Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective

Book Description

This book explains the important and enduring concepts underlying all computer systems, and shows the concrete ways that these ideas affect the correctness, performance, and utility of application programs. The book's concrete and hands-on approach will help readers understand what is going on “under the hood” of a computer system. This book focuses on the key concepts of basic network programming, program structure and execution, running programs on a system, and interaction and communication between programs. For anyone interested in computer organization and architecture as well as computer systems.

Customer Reviews:

Good Textbook.......2007-03-15

Purchased this for a computer science course since it was required. Great price at Amazon!

Needs a good instructor to go along with it.......2006-05-09

An excellent reference, but it is an embarassment of riches, and as such it can't completely cover every area exhaustively. This would probably be extremely frustrating for a casual reader to absorb. I used this as a text book for a class with an extremely good instructor who backed up the material in the book very well. As such, the class and the book were a joy.

Hard.......2005-10-28

Even though the topics of this book are absolutely great and crucial for any CS student, I dislike the entire book !, its hard to follow the writer, i find it hard to keep with him !
too many complicated information with either Tiny explaination or more complicated explaination ,
its a very big book with many topics , i prefer reading seperate books with specific topics rather than this book,

Nice Book!.......2005-05-25

I just completed a college course using this textbook... the course was tough, but the book was very good and useful. This is one textbook I won't be selling any time soon!

The practice problems provided in the book were usually very good, and the programming problems distributed with it were fun and educational, including topics like Buffer Overflows, Memory Optimizations, and Debugging with GDB, among others.

There are *some* problems with this book, but it doesn't suffer from the devastating flaws that plague most computer science textbooks. Some sections lack thorough explanations and examples, and the writting is a bit unclear at times. Some solutions to the practice problems are vague and don't really provide much insight on how to solve the problems. Luckily, these flaws only creep up in a few places.

Compared to most technical textbooks, however, this one really shines. It's not quite perfect, so I think 4 stars is appropriate.

Everything you need to know as a programmer.......2005-03-25

What a splendid book! I wish I has gone to CMU and take this course. This book is written by CMU professors after teaching Computer Systems course for few years. This book covers broad spectrum of topics from Operating Systems, Compilers, Computer Architecture, Assembly Level Programming, Kernel internals, Linkers, etc from a programmer's perspective (as the title aptly says).

I am searching for words to describe the usefulness of this book. In my experience, I have had hard time learning some of the topics where Operating systems, Processor and Compilers intersect. For example, Linkers and Loaders, program disassembly using reverse-engineering, virtual memory in Kernel etc. After all the hard work, I found the right book which grinds all the famous books in different areas and gives the right juice for the real programmers to taste and digest.

Those famous books are:
[1] Computer Organization and Design Second Edition : The Hardware/Software Interface by David A. Patterson, John L. Hennessy
[2] UNIX Internals: The New Frontiers by Uresh Vahalia
[3] Linux Kernel Development by Robert Love
[4] Linkers and Loaders by John R. Levine
[5] GNU Binutils (GAS, objdump, ar, nm etc) Documentation

Excellent job. I really appreciate the work and content of this book.

Perspectives on Web Services: Applying SOAP, WSDL and UDDI to Real-World Projects (Springer Professional Computing)

Average customer rating:

Review of Web Services
IBM SOA Explained
If you had time or money for just one book on web services...
Textbook Review
A must-have for successful webservice projects

Perspectives on Web Services: Applying SOAP, WSDL and UDDI to Real-World Projects (Springer Professional Computing)
Olaf Zimmermann , Mark R. Tomlinson , and Stefan Peuser
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Accessories:

DVB: The Family of International Standards for Digital Video Broadcasting (Signals and Communication Technology)
Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery Handbook

ASIN: 3540009140

Book Description

Contains everything that a project team needs to know about the development and deployment of Web services with the IBM WebSphere product family. Included will be examples for all development artifacts in a format that can be reused in the reader’s project. It combines the authors’ own practical experiences with consolidated information on the latest product capabilities in a unique approach that allows the book to be easily accessible to a broad spectrum of readers. Finding a balance between a euphoric/optimistic and down-to earth/realistic view on the subject, this book will be an essential part of every Web service developer’s bookshelf.

