Programming Books

Very good book for my University course in Networks and telecommunications, hard to find at bookstores

this was a hard to find item in bookstores, it would have taking two weeks for the bookstores to order it and have delivered to me thanks amazon

This lab companion taught me the basics of what is required for the other 3 classes of the CCNA certification. Things such as building a basic Peer-to-peer network, building a basic lan/wan, and also subnetting of class A-C networks. Great book!

The book was perfect, the shipping wasn't too long, and the price was the best, would recommend this seller to all

Book came after about a week or so, wonderful condition, I forget if it was new or used, but it looks new.

this book is a real gem, it is a must for any cics programmer. mine has a ton of tabs so i can find the commands that i use most often

This is an EXCELLENT CICS reference. It's really the only book you'll need if you have CICS projects at work. It has handy programming examples, a complete INDEX (novel concept, eh?), and detailed explanations.

One word review: Excellent.

Doug Lowe is a great writer/teacher. The book is well indexed and anyone could understand his writing. He tells you what you need and also show you examples. Trash the IBM manuals, it's all here. There are more copies of Doug's book in our office than any other writer.

Once you begin to modify CICS programs, you soon find out all about the little idiosyncrasies and problems inherent in anything as complex as online programming. The CICS Desk Reference contains practically all Command-Level CICS commands and error explanations, and shows many examples on using the commands. Although it deals with COBOL programming, Assembly programmers can find many answers here, too.

Some one always has it. Thats why I am going to buy one of my own. (Me and 4 other guys!) The best feature is it's alphabetized. And nothing is better than a good example. The only way it could get better is to add a chapter on Linkage Section and its use in calling/linking to background CICS programs. (PS. Hi Rick, glad to see you got CIO at Amazon) Mark Lankford

This is an excellent book! It's very hard to put down. Brian uses references, charts, and graphs that a person like me can understand. I'm not the most knowlegdeable in this part of the computer field, but this book is giving all the tools needed to understand and build on the knowledge presented in this book. It has been most helpful to me because I've taken a huge step in my career from a desktop technician to Enterprise support. The knowledge I need to be successful is contained in this book. It has been approved overwhelmingly by my boss and others who have looked at it.. I greatly suggest buying this book..you will not be dissapointed

I found this book to be an outstanding reference guide through the quagmire that is the CCIE written exam. An important fact to remember- most books do not explain in depth all the IOS features even Cisco own Cisco IOS manuals, but this book doesn't leave any stone unturned, loads of IOS examples for routers and switches but a complete reference to almost every feature used in todays' enterprise IP networks, a must for a cisco person,
The structure of this book is to give you a solid foundation if you don't have much experience, and to act as the glue to tie it altogether if you do have experience or no experience.
Not only did this book help me to pass my written exam, but I could not have done it without it. I found the text easy to read and quick to sink in, which is critical when study-time is at a premium. I finished the book in a two weeks, and then passed my written exam. I highly recommend this book.

There are two kinds of people, those that take exams and have lots of expensive pieces of paper on the wall and then there are those people that actually do the work. If you are a do the work sort of person then this book is quite helpful.
I have to admit that I just bought this book for some light reading; however having access to Cisco equipment the little dabbling I have done has paid off. I doubt I will be doing anything serious other than initial setting up.
This book is a lot more than just Cisco. It covers the history, theory, and practicality of WANs, LANs, WAP, and more. We can not cover everything in this review.
The book is broken down to four parts, [Networking Basics, CISCO Technology Overview, CISCO LAN Switching, CISCO Routing]. Each part has a darkened tab down the side of the book to allow fast access. These sections are broken down in to 27 sub categories that are further broken down in to subjects. There are plenty of diagrams and tables, even a few practical commands.
While it is all there this book is more helpful if you have some background in the subjects or the learning curve is quite steep.

You may fall in love with all the concise yet clear description of most ALL cisco products in the first quarter of this huge book
(or not, IF you're adverse to Cisco product catalogs!). It also does a good job of covering [teaching] all the many topics listed in the TOC. There are some unique flowcharts of route processing. But there's no coverage of BGP and some other important advanced topics. I don't seem to find a "command reference", like the superb O'Rielly IOS Nutshell book. I give it only 4 stars, because of it's limitations, but there's sooooo much to love in this book. The details on EIGRP/OSPF do go VERY deep.

