Computer Science: An Overview (6th Edition) [Paperback]

J. Glenn Brookshear (Author, Preface)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 020135747X | ISBN-13: 978-0201357479 | Publication Date: August 9, 1999 | Edition: 6th

Computer Science: An Overview lives up to its title, providing the broad coverage and clear explanations of the entire computer science discipline that have made it the leading textbook for the breadth-first/CS0 course. This language-independent book introduces students to the discipline of computer science by providing accurate and balanced coverage of a variety of computer science topics, including programming languages, operating systems, algorithms, software engineering, and machine architecture. The sixth edition has been thoroughly updated to discuss increasingly important trends such as networking, object-oriented programming, and software engineering. It features new sections on public key encryption, evolutionary programming, and genetic algorithms, as well as thoroughly revised sections on data manipulation, operating systems, and networking. It features material on the move towards object-oriented software engineering with new sections covering Design Patterns and UML. Thought-provoking discussions of ethical and legal issues revolving around computing are integrated into each chapter so they are presented in the context of the material being covered at that time. J. Glenn Brookshear is a master of making even the most complex topics accessible to students through the use of real-life analogies and concrete examples.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Features

* Updates students on recent changes and current trends in the industry, such as networking, genetic algorithms and object-oriented programming
* Puts learning in perspective by using real-life analogies and concrete examples to make even the most complex topics accessible to students
* Web site provides students and instructors with online resources of topics found in the text
* New and extended ethical sections in software engineering and database systems, in addition to optional "Computers and Society" sections at the end of each chapter, allow students to think critically about computer science issues
* Designed to be compatible with a variety of programming languages, including Java, C++, and C
* "FYI" boxes call out points of interest to students and professors
* Brookshear's clear and friendly writing style invites majors and non-majors alike to learn more about computer science
020135747XB04062001

About the Author

J. Glenn Brookshear is an Associate Professor at Marquette University. He received his Ph.D. from New Mexico State University in 1975, then was hired by Marquette to build a strong Computer Science curriculum. In addition to his highly successful Computer Science: An Overview, Brookshear has authored Theory of Computation: Formal Languages, Automata, and Complexity, also published by Addison-Wesley. 020135747XAB04062001

Product Details

• Paperback: 609 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company; 6th edition (August 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020135747X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201357479
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,796,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Non-Programming Computer Science Overview, March 8, 2000

By 

A. Scudiero (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Computer Science: An Overview (6th Edition) (Paperback)

This book provides the fundamentals of the Science behind computing and the machines called computers in a down to earth, straightforward, easy to understand manner. An absolute MUST READ for anyone who works with computers and computer science, and simple enough to understand that anyone interested in computers can read it. If you are interested in learning the details of how comptuers work but don't know much about them yet, this is a WONDERFUL place to start as it assumes no prior knowledge and FINALLY MEANS IT FOR ONCE! You can pick up this book having never seen a computer and understand it. It's about time!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably useful for preparing for the GRE CS test, May 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Computer Science: An Overview (6th Edition) (Paperback)

I decided to buy this book when I noticed that it was popular among people preparing for the CS GRE test. Even though this book was not written with seniors in Computer Science in mind, it was still helpful for preparing for the GRE test since it covers a broad range of basic concepts, some of which I had not encountered in my college courses, and some others I had long since forgotten. Learning/Reviewing these basic concepts definitely helped me score higher on the GRE (one should not forget that a large proportions of the questions on the GRE concern very basic material, such as : what's the 2's complement representation of this number)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This overview has the right depth, January 9, 2001

By 

john northover (san diego, ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computer Science: An Overview (6th Edition) (Paperback)

This book covers all aspects of the 'computer' world with enough detail so the "non-geek" can understand how computers work, how they store data, the basics of operating systems and networks, how 'data' is organized into information, programming languages, algorithms and software engineering, finishing with AI and the theory of computation. I use this book in an extension class at UCSD, an introductory course to computer science. When one is finished with this book, at least they will have a good foundation to "talk'n the talk!" and an understanding of how "them thar conducting rocks really work." Some of the students feel that there is to much information for an 18 hour course, yet they feel the book is a valuable, readable informatative resource.