Customer Reviews:

Review of Web Services.......2007-01-10

I like this book and am still reading it and I think I can pick up lots of skills and knowledge about Web Services. One more thing I want to mention here is that I accidentally hit a button on amazon web pages for purchasing this book so I ended up buying 2 copies of this book, a hard copy and a soft copy. I should get refund on the soft copy becuase I never review it online. The following is the part of the order info for the soft copy:

Order #: D01-8384140-5827130
Subtotal of items: $ 11.99
------
Total before tax: $ 11.99
Estimated Tax: $ 0.00
------
Total: $ 11.99
------
Total for this Order: $ 11.99

IBM SOA Explained.......2006-03-19

This book excells in explaining the IBM Toolsets and their applicability in the Web Services and SOA area. Unfortunately they are for version 5 and a version 6.x addendum would be great.
Having said that working the examples into version 6 format is good practice and not too much sweat.
This book provides all the coverage you need if you are dealing with the IBM WebSphere kit (all the IBM Redbooks are also a great help!)

If you had time or money for just one book on web services..........2005-11-10

If you had to time or money for just one book on Web Services, this would be it. The book truly delivers on different perspectives namely, business, training, architecture, development, operational and "future". You start by learning enough to convince your boss (or clients, in my case) of the benefits of using your approach and then proceed to master the whole XML based implementations as well. Dense read, though: there is enough material in each chapter to cover an entire book. If you are a java programmer, it makes it even better, most probably because the book came out in 2003 when Microsoft .NET was still pretty clueless about all this web services stuff anyway. Even the J2EE world is way ahead of the book in terms of implementation. Still an excellent read, so my only request would be...a second, updated edition!

Textbook Review.......2004-08-09

Review:

"Perspectives on Web services: Applying SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI to Real-World Projects" Zimmermann O., Tomlinson M., Peuser S.; Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., Secaucus, NJ, 2003.

This voluminous text is essentially about the classic man-machine relationship model.

The reviewer became interested in this topic and monitored the slowly evolving field until 1962 when he published a paper entitled "Shaping and Controlling Human Behaviour in Man-Machine Systems"; Proceedings of The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Industrial Administration and Engineering Production Group, Vol. 177, Number 34, pp 935-950; 1963 (1 Birdcage Walk, Westminister, SW 1).

He presented the Performance System Spectrum with Man at one end and the Machine at the other. In between these two extremes he defined and illustrated a multitude of combinations including Simple Man-Machine, Complex Man-Machine, Men-Machine, Man-Machine-Man, Man-Machine-Men, and Men-Machine-Men.

By 1963, time-sharing and remote operator terminals had evolved and the computer systems were mainframe...the personal computer and the Internet, if they were envisioned at all, would have been considered purely science-fiction. In relation to the Men-Machine-Men system, he wrote: "...the total system has become so complex, with so many inputs from and outputs to human(s), that design engineers tend to move towards a fully automated system..." In the more than four decades which followed, the flood of computerized systems (and computer acronyms) increased as anyone reading this can testify. And that brings us to today...and Web Services.

We shall see that Web Services satisfies the definition and is a Men-Machine-Men system. To quickly understand what Web Services is the average reader shouldn't start with the text under review but with an excellent article, "The Web Within the Web," Enrique Castro-Leon, IEEE Spectrum, February 2004, pp 42-46. Examining this paper first and then delving leisurely into "Perspectives on Web Services: Applying SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI to Real-World Projects" will have a higher payoff even for those readers who are experienced software engineers, developers, analysts, and systems architects.

Castro-Leon presents a concise thumbnail view of this emerging concept. He argues that "...dusty, musty databases filled with useful data that would be far more useful if linked with other, equally dusty databases; enormous databases that are locked up inside ancient mainframes and quaintly archaic minicomputers; lonely databases residing on specialized file servers throughout an enterprise (pronounced business); even modern databases on Web servers...(are) stuck in long-obsolete proprietary formats or accessible only through hypermodern scripting languages..." Further, "... Web services are a way programmers can make their databases available across the Web , let other programmers access them, and tie these disparate databases together into services that are novel, perhaps even wonderful..." This, of course, is the basic reasoning for improving the Machine part of the Men-Machine-Men performance system.

