Customer Reviews

Computer Science: An Overview (9th Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a very good introductory survey course of Computer Science provided you're planning to major in CS. The reason I've rated the book at only 3 stars out of 5 is solely because of the first sentence in the Audience section of the Preface on page vii:

"I wrote this text for students of computer science as well as students from other disciplines."

That last clause (saying the book is also for non-CS types) is the killer. Basically, the book's level of detail far exceeds anything that any non-CS person would be willing to put up with. Mitigating that, the Organization section of the Preface on page viii lists those sections that non-CS students should read. The Table of Contents also has asterisks indicating suggestions for optional sections (though there's no indication in the actual text noting the optional nature of those sections). Still, overall, it feels like the author uses too technical a vocabulary for non-CS types even in those remaining sections.

Just to emphasize, this book is really for beginners in Computer Science. It's a survey book designed not to teach the material in depth, but to give the student enough knowledge of the material to wrap later courses around. But, that leads to another problem with the book. The book is written for someone with no knowledge of computers, BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, assumes that person is fairly familiar with the topic. In other words, if you don't know anything about computers, you'll soon be wallowing in an awful lot of technical concepts and terms and will probably get confused. On the other hand, if you're already somewhat familiar with the topic, the basic nature of the material will probably bore you. Sort of a Catch-22.

Still, if a person is just starting a Computer Science degree, this is probably a 4 star out of 5 book. For non-CSers, it would be a problem. For them, I'd recommend The Analytical Engine: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet, Second Edition: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet (with CD-ROM).

This book was required for my college introductory computer science class. Surprisingly enough, I had to purchase a different computer science book in order to understand this book. The author writes in circles and rarely states definitions plainly. Many times, Brookshear attempts two or three times to restate the information he is trying to convey, but this just makes the book even more confusing. It is not "fun" to read.

This book reminds me of the old, stodgy computer books of the 1990s. The paper is thin, and the font is very tiny and faint. The layout seems to be stuck in the 1990s as well. There are no chapter review sections that plainly compile major themes and no terms/definitions lists. A glossary would have been great. Also, there are no quick reference facts posted in the page margins. One plus is that the publisher put key terms in bold but, like I mentioned above, the author keeps you searching and searching for definitions.

To help ensure I passed my computer science class, I purchased Computer Science Illuminated, 3rd ed., by Nell Dale and John Lewis and had no problems at all understanding the topic or the writing. Computer Science Illuminated includes the same information as Brookshear's book but is 100 times easier to read and understand. Plus, it is "fun" to read. Computer Science Illuminated

I'm getting my B.S this semester from the College of Computer and Information Sciences. I ordered this book last week, and I definitely recommend it to any Computer Science graduate preparing for a job interview, you can review all the basics you studied in college on a weekend !!