Working with Cisco Routers is part of what I do everyday and there are time when I need an information about the router or a configuration entry, or I might want to change certain parameters to enhance the performance of the network. Using this book I can have a great manual to go to for almost every purpose.

Broken down into 4 parts, with Part 1 covering Networking basics, such as an excellent explanation of the OSI model from top to bottom. Also 90 pages of TCP/IP breakdown as well as IPX/SPX and WAN technologies finish out this section.

Part 2 is the CISCO technology overview, from the router layout, which included several models, to the switch layout for both LAN and WAN switches and what I found to be most helpful was the 125 pages covering the IOS and commands.

Part 3 is the LAN switching and configuration section, covering Layer 1, 2, 3 and 4 switching. This is followed by Part 4 or the Routing section, and here you have coverage of all the protocols from RIP I and II, IGRP, EIRGP, OSPF in single and multiple environments and Access lists. What is missing is coverage of BGP, which could be included in the next edition.

Overall this book is very complete and while no specific exam is covered this book can and should help with all Cisco Exams.

Hey I am team leader who is into a RE-ENGG project from IDMS TO web technologies.Can somebody tell me how good this book suits my requirement.
Thanks in advance.

This is the most comprehensive COBOL reference that I have seen in my 20 years in the business. I bought it specifically for the IDMS chapter, but it also covers other database types. It is well organized and gets right to the point with code examples and diagrams. If I were to have only one COBOL reference this would be it.

The book really helped me in clearing up areas that my advanced COBOL teacher was not very clear in.

I think it will be a good reference book for the future.

This is one of the few books that contains anything about IDMS. All other IDMS books are out of print and hard to find. I authored Chapter 23 - The IDMS Chapter.

Pay attention to where this books says it does not teach programming.

_ALL_ code examples assume familiarity with COBOL and familiarity with programming. Most are simply free-form code examples designed to inform, not actual programs.

As for a reference, if this book missed it, I didn't notice. It's already helped me on a number of issues, including covering why SECTIONs exist (something not even my compiler vendor manuals tackle, and I've certainly never seen anywhere else).

I've seen a few typos, but they were obvious (again, you need to be a programmer already to spot this stuff).

The CD-ROM has several demo compilers and the code examples from the book. I haven't used any of them, but have read about others liking them.

Overall, a good book and a great buy.

Excerpt from C# Online.NET Review (wiki.CSharp-Online.NET):
"...this book goes beyond the online documentation to clarify and amplify the original standard and describe its implementation.... the single source programmers, language and tool designers, and library and VES developers need to render the CLI and the CLR fully comprehensible."

Well, you know it's a winner b/c it's in Addison Wesley's Microsoft .Net Development series. Like their Hejlsberg title, this is pure reference. However, there's a lot to it (almost 900 pages in total) and EVERYTHING in the CLS is covered here. It's very technical, and definitely not a cover to cover read, but there are many good examples and if you need a quick reference for any topic in the Framework, this book is a must have.

When Microsoft released its .NET platform, it attempted, and is attempting, something quite audacious. It is putting forth a programming environment whereby you could combine modules written in different languages, without recompiling, let alone rewriting.

Arguably, Microsoft set itself a harder task than did Sun with java. Along this road, as the book describes, a standard arose - the Common Language Infrastructure. It describes a Virtual Execution System and what type of executable code can use it. So a version of Pascal, say, that wanted to run on a VES would need to pass the compilation rules of a Pascal compiler that adhered to CLI.

An analogy might help. In some rough way, you might consider CLI + VES to be like a java virtual machine, and the choice of a language to use atop CLI to be like running java under its jvm. Granted, this is crude, but many readers are probably unfamiliar with CLI, whilst having more acquaintance with java.

Warning. The book may be heavy sledding for most. The main audience is compiler writers and language developers. Daresay that even experienced developers may not usually deal with a language at this level.

A slight irony is that CLI is meant to decouple programmers from any specific platform, which is why Microsoft pushed it over to a standards body. But the most developed instantiation currently appears to be .NET, which is inextricably interwoved with Microsoft's operating systems.