"...Web browsers have liberated us from the tyranny of specific hardware and the near monopoly of the Windows operating system...(because of)...the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which provides a standard for the way Web pages are downloaded from a Web site to a computer, and the generic nature of Web pages themselves..." The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) ",...was designed to encode things that will be viewed by people, rather than processed by another machine. HTML mixes formatting commands...with data because it was designed as a display language..." Castro-Leon continues: "...if Web services are to build powerful networks of collaborating databases and services, the first step is replacing HTML with something more compatible with the world of databases, something that can be understood by another computer...such a new language has been developed...a subset of HTML, called XML, for Extensible Markup Language..."

This movement to improve the Machine subsystem did not end with the invention of XML. There had to be some mechanism to move XML data rather than HTML across the Internet. This was SOAP --- Simple Object Access Protocol --- a generic wrapper which is an envelope recognized and accepted by Web browsers and servers. Together, XML and SOAP give Web Services interoperability.

However, another specification was needed called UDDI ---Universal Discovery, Description and Integration --- which, as Castro-Leon states, "...lets Web Services look for databases (by Machine) in the same way that Google lets humans look for Webpages..." But the process didn't end with the development of UDDI. There had to be a standard which allowed the Machine to determine what is at a site once it has been identified. This standard was WSDL --- Web Services Description Language. All of these protocols took years to develop....and the improvements continue to this day.

Having presented an overview of Web Services from Castro-Leon, it is now time to review the 648 page text entitled, "Perspectives on Web Services: Applying SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI to Real-World Projects" This is in essence a "how-to" or a "cook" book, using an old world term, which goes into exquisite detail about how these software elements work inside the Machine and how to utilize them effectively and profitably. One might describe it as a "Web Services for Dummies" type of text but written at a much higher intellectual and professional level. The occasional humor is within acceptable limits and not extreme.

In the Men-Machine-Men model, the Machine is represented by all of the computer systems in the Internet world-wide and includes SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI as software and all of the hardware world-wide. The Men at one side are all the humans dealing with the Internet as users while the Men on the other side of the Machine are all the software people feeding the Machine world-wide with data and graphics which are then manipulated inside the Machine by SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI. You can visualize that the users might have a population of millions and possibly billions of individuals and the software people might represent a population of millions of individuals. That is why this volume on Web Services is an important reference today as the system is being implemented --- but there is a cautionary poem by the systems guy Kenneth Boulding regarding this Machine:

A system is a big black box
Of which we can't unlock the locks,
And all we can find out about
Is what goes in and what comes out.

Perceiving input-output pairs
Related by parameters
Permits us, sometimes, to relate
An input, output, and a state.

If this relation's good and stable,
Then to predict we may be able.
But if this fails us - heaven forbid
We'll be compelled to force the lid!

Having forced the lid --- you are now inside the Machine! The book is structured using the "goto" branching command. The authors encourage the reader to study a section and then decide to continue on or "goto" a different section. In fact, they suggest not reading from cover-to-cover at all but selecting those parts directly related to the reader's job role.

The text is neatly divided into Perspectives chapters which follow a typical project sequence: Business, Training, Architecture, Development, Operational, Engagement, and Future. The authors state that they and their anticipated readers are "technical people" and their approach in writing was shaped in that way

Chapter 1 is The Business Perspective. In 30 pages they discusses definitions, EAI (Enterprise Application Integration), B2C (Business-to- Consumer), B2B (Business-to-Business), A2A (Application-to-Application), H2A (Human-to-Application), and potential inhibitors to decision-making. The Case Study of a fictitious insurance company is introduced which will be threaded throughout the book. Some of the flowchart models are clearer than others.

Chapter 2 is The Training Perspective. A better term for this perspective would be the "technical information" found in a manual used by individuals for self-instruction to learn about the software. 123 pages are devoted to a tutorial of concepts and technologies but the reader is not expected at this point to be able to apply them.

There is an overview of WebServices concepts and detailed information on the XML markup language including namespaces and schema. Attention to given to SOAP message formats and encoding. This is followed by WSDL, the interface description, containment structure of WSDL documents, and binding-related document elements. There are descriptions of UDDI's registry structure, identifier bag, category bag, binding template, tModel structure, linking to a UDDI registry, an API (Application Programming Interface) overview, and brief mention of WSIL (Web Service Inspection Language). There many well-designed coding sheet examples which would make sense to experienced programmers but probably not to novices.

