ADA PLUS DATA STRUCTURES (Paperback)

~ Nell Dale (Author), John W. McCormick (Author) "When we consider computer programming, we immediately think of writing code in some computer language..." (more)
Key Phrases: max size, binary search trees, false location, None Postconditions, The Implementation Level, Node Ptr (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ada Plus Data Structures is the most up-to-date, student-friendly Ada text available. Using the newly updated Ada 2005, the text introduces and discusses such familiar topics as strings, sets, stacks, queues, lists, trees, graphs, and much more. The recurring theme throughout the text is modeling with levels of abstraction, presenting each class from three different perspectives: their specification, their abstraction, and their implementation. Using this approach, the authors stress computer science theory and software engineering principles including information hiding, data encapsulation, data abstraction, stepwise refinement, and visual aids. With its Object-Oriented presentation, real-world applications, and traditional Dale Pedagogy, Ada Plus Data Structures is a pleasure to read and learn from.

Product Details

• Paperback: 644 pages
• Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2 edition (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763737941
• ISBN-13: 978-0763737948
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,100,865 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Textbook, June 13, 2000

By	Stephen Graves (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ada Plus Data Structures (with 3.5" disk) (Textbook Binding)

As a freshman at an upstate New York state university, this was the textbook for the second sequential computer science course. Of course, the choice was obvious: McCormick being a former professor at the school. At that point, I was a beginning programmer, having already taken basic programming classes. This book, however, is responsible for my now-firm grasp of data structures and algorithms. Both dynamic and static structures, complex and simple, this book is the primer for an understanding of data structures in Ada.

As an Ada textbook alone, it has its faults: it assumes the reader has a knowledge of the programming language, but from that point teaches a method of programming that enforces good stylistic patterns and strong code. Now, when it comes to algorithm layout in my position as a design engineer, I turn to Ada first for a comprehensible design structure, and then port it to other languages as necessary.

1.0 out of 5 stars Unfocused text, unhelpful authors, September 19, 2009

By	Dan - See all my reviews

My class used this book in a data structures course, and there was a point of contention between the professor and the class regarding Ada. I felt our professor was unfairly penalizing us for her misunderstanding, so I emailed one of the authors and asked him or her what his opinion was. Either McCormick or Dale was very helpful and answered my questions in a conversational, multiple-email exchange, then asked what course I was teaching. I explained I was just a student, and after that our friendly exchange ended with the author completely ignoring all following emails. What a jerk.

The textbook itself isn't worth the money and has no use on a reference shelf. It's a fragmented regurgitation of the freely available Ada reference manual with some elementary data structures and mild discussion thrown in. The beginner in Ada will find it frustrating that the authors never focus on the language, and the student with even a passing competence in data structures will skip whole chapters. In other words, it's an introductory text that curiously assumes a knowledge of Ada, but expects a total unfamiliarity with stacks, queues, lists, etc. If you're learning Ada, stick to ISO/IEC 8652:2007(E). If you're learning elementary data structures, use Google or a more focused text. If you're Dale or McCormick, what do you have against students?