.NET, unlike Java, is an implementation of an ECMA and a ISO standard.
This book, from the Microsoft employees that created .NET and with input from members of the standards bodies, annotates the standard with comments that provide insights into the reasoning behind the standard. If you are in one of these categories, you should seriously consider buying this book:
1. advanced .NET developers
2. language designers
3. tool designers
4. those interested in understanding virtual machines
5. developers of libraries
6. Java developer (wondering what a standard looks like, just kidding. As an intermediate-advanced Java developer, the book is very interesting though.)
7. developer who wants insight into current software architecture
Otherwise, the book is still a useful guide to help you grow as a developer if you even browse it sporadically, and unlike many programming books, it will not be obsolete in a year.

This is not just a reference guide (although it is a very good one). It is also (due to the annotations, often funny) that give you insight into the 'why' behind thing like naming, design decisions, things that were internally debated that we would not normally know about, and in general you come away feeling like you were there creating .NET. I find it required reading and often use it as a reference. 5 stars. An amazing read.

Kind Regards,
Damon Carr
(...)

This is not a common book on Computability and Complexity as Hopcroft-Ullman, Sipser or Papadimitrou. You won't find here too many words describing topics: you'll find the power and elegance of a superlative mathematical approach from one the best authors of the century in the field. Conversely, you'll find here a detailed and elegant treatment of the whole history of computational models that starts at the Primitive Recursive Functions, something you won't find in the other books above mentioned.
A special note goes to the chapter on Blum's complexity, which is about the only good place where I found it and from where I studied for my course on Complexity I.
For this reason the book requires quite more attention than others, but it really worths all the time one can spend reading it. Truly understanding Computability and Complexity as Professor Davis teaches them with this book is in my opinion a definitely high achievement, bringing the sensation that you grasp it totally, with no space for ambiguity or weakness.

The authors of this book define theoretical computer science as the mathematical study of models of computation, and they do an excellent job of detailing the major results in the theory of computation as related to mathematical logic. Mathematicians, programmers, and philosophers will find the book an effective one in which to learn computability theory, and it serves well as a textbook for courses in the subject.

After a brief review of elementary mathematics and mathematical logic in chapter 1, the authors move right into the consideration of computable functions in chapter 2. They choose a particular abstract programming language in which to study the computability theory, which is built from variables, and programs that can be built from lists of instructions. Examples of programs are given, which have a Fortran flavor, with examples of computing partial functions. Unfortunately, a plethora of GOTO statements appear in the programs, and throughout the rest of the book, which is surprising given the publishing date. The use of these GOTO statements in the book is a major annoyance.

Then in chapter 3, the authors discuss primitive recursive functions, beginning with a treatment of composition, followed by the all-important concept of recursion. The class (PRC) of primitive recursive functions is introduced, and shown to be computable. The primitive recursive predicates are introduced, followed by a proof that the existential and universal quantifiers over an element of a PRC class are also PRC. This is followed by a discussion of minimalization and Godel numbers.

The next chapter is very interesting, wherein the famous halting problem is discussed and related to Church's thesis. The authors stress, most importantly, that an algorithm cannot be defined outside of the choice of a language, and therefore Church's thesis cannot be proved as a theorem. The authors also introduce recursively enumerable sets and show, via diagonalization, that non-recursively enumerable sets exist. They give an interesting example of a function that is computable but not primitive recursive.

The next chapter extends the results to strings of symbols instead of just numbers, and the authors introduce programming languages for doing string computations. One of these is the famous Post-Turing language, which they use to discuss the halting problem, with a variant used in the next chapter on Turing machines. The authors discuss the famous halting problem for Turing machines in this chapter. This is followed in chapter 7 by a discussion of productions and simulation of nondeterministic Turing machines. A very lucid treatment of Post's correspondence problem is given.

Things get somewhat more complicated in chapter 8, where the authors attempt to classify unsolvable problems. It contains one of the best discussions I have seen in the literature on oracles, and the authors give a very clear treatment of arithmetic hierarchies.

The second part of the book reads more like a book on compilers, as the authors delve into the area of grammars and automata. Regular languages, deterministic and non-deterministic finite automata are discussed, and Kleene's theorem, which states that regular languages and finite automata define the same languages, is proven. The context-free languages, so familiar from the study of compilers, are discussed also, along with a proof that a context-free grammar can be reduced to a Chomsky normal form grammar. Pushdown automata, needed for accepting context-free languages, are treated in detail. The authors give a good explanation here as to the additional facilities needed for a finite automaton to decide if a word belongs to a "bracket" language. Chomsky hierarchies are also discussed, and the authors motivate nicely the need for a linear bounded automaton to accept context sensitive languages.