About 86 pages are assigned to Chapter 3: The Architecture Perspective. The authors provide an introduction to Web Services architecture oulining paradigm changes, J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) and defining Web Services as the software part of the Machine. WSA (Web Services Architecture) is explained with the use of stacks and a disclaimer is provided since not all of the terms are universally accepted. WSA building blocks and component walkthrough is covered. Explanations are given for WS principles, Generic vs. Generated API, design patterns, business patterns, architectural patterns (microflow, intermediary, and interceptor/pipeline) and process choreography including public-to-private process mapping. Architectural decisions are outlined along with service matchmaking. In addition, NFRs (Non-Functional Requirements), gaps and countermeasures and SOAP Section 5 encoding are discussed. Finally, XML-based, WS, and application layer security are explained. There is a useful FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section ending the chapter.

Chapter 4 is The Development Perspective. Consisting of 192 pages, this chapter has a considerable amount of meat and consequently may cause indigestion for the vegetarians among us. The authors state that a reader should have a "...solid reading comprehension of J2SE and J2EE APIs..." It is written at a fairly deep level of detail related to reader motivation and categorizes this interest as: casual, steady or junkie. There is an emphasis on "goto" branching. Most of the coding examples are also found on Springer websites.

The introduction to the development of WS in Java presents the WebSphere Studio Workbench and Eclipse.org. WebSphere SDK (WSDK), the Emerging Technologies Toolkit (ETTK), and Apache SOAP 2.3 are described with some caveats regarding known flaws. This is followed by JAX-RPC and Apache Axis, definitions, an introduction to WS for J2EE and JSR 109 and the WSDK Toolkit.

At this point, starting on page 259, the first example or case in The Case Study is considered --- all the prior pages having been dedicated to technical information to bring the reader up to speed. The authors refer to the example as a "sample" and it is, of course, a simulation where the case problem is run on the WS model being described so the reader can learn how to do it later in real-life. More precisely it is a training simulation testing (with some debugging) of the solution provided by the authors....the author's terminology will be used here.

The case scenario involves several fictitious insurance companies. In terms of the Performance System Spectrum, this scenario deals with the Men-Machine-Men model with Men being Internal Users and the Machine processing risk and fraud management matters. Business logic requirements are considered and "The Great Debate" over Apache Soap or JAX-RPC occurs, followed by configuring and building the sample. To build RPC/Encoded Services for Java the bottom-up and top-down approaches are reviewed. There is a discussion of building EJB (Enterprise Java Beans) WS with Apache SOAP, and using the WS Wizard. The process of exploring and modifying generated files is described. Building EJB WS with JAX-RPC and JSR 109 follows, In addition, exploring generated server side files, updating the project build paths, modifying generated files, and testing the deployed service are briefly delineated.

The reader is encouraged to build RPC/encoded services from WSDL first creating WS from WSDL using Apache SOAP and then testing the WS client. There is also the process of creating WS from WSDL using JAX-RPC/JSR 109 and updating the WSDL document and installing the SOAP Router, and finally testing the WS. A section is devoted to programmatic access to WSDL, using the WSDL4J toolkit, testing the JWSDL application and creating JWSDL clients with JAX-RPC and JSR 109. The reader learns to use WS-Inspection to build service indices from Java and also with Apache Soap and to configure WSIL4J.. There many excellent figures illustrating this part of the simulation. At this point, the text moves ahead to the use of UDDI.

There are discussions of UDDI access from Java and browsers, using UDDI with Apache SOAP and also with JAX-RPC and JSR 109, using other Web Services bindings, creating a document/literal Service from WSDL and a document/literal Service Client. A secton is dedicated to orchestrating Web Services and use of the Process Editor. The reader learns about using attachments with SOAP, using SOAP headers and finally exporting the completed sample. While space is assigned to finding more information, there isn't any for FAQ which could have been useful at this stage. Some System Administrators have argued that constructing the application in this chapter was the easy part. The next stage deals with implementing it in a production environment and might be viewed as more difficult.

Chapter 5 presents The Operational Perspective which the authors have truncated to 79 pages and rely on the experience of the reader to fill in some technical gaps. There are many specific references to coding samples in .zip format on Springer websites. This chapter deals with the system architecture hosting the software and we are now deep inside the Machine in the Men-Machine-Men system --- and continually aware of Boulding's admonition: "....If this relation's good and stable, Then to predict we may be able. But if this fails us - heaven forbid, We'll be compelled to force the lid!..."

