or even expert Linux user. The sad truth is no one has a brain large enough to keep all these commands and utilities instantly available, hence the need for quick references.

    Around half the book is devoted to command line utilities: what they do, how to invoke them and the various options they take. Naturally, it is the options causing problems. While -c says to send stuff to the standard output in some utilities, in others it doesn't. For example it tells mke2fs to scan a device for bad blocks. It also covers boot issues, various shells, emacs, vi, sed, gawk and pattern matching. CVS and RCS for version control get good coverage. Gnome and KDE get a short chapter each and oddly, so does fvwm2. Some of these choices seem arbitrary. For Perl you are referred elsewhere, PHP isn't mentioned and neither is python.

    In practice, the Linux man pages usually provide more information. Many of the book entries provide no more information than you would get from the usage instructions provided by the -h (or --help) option or by entering a nonsense option. The other complaint is inconsistency. Some of the commands have a usage example but most don't.

    The problem with Linux In A Nutshell is that if you are actually at your desk using Linux, it is quicker to reference the system itself for the information but the book is rather too large to carry around to reference when you might need it (though why do you need it if you aren't using Linux at the time? Pub quizzes perhaps?).

    Given that Linux commands comes with usage instructions, man pages and info pages as well as often having extra documentation, how-tos and source code--all for the versions you're using--it is hard to see quite what purpose its authors intended this book to serve. --Steve Patient [via]

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  • Microserfs
    by Douglas Coupland
    ISBN 0060987049 (0-06-098704-9)
    Softcover, Harpercollins

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    Book summary:

    Microserfs is not about Microsoft--it's about programmers who are searching for lives. A hilarious but frighteningly real look at geek life in the '90's, Coupland's book manifests a peculiar sense of how technology affects the human race and how it will continue to affect all of us. Microserfs is the hilarious journal of Dan, an ex-Microsoft programmer who, with his coder comrades, is on a quest to find purpose in life. This isn't just fodder for techies. The thoughts and fears of the not-so-stereotypical characters are easy for any of us to relate to, and their witty conversations and quirky view of the world make this a surprisingly thought-provoking book.

    " ... just think about the way high-tech cultures purposefully protract out the adolescence of their employees well into their late 20s, if not their early 30s," muses one programmer. "I mean, all those Nerf toys and free beverages! And the way tech firms won't even call work 'the office,' but instead, 'the campus.' It's sick and evil." [via]

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  • The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
    by Frederick Phillips Brooks
    ISBN 0201835959 (0-201-83595-9)
    Softcover, Addison-Wesley

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    Book summary:

    Classic book on the human elements of software engineering. [via]

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  • Pc/Computing How Computers Work
    by Ron White, Timothy Edward Downs
    ISBN 1562760947 (1-56276-094-7)
    Softcover, Macmillan Computer Pub

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    Book summary:

    Provides an accurate, meticulously detailed, extensively illustrated introduction to the inner workings of a personal computer, discussing the various components of a computer, what software does, computer applications, and more. Original. [via]

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  • Programming Perl
    by Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen, Jon Orwant
    ISBN 0596000278 (0-596-00027-8)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    › Find signed collectible books: 'Programming Perl'
    Book summary:

    This is the authoritative guide to the hottest new UNIX utility in years, coauthored by its creator, Larry Wall. Perl is a language for easily manipulating text, files, and processes. Perl provides a more concise and readable way to do many jobs that were formerly accomplished (with difficulty) by programming in the C language or one of the shells. Even though Perl is not yet a standard part of UNIX, it is likely to be available wherever you choose to work. And if it isn't, you can get it and install it easily and free of charge. Contents include: An introduction to Perl Common tasks with Perl Real Perl programs; includes database manipulation, programming aids, system administration, text and filename manipulation, interprocess communication, and more Perl syntax Perl functions Other oddments; invocation options, debugging, efficiency, the Perl library, linking in C subroutines, etc. Also includes a pull-out quick-reference card (designed and created by Johan Vromans). [via]

    More editions of Programming Perl:

  • Programming Perl
    by Stephen Potter, Larry Wall, Randal L. Schwartz, Tom Christiansen
    ISBN 1565921496 (1-56592-149-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    Book summary:

    The second edition of the Camel Book is more than 600 pages long and full of excellent instruction and sound advice. Topics include all the good stuff from the first edition plus Perl 5 features such as nested data structures (ever made a hash of arrays of hashes?), modules, and objects. From "Howdy World" to making your own modules, this book has it all. [via]

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  • Gates, Bill: The Road Ahead
    The Road Ahead
    by Bill Gates, Peter Rinearson, Nathan Myhrvold
    ISBN 1568953062 (1-56895-306-2)
    Hardcover, Wheeler Pub Inc

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    Book summary:

    What is the information highway? How will the new technology change our lives? The Road Ahead is Bill Gates' vision of the future. In it he describes how he thinks the revolution of the information age will change the way we buy, work, learn and communicate with each other. Bill Gates has built the Microsoft Corporation into one of the most successful companies in the world. His book is an optimistic look at how new technologies will transform the way we live. [via]

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  • The Road Ahead : Completely Revised and Up-to-Date
    by Peter M. Rinearson, Bill Gates, Nathan Myhrvold
    ISBN 0140260404 (0-14-026040-4)
    Softcover, Penguin Group (Canada)