Part three of the book is an overview of mathematical logic, and begins with a treatment of the propositional calculus. The satisfiability problem is discussed for this system, along with how to reduce formulas to normal form. The important compactness theorem is given a very detailed proof. Predicate calculus is then discussed, and Herbrand's theorem, which effectively reduces logical inference in predicate calculus to a problem of satisfiability of universal sentences, is proven. This theorem is fascinating and has important applications to automated theorem proving, as it ties together semantic and syntactical properties of a formal system. The Godel incompleteness theorem and the unsolvability of the satisfiability problem in predicate logic is proven.

In part 4, issues in computational complexity are addressed, the measure of complexity given in terms of the Blum axioms. This is a very abstract way of introducing complexity theory, as it introduces measures of complexity that more general than time and space complexity. The fascinating gap theorem, comparing program performance on two computing machines via complexity measures, is proven. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the speedup theorem, which essentially states that there is a wildly complicated recursive function such that for any program computing this function, there exists another program computing the function that works a lot faster for almost every input. The polynomial-time computability is discussed along with the famous P vs NP problem, with the discussion given in terms of Turing machines. Examples of NP-complete problems are given.

The last part of the book covers semantics, with operational and denotational semantics defined and compared. The emphasis in this part is on programming languages and constructions that one would actually find in practice, and so the preceding chapters on computable functions must be extended. The concept of an approximate ordering is introduced to allow for the instantaneous of a computation at some point before its completion. The denotational semantics of recursion equations and infinitary data structures are discussed, with the latter put it in to deal with the sophisticated systems that are constructed here. The discussion here is very involved, but the authors do a fair job of explaining the need for these types of data structures. The same is done for operational semantics, and the authors finally show that the computable numerical functions are actually partially computable. They then show the existence of computable irrational numbers.

I haven't found a better book on the Theoretical foundations of Computer Science. However since this IS theory the text can be a bit cryptic. Still, I'd recomend this book to any PhD Candidate or full Professor. Even a lowly Master's student like myself could use it.

I first learned computability from this book and I loved every minute of it. It has lots of material and is superbly written. In fact, I think the chapters on logic are the most painless way to learn that subject. There are many other books around on this subject, but this is the ultimate!

It taught me how to think about the theory of computation. The exercises added to the second edition are a big improvement over the first editon.

This treatise on modern visual communication provides an important in-depth focus on computer color graphics as they're applied to ads, brochures, and color presentations. From using the Web and developing materials for web publication to working with designers and understanding the commercial printing process, Computer Color Graphics is packed with ideas and insights into color graphics as a whole.

This book will be more than just a textbook for the students in my class, I expect it to be a constant reference source. Without getting overly technical Harry waldman is able to explain the concepts behind today's image and page development applications and processes. Adjunct Professor, Carnegie-Mellon University

This is not a childrens' book, and I'm not 12. If I were to teach a course on 'Color Graphics for Web Page Design' I would probably use this book as a text. I wish I had read it before taking a course in Adobe Photoshop, where it is all too easy to get bogged down in programming detail.

Computer Color Graphics takes some essential matters like screen vs. paper, CYMK vs.RGB, vector vs. raster graphics and explains them clearly with good insight and good examples.

What the book is leading the reader towards is the design of web pages. Very sensibly there is a discussion of the ten or so major graphics and publishing programs.

This is a book that can be read profitably many times

Tired of buying highly enigmatic technical books and realizing just how lost you actually are trying to master today's graphic software?

Well Harry Waldman has put an end to that all too familiar scene for computer newcomers and pros alike. In Computer Color Graphics, Waldman works as a personal mentor through this easy, fun, non-technical ride into the concepts that compose the world of digital color graphics.

Business professionals will love the book because it explores the concepts and tools with programs like QuarkXPress, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, and many others. Waldman removes the mystery of digital imaging by breaking down the basics: dots and pixels, vector and raster graphics, CMYK and RGB, Web technology, and much more, into non-technical, easy to follow language.

New-comers will love this book because of its layman's terms and full color illustrations that expand comprehension. Computer Color Graphics unlocks the secrets of enhancing or manipulating photos like a pro, producing websites and newsletters, and giving dynamic presentations.