There is a discussion of topology, standalone topology, additional components,and clustered and managed topology. Reference is made to the Access Management Subsystem, load balancing and high availability support. At this point, the Case Study simulation of a fictitious insurance company continues and for the remaining pages is interspersed with tutorial information .

There are explanations of Deploying Web Services, the WebSphere Application Server, deployment and configuring the application server. There is information on JDBC configuration, JAAS authentication and Cloudscape, and restarting and testing the installation. Next comes Deploying Services, wsadmin, ANT; working on the private UDDI Registry, including configuring and adding WSDL documents to the UDDI Registry. Descriptions are provided for testing, clustering, and node agents; working with the IBM HTTP Server, starting, testing clusters, and finally cold standby.

Attention is given to Securing the WS Implementation: security threats, countermeasures, WS-Security, and future WS-Security extensions, Securing WS with HTTPS and SSL --- as the simulation continues. The chapter closes with the WS Gateway and how to configure it, deploying a WS to the Gateway, updating and client testing. Frequent mention is made of specific websites to support the simulation so the reader is not completely alone with just the text.

Chapter 6 is The Engagement Perspective of 27 pages and a typical reader would sense that the end is in sight!! This chapter reviews many technical points emphasized in the Case Study simulation and adds the following: Planning a WS Development Project, Outlining Requirements and High Level Design, Planning and Staffing, Running the Project, including testing and going live, Success Factors, Elements of Risk,lessons learned and design advice. There is a final look at the Case Study simulation.

The Future Perspective appears in Chapter 7. The authors briefly identify SOAP Version 1.2, WSDL Version 1.2, UDDI Version 3.0, and grid computing for the immediate future. The Semantic Web including RDF and OWL are mentioned and they provide mid- and long-term visions.

The chapter concludes with "Now enjoy the first project in which you apply and exploit this hot technology!"

There are rather complete coding steps, flowcharts, and screen displays in the boilerplate content of the Appendix including: Building the Case Study Policy Systems, Java to XML Mapping, and C# --- and 87 References for those who desire additional background.

As Castro-Leon in summarizing his IEEE Spectrum article said: "...the semantic Web's benefits won't be seen for some time; Web Services are here today...it will connect almost every island of data, software, and device on the planet..." The reviewer believes that this volume which introduces Web Services is a valuable asset in the drive to improve the Men-Machine-Men system which we call the Internet.

Leonard C. Silvern
Systems Engineering Laboratories
Clarkdale, AZ

A must-have for successful webservice projects.......2003-11-08

My primary reason for buying this book was the eye-catcher word "Real-World Projects" in the subtitle. I'm a professional developer/architect of enterprise size IT-projects and the fastest way for me to learn new things is by using examples. So in fact the "Development Perspective" chapter was the first chapter I've read and found it very useful if you are going to use WebSphere 5 in your project.
I was pleased to see that the next chapter "Operational Perspective" actually deals with questions regarding deployment and configuration. This is something most books are missing and many projects underestimate the importance of these aspects for a successful rollout.
Finally after reading two very useful chapters (written in an enjoyable style), I've decided to give the other chapters also a try and I wasn't disappointed. This book covers all important aspects for a successful webservice project and I strongly recomment it if you are going to start such a project.
During my time as a technical lead at Hewlett-Packard, I've got the opportunity to participate a pretty expensive software architect workshop. I was pleased to see lots of "Does and Dont's" I've learned in this workshop in the "Architecture Perspective" chapter of this book.
I finally ended up in reading all chapters of the book. I haven't read all pages of this book because of my previous knowledge and because of the excellent offered shortcuts within this book. But the time I've spent reading the rest was a rewarding investment. Whatever role you are going to play in a webservice project: you will find something useful within this book.
And finally don't forget: even Grady Booch thinks this book is a must-have. He wrote a nice forword for the book.

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts, Ninth Edition, Comprehensive

Average customer rating:

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts, Ninth Edition, Comprehensive
June Jamrich Parsons , and Dan Oja
Manufacturer: Course Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Show your students with how exciting and engaging computer concepts can be with New Perspectives on Computer Concepts, Ninth Edition.

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Average customer rating:

this book is made for 8th graders!
Dry!

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Book Description

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Customer Reviews:

this book is made for 8th graders!.......2007-05-11

i'm sure an 8th grader has mastered this book! very simple terms, good for people that absolutely knows nothing about computers. otherwise, i needed this book for college - that's it.

