Dictionary of Computing [Hardcover]

Valerie Illingworth (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Dictionary of Computing | Publication Date: December 5, 1996

This new edition of the Dictionary of Computing has been extensively revised by a team of computer specialists to incorporate the developments of the last five years. There are now over 6,000 entries--2,000 more than in the third edition--and a comprehensive cross-referencing system. The wide range of topics covered includes computer applications in industry, the office, science, education, and the home; the means of achieving these applications--the hardware, software, computer organization, telecommunictions, and user interaction; security, safety, and legal issues; underlying concepts and theories in computing and associated fields; and major computer manufacturers and organizations. Special emphasis has been placed on the terms widely used in relation to personal computers and computer networks. This fourth edition will prove invaluable to students and teachers of computing, and everyone who uses computers in the home, lab, or business.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This very complete dictionary features a list of approximately 6,000 words and defines everything from basic computer concepts to complex network and programming terminology. The reference also includes information on Internet terms, industry leaders, legal issues, security issues, and historical data and lists entries for products, companies, and trademarks. This dictionary is a great reference tool for new computer users, students, teachers, and computer professionals.

Review

Praise for previous editions: "A standard among computer science dictionaries....current, accurate, and formal....strongly recommended." --Science Books and Films

"Useful for students and teachers of computer science and related disciplines, owners of personal computers, and anyone who uses a computer." --Sci-Tech News

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 4 edition (December 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198538553
• ISBN-13: 978-0198538554
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,716,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and technical, January 9, 1998

By 

Declan Moran (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dictionary of Computing (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

For advanced users with a mathematical bent or computer scientists, this is probably an excellent reference.It covers a very wide range of topics many of them purely mathematical (eg group theory,algebra), and defines terms precicely.

For the average user however, who wants things explained a bit more and defined a bit less, its probably not a great book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but rapidly falling behind, September 9, 2011

By 

Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dictionary of Computing (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

Because of the nature of my work, I often need to provide definitions of technical computing terms from authoritative sources. The online computing terms dictionaries simply don't carry much authority in a courtroom.

The problem is that most major printed dictionaries don't revise often enough to keep pace with the technology. For example, Oxford Dictionary made pretty big news recently when it added "tweet" to its online dictionary. But in this 2008 6th edition of the Oxford Dictionary Of Computing, "tweet" is just one of dozens of words of recent vintage that are missing. Reflecting the volatility of the industry, the dictionary defines Sun Microsystems as a major supplier of non-PC computers.

Is this a bad dictionary? No. It is simply limited because it is a walloping four or five years since its last edition. (It was published in hard-cover in 2006.) Some of the definitions are a bit loopy, but it does carry the Oxford name and is thus considered authoritative.

For the money, a good, if not particularly current, addition to my shelf of technical dictionaries. At this point, though, I think subscribing to online Oxford may be the best way to go.

Jerry

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the original item I ordered per the publishing date!, February 4, 2011

By 

Starwater7 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dictionary of Computing (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

The item I chose was advertized as having a publishing date of February 2010. The item I received has a publishing date of 2008 (sixth edition).
This item doesn't have some of the terms I need.
I figured Amazon ran out of the one with the Feb. 2010 date and used this item as a substitute. I neither have the time nor the ability (housebound) to go to the Post Office and return it.
Any suggestions, Amazon?