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    › Find signed collectible books: 'The Road Ahead : Completely Revised and Up-to-Date'
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    Love him or loathe him, Mr. Microsoft is certainly an influential voice in the modern business world and The Road Ahead is definitely an important addition to any business library. Gates' description of the beginnings of the information age, while somewhat over-emphasizing his own contributions and downplaying those of his competitors, is nonetheless as clear and enlightening as any in print today. Likewise, his view of the digital future--from hardware to software and education to entertainment--should be read and studied by all who use technology in their business today or plan to use it on the road ahead. [via]

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  • Running Linux
    by Lar Kaufman, Matt Welsh
    ISBN 1565921003 (1-56592-100-3)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    One of the best books on Linux, the UNIX-compatible operating system for personal computers. In the tradition of all O'Reilly books, Running Linux features clear, step-by-step instructions that always seem to provide just the right amount of information: covers everything you need in order to understand, install, and use the Linux operating system, including X Windows, TCP/IP, Perl, Tcl/TK, the gcc C and C++ compilers, and most Internet services such as email, SLIP, and WWW. For intermediate to advanced users. [via]

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  • Running Linux
    by Matt Welsh, Lar Kaufman, Matthias Kalle Dalheimer, Terry Dawon
    ISBN 0596002726 (0-596-00272-6)
    Softcover, Oreilly & Associates Inc

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    You may be contemplating your first Linux installation. Or you may have been using Linux for years and need to know more about adding a network printer or setting up an FTP server. Running Linux, now in its fifth edition, is the book you'll want on hand in either case. Widely recognized in the Linux community as the ultimate getting-started and problem-solving book, it answers the questions and tackles the configuration issues that frequently plague users, but are seldom addressed in other books. This fifth edition of Running Linux is greatly expanded, reflecting the maturity of the operating system and the teeming wealth of software available for it. Hot consumer topics such as audio and video playback applications, groupware functionality, and spam filtering are covered, along with the basics in configuration and management that always have made the book popular. Running Linux covers basic communications such as mail, web surfing, and instant messaging, but also delves into the subtleties of network configuration--including dial-up, ADSL, and cable modems--in case you need to set up your network manually. The book can make you proficient on office suites and personal productivity applications--and also tells you what programming tools are available if you're interested in contributing to these applications. Other new topics in the fifth edition include encrypted email and filesystems, advanced shell techniques, and remote login applications. Classic discussions on booting, package management, kernel recompilation, and X configuration have also been updated. The authors of Running Linux have anticipated problem areas, selected stable and popular solutions, and provided clear instructions to ensure that you'll have a satisfying experience using Linux. The discussion is direct and complete enough to guide novice users, while still providing the additional information experienced users will need to progress in their mastery of Linux. Whether you're using Linux o [via]

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  • The Soul of a New Machine
    by Tracy Kidder
    ISBN 0316491977 (0-316-49197-7)
    Softcover, Little Brown & Co

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    The computer revolution brought with it new methods of getting work done--just look at today's news for reports of hard-driven, highly-motivated young software and online commerce developers who sacrifice evenings and weekends to meet impossible deadlines. Tracy Kidder got a preview of this world in the late 1970s when he observed the engineers of Data General design and build a new 32-bit minicomputer in just one year. His thoughtful, prescient book, The Soul of a New Machine, tells stories of 35-year-old "veteran" engineers hiring recent college graduates and encouraging them to work harder and faster on complex and difficult projects, exploiting the youngsters' ignorance of normal scheduling processes while engendering a new kind of work ethic.

    These days, we are used to the "total commitment" philosophy of managing technical creation, but Kidder was surprised and even a little alarmed at the obsessions and compulsions he found. From in-house political struggles to workers being permitted to tease management to marathon 24-hour work sessions, The Soul of a New Machine explores concepts that already seem familiar, even old-hat, less than 20 years later. Kidder plainly admires his subjects; while he admits to hopeless confusion about their work, he finds their dedication heroic. The reader wonders, though, what will become of it all, now and in the future. --Rob Lightner [via]

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Spanish

  • Gdel, Escher, Bach
    by D.R. Hofstadter
    ISBN 8472234592 (84-7223-459-2)
    Softcover, Tusquets Editor

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    ¿Puede un sistema comprenderse a sí mismo ? Si esta pregunta se refiere a la mente humana, entonces nos encontramos ante una cuestión clave del pensamiento científico. Y de la filosofía. Y del arte. Investigar este misterio es una aventura que recorre la matemática, la física, la biología, la psicología y, muy especialmente, el lenguaje. Douglas R. Hofstadter, joven y ya célebre científico, nos abre la puerta del enigma con la belleza y la alegría creadora de su estilo. Sorprendentes paralelismos ocultos entre los grabados de Escher y la música de Bach nos remiten a las paradojas clásicas de los antiguos griegos y a un teorema de la lógica matemática moderna que ha estremecido el pensamiento del siglo XX : el de Kurt Gödel. Todo lenguaje, todo sistema formal, todo programa de ordenador, todo proceso de pensamiento, llegan, tarde o temprano, a la situación límite de la autorreferencia : de querer expresarse sobre sí mismos. Surge entonces la emoción del infinito, como dos espejos enfrentados y obligados a reflejarse mutua e indefinidamente. Gödel, Escher, Bach: un Eterno y Grácil Bucle, es una obra de arte escrita por un sabio. Versa sobre los misterios del pensamiento e incluye, ella misma, sus propios misterios. / Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this book applies Godel's seminal contribution to modern Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, Douglas R. Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid is still something of a marvel. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of Bach, the artwork of Escher, and the mathematics of Gödel.mathematics to the study of the human mind and the development of artificial intelligence. [via]

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