Dry!.......2004-04-29

This book is extremely boring and dry. I was required to buy it for a Masters level college course. I would not reccommend this book to anyone other than a student who is required to purchase it.

Book Description

"Process Think" is a managerial orientation to act proactively in identification of process opportunities, a capability to apply process concepts in problem solving, and a demonstrated willingness to transfer process thinking to fellow employees, customers and partners. Process thinking managers have the capability to intuitively see the implications of their actions across the company and project themselves into the situations of their customers.

Business process change today must be more personal, dynamic and seamlessly supported by new IT. New and far more sophisticated IT will test a company's ability to quickly modify the business models and corresponding processes, and in doing so, place renewed importance on process thinking.

Process Think: Winning Perspectives for Business Change in the Information Age reflects a diversity of perspectives pertaining to change management in the information age.

Customer Reviews:

Mature Organizational Change Ideas and Practices.......2002-06-19

This book is one of the best repositories of ideas and practical information about organizational change management that I've come across. While I've been heavily influenced by many of Thomas H. Davenport's books, I've found a wealth of fresh ideas in this book because each chapter is a paper written by one or more experts in a specific aspect of organizational change. I also like the way the book is organized into four sections that examine change and process.

Part I is among my favorites because each of the five chapters build upon each other to provide a clearly defined map for defining and implementing change strategies. Part II's three chapters drill down into the mechanics of processes and how they fit within the context of a change management strategy. I especially like chapter 7, which covers gap analysis and a framework with which to identify, define and understand business processes at a level that allows you to see the dependencies and impacts of proposed changes. I also like chapter 8, which links IT strategic planning to enterprise processes. This is a major gap that I find in one consulting engagement after another and the information in this chapter will provide a clear--if briefly described--approach to closing that gap.

More advanced process management topics are covered in Part III, are each of the five chapters can be read as standalone papers. My favorite was "The New Waves of Business Process Redesign and IT in Demand/Supply Chain Management", which reflects professional interests. Other chapters that are equally valuable cover process innovation, reengineering effectiveness and business process impact case studies.

The final four chapters that comprise Part IV are predictions about the nature of IT and services in this century. Each are interesting and will contain ideas that can be incorporated into current projects or future plans.

Overall this book is invaluable because it provides the points of view of a large number of academic and industry experts, and all of the material can be put into practice.

New Perspectives on Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003, Introductory, CourseCard Edition
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Part of the New Perspectives series, this text offers a case-based, problem-solving approach and innovative technology for meaningful learning the new features of this latest version of Microsoft PowerPoint 2003.

Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature

Average customer rating:

A fascinating subject
Just get it
THE book on interactive narrative studies

Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature
Espen J. Aarseth
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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Book Description

Can computer games be great literature? Do the rapidly evolving and culturally expanding genres of digital literature mean that the narrative mode of discourse -- novels, films, television series -- is losing its dominant position in our culture? Is it necessary to define a new aesthetics of cyborg textuality?

In Cybertext, Espen Aarseth explores the aesthetics and textual dynamics of digital literature and its diverse genres, including hypertext fiction, computer games, computer-generated poetry and prose, and collaborative Internet texts such as MUDs. Instead of insisting on the uniqueness and newness of electronic writing and interactive fiction, however, Aarseth situates these literary forms within the tradition of "ergodic" literature--a term borrowed from physics to describe open, dynamic texts such as the I Ching or Apollinaire's calligrams, with which the reader must perform specific actions to generate a literary sequence.

Constructing a theoretical model that describes how new electronic forms build on this tradition, Aarseth bridges the widely assumed divide between paper texts and electronic texts. He then uses the perspective of ergodic aesthetics to reexamine literary theories of narrative, semiotics, and rhetoric and to explore the implications of applying these theories to materials for which they were not intended.

"In many respects, this is the book I and many others have been waiting for. I have not seen any work so comprehensive in its synthesis of previous commentary. Aarseth's brilliant observations remind me of McLuhan's 'probes'--highly condensed, provocative statements meant to generate controversy and insight. This is clearly the best study of electronic texts I have yet read."--Stuart Moulthrop, University of Baltimore, author of Victory Garden

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating subject.......2006-04-30

The word `ergodic' is very familiar in mathematics and physics, where in the former it designates measure-preserving transformations and in the latter an equivalence between time and space averages. To see the term appear in literary analysis is therefore interesting, and instigates curiosity as to its role there. The author of this book is the first one to refer to `ergodic literature' and he therefore gives the reader insight into the subject that perhaps cannot be obtained anywhere else. As a whole the book is very interesting, even though at times it might appear that the author is skating to close to the `deconstructive' school of literary criticism.

