Introduction to Computer Science

Description

Introduction to Computer Science introduces students to the fundamentals of computer science by connecting the dots between applications they use every day and the underlying technologies that power them. Throughout, students learn valuable technical skills including how to write simple JavaScript programs, format a webpage with HTML and CSS code, reduce the size of a file, and more. Opening chapters of the text provide students with historical background, describe the numbering systems that computers operate with, and explain how computers store and convert data such as images and music. Later chapters explore the anatomy of computer hardware such as CPUs and memory, how computers communicate over networks, and the programming languages that allow us to solve problems using computation. The book concludes with chapters dedicated to security and privacy, the structure and function of operating systems, and the world of e-commerce. Accessible in approach, Introduction to Computer Science is designed to help non-computer science majors learn how technology and computers power the world around them. The text is well suited for introductory courses in computer science. Perry Donham is a lecturer of computer science in the College of Arts & Sciences at Boston University. Mr. Donham previously served as a technical consultant and analyst in the financial services and healthcare fields, helping clients, including HP and IBM, solve performance issues, build new systems, and solve tricky computational problems. In 1995, he launched one of the world's first 10,000 websites, which is still running. Review: Light and enjoyable but not without flaws - This book is a good introduction to computer science for beginners. It’s a light and easy read, and can be read much more enjoyably than most textbooks. That being said, it treads lightly over some of the more technical subjects , and doesn’t go deep enough into any one subject to really require much rigor on the part of the reader. It also contains a few print errors and typos, which isn’t uncommon in longer textbooks, but given this books compact size it seems like some details may have been skimmed over in editing. All in all I think the author has a good concept, but the book feels more like a beta for his ideas rather than a finely tuned reference. It was enjoyable to read, but could be improved. I’d recommend for entry level college CS classes for non CS majors, but it is a bit too basic for anyone with a background in CS. Also over $100 is pretty steep in my opinion. $45-$55 seems fair. If the author ever publishes a version 2 that remedies some of the shortcomings, and drops the price a bit, I could definitely see this as a solid into to CS book.