When one reads a book in the "normal" way one stares at the cover, reads the title, opens the book, and then begins reading at the first page and continues reading until the book is finished. The content of the book usually does not require the reader to perform any particular actions other the mere act of turning the pages and reading. But in the Internet age it is clear that texts or books (i.e. "hypertext") can require that the reader become more "active". For example, the reader may have to click on hyperlinks, input words or information to the story or text, or even interact with story by using user interfaces so that the story can take on a different path or even have a different ending.

To require the `reader' to become actively involved is the key strategy of ergodic literature. As the author states, a `nontrivial' effort is required by the reader to get through an ergodic text. This is to be contrasted with a nonergodic literature where no such effort is needed. In ergodic literature, something else must be occurring outside the confines of the thought processes of the reader. This is what the author refers to as the `extranoematic' responsibilities on the part of readers when they `interact' with ergodic literature.

So other than `hypertext', are there any other examples of ergodic literature in history? Interestingly, the author points to the ancient Chinese text I Ching, The Book of Changes, as an example, due to the use of randomization to combine the texts of the `hexagrams.' The author gives a few other examples, all of them of which should be familiar to the experienced reader. All of these examples require that the `reader' participate in some way with the text or the play. For one example, the result of court trial is dependent on the `vote' of the reader.

Of course, this book itself is not an example of ergodic literature since it presents a case for it in an organized `linear' fashion, and readers must respect this linear order if they are to fathom the arguments of words of the author. However when reading the book one can see the value and challenge of ergodic literature. A computer game for example, could be viewed as a full-fledged novel. Literary purists may be cringe at this prospect, but to this reviewer it signifies a fascinating development, and one that could evolve into a genre that depends on advanced technology. And along these same lines, the ability of the `reader' to change the "flow" of the text has interesting ramifications for the field of artificial intelligence. A story that can adapt to the input of the reader, or even perhaps to learn from it and then rewrite it if necessary is an exciting prospect. Ergodic literature will no doubt expand in its ramifications and complexity in the twenty-first century, due mostly to the more exotic technologies that will be developed alongside of it.

Just get it.......2000-01-16

... what else is necessary to say. This book will spur so many thoughts and ideas that you will be reading it for ever after. It is a must for any serious hypertext/cybertext scholar.

THE book on interactive narrative studies.......1998-07-21

Aristotle is alive and he is norwegian! Finally here is the lost book of Poetics. If you are one of the rare race of people that like to think about videogames rather than play with them, you will love this book. Maybe many scholars won't pay Aarseth much attention, but time will speak by itself. This is the most intelligent, visionary and interesting book available about interactive fiction/narrative/drama/or-whatever-name-you-like.

New Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2003, Brief

Average customer rating:

New Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2003, Brief
Ann Shaffer , Patrick Carey , Kathy T. Finnegan , Joseph J. Adamski , and Beverly B. Zimmerman
Manufacturer: Course Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

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ASIN: 0619206578

Book Description

A case-based approach to learning all the essentials and new features of Microsoft Office 2003. Includes improved readability and reference features, plus integration tutorials.

When Computers Went to Sea: The Digitization of the United States Navy (Perspectives)

Average customer rating:

Great book!
Answers to Today's Questions
True Story of Technology Development & Deployment Well Told
I lived it!

When Computers Went to Sea: The Digitization of the United States Navy (Perspectives)
David L. Boslaugh
Manufacturer: Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0471472204

Book Description

When Computers Went to Sea explores the history of the United States Navy's secret development of code-breaking computers and their adaptation to solve a critical fleet radar data handling problem in the Navy's first seaborne digital computer system - that went to sea in 1962. This is the only book written on the United States Navy's initial application of shipboard digital computers to naval warfare.

Considered one of the most successful projects ever undertaken by the US Navy, the Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) was the subject of numerous studies attempting to pinpoint the reason for the systems inordinate success in the face of seemingly impossible technical challenges and stiff resistance from some in the military. The system's success precipitated a digital revolution in naval warfare systems.

Dave Boslaugh details the innovations developed by the NTDS project managers including: project management techniques, modular digital hardware for ship systems, top-down modular computer programming techniques, innovative computer program documentation, and other novel real-time computer system concepts.

Automated military systems users and developers, real-time process control systems designers, automated system project managers, and digital technology history students will find this account of a United States military organization's initial foray into computerization interesting and thought provoking.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2002-06-15

A well written book that managed to hold my attention. Good, understandable technical explanations and fascinating tales of organizational intrigue. Important lessons for anyone taking part in complex development projects. The acchievements described are quite mindboggling. As I have been personally involved in naval command and control development, and am a naval technology freak, I found this book extremely interesting.
A bit long for a casual read, but easily lends to skipping around.

Answers to Today's Questions.......2001-07-13

When Computers Went To Sea is an outstanding book because it takes us back almost 60 years (October, 1944) to define the problem to be solved and traces how this definition evolved to the threats our nation and our world face today. There's an important story here for all of us as we think about current questions like the 7/11/01, Page 1, Wall Street Journal article on Risk Assessment - Plans for a Small Ship Pose Big Questions for the U.S. Navy.

NTDS was a successful early (starting in the 1950s) large-scale digital computer hardware and software development project. How could NTDS be so successful in a hostile environment when so many comparable military and commercial development projects experienced major problems? This book also tells that story very well, with important lessons for all who manage large software and hardware developments.

Some readers unfamiliar with NTDS and the Navy ships and people involved may find the book a bit difficult to read because it is filled with well researched and documented names and facts. However, the important stories and lessons are written in a way we can all understand and appreciate as we learn more about the roles Alan Turing and Seymour Cray, and many other well-recognized people, played in this important part of our history.

I bought this book because I thought it might help our grown children understand what I did in the Navy. Now I will have to buy another copy for them because I'm sure not going to give them mine!

True Story of Technology Development & Deployment Well Told.......2000-03-25

Today's high bandwidth technologists have nothing over the NTDS architects who masterminded the solution to the very complex engineering problems presented by warfare: real time data acquisition and weapons assignment. (The penalty for error is death of comrades in battle.)

The story is told with all the warts and struggles, which ring true: inter-departments squabbles, jousting with Congress and contractors, resistance of the fleet commanders. It's all there.

The complexity of engineering project management with multiple contractors, tough cost and schedule constraints remain the same in the new millennium. A good addition to the reading list for any business school.

I confess to being biased. My father, Captain Joseph Stoutenburgh, USN Ret., is a principal in the book. When I was 6 years old I did not understand why Dad was gone for weeks at a time. Now I know he was altering forever the nature of tactical warfare and in turn the geopolitical reach of the United States.

I lived it!.......1999-12-08

As a sailor who served as a computer technician from 1967 to 1978, many of the issues that this book documents bring back a flood of memories. The historical background is well laid out in chronological order and contains many personal perspectives on what would normally be a dry and very technical subject. An extensive table of contents, a good glossary and index make this a prized reference book in my library alongside my Jane's publications. The sparseness of illustrations and photos are my only criticism of this fascinating historical compilation.

New Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2003, First Course

Average customer rating:

Greaat book
basic review of computer applications
Excellent Book. Highly Recommended!

New Perspectives on Microsoft Office 2003, First Course
Ann Shaffer , Patrick Carey , and Kathy T. Finnegan
Manufacturer: Course Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Computing Essentials 2007, Complete Edition (O'Leary Series)

ASIN: 0619243589

Book Description

In-depth, case-based, problem solving approach to learning the new features of Microsoft Office 2003 including coverage of file management and integration tutorials.

Customer Reviews:

Greaat book.......2007-01-27

This book was new, wrapped, and clean. The book arrived on time and in great condition. I will order again from this person(company).
Ms. Jackson

basic review of computer applications.......2005-10-01

This is a great book, very user friendly for the novice computer user.

Excellent Book. Highly Recommended!.......2005-05-12

I just finished using this book in a self-paced, college course. It's an excellent one.I never had any trouble following the step-by-step instuctions and I rarely had to ask my instructor for any help. The only drawback is if you want to go back and do any of the exercises over again months later as a review, you can't, because you need the data files from the course. I guess I could have saved all of them but that would have taken about 30 floppy disks which is the only option I had. The Access database alone is huge.

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