Imagine understanding the software used by designers and printers simply by reading this book. Becoming a part of today's world of color communications has never been so easy!

Industry leaders sometimes share their experience with the rest of us, but rarely is such a publication as welcome as this work. Waldman cuts to the chase, demystifying every major tool currently used by graphic designers, layout artists, web-authors, presenters and more! Each category contains a well edited overview that is sure to raise the skill level of novice and pro alike. The illustrations (tons of them!) are purposeful, well placed, and immediately demonstrate the concepts at hand. I've been in the graphics business for almost 3 decades, and can't imagine a more useful tool as a combination tutorial/reference source. With computer graphics spinning off into so many specialties, even a seasoned professional will find this a useful quick-start for tackling other segments of the industry.

You don't have to be in the business to make use of this. Family photos, community organization web-sites, newsletters, etc. can all be improved with tips in this book.

Credibility is on the author's side, since the Publisher is the GATF (Graphic Arts Technical Foundation) Press.

Obviously specifically for Ada but a good resource for any programmer interested in the general concept of concurrent programming. The organization of the chapters and the introduction to concurrency are alone worth the price.

Ada has been one of few languages which provides facilities for concurrent programming, but readings for the feature had been limited. This book is not only the first but also an excellent guide to the capability of the new Ada standard.

It covers,

1.@The Ada Language

2. The Nature and Uses of Concurrent Programming

3. Inter-Process Communication

4. Ada Task Types and Objects

5. The Rendezvous

6. The Select Statement and the Rendezvous

7. Protected Objects and Data-Oriented Communication

8. Avoidance Synchronisation and the Requeue Facility

9. Using Protected Objects as Building Blocks

10. Exceptions, Abort and Asyncronous Transfer of Control

11. Tasking and System Programming

12. Real-Time Programming

13. Object-Oriented Programming and Tasking

14. Distributed Systems

15. Conclusion

Not only Ada programmers, but also all professonal software engineers who design real-time, embedded systems, advanced students of computer science, and even beginners should find it quite useful.

I've read the original print published in 1995, which has been out-of-print.

I am so happy to know it is now to be RE-PRINTed, and every programmers would be.

Fully harnessing multi-core processors requires concurrent programming, yet most mainstream languages have little support or do so with poor portability. Well-written concurrent Ada programs can be extremely portable and support multi-core and multiple processors automatically. This book explores, in-depth, the concurrent programming ("tasking") part of the Ada language. The authors then show how the concurrent programming facilities of Ada are augmented by the language to support real-time programming. These standard real-time facilities are state-of-the-art, extending, for example, beyond the POSIX real-time facilities in their expressive power.

The book first establishes the necessary foundation for understanding concurrent programming by explaining the possible problems (e.g., deadlocks and race conditions) and highlighting some of the mechanisms traditionally used in concurrent programming, such as semaphores and message-passing.

The tasking part of Ada is then covered in full detail, necessarily including interactions with some other parts of the language, such as exceptions, but also including interactions with the Ada object-oriented language facilities. The implementations of a number of reusable concurrency abstractions serve to illustrate the use of the tasking features.

The authors next lay another foundation, this time for scheduling in real-time systems, and show how Ada directly supports the common approaches. Both fixed-priority and dynamic-priority dispatching are supported by Ada and these are covered in detail. Ada 2005 also defines a number of time-related abstractions, such as a monotonic clock and timing events, and these are also covered completely. As in the concurrent programming part of the book, a number of reusable abstractions are implemented; in this section they illustrate the real-time language facilities. A discussion of the popular Ravenscar Profile, adopted by some other languages, is included.

No language is perfect and Ada is no exception. The tasking part of Ada 83 was particularly controversial in the domain of real-time systems. Ada 95 addressed many of these issues and added some new ones. Ada 2005 does the same. These issues are not ignored in the book.

I own 46 books on Ada (not counting older editions of some of them), gathered over 27 years of applying the language. Some are excellent and some not, but this one is highly prized. I highly recommend it to professionals and students alike.

the authors of this book is famous. and the contents of the book do not disappoint me.

i have several references about ada. of course, some of the references are written by the author of this book. But, regard to the acting mechanism of ada task, this book is awesome.

but, if you are the beginner of real-time & embedded system, you should have another reference(s) to fully understand the meaning of the every article of this book.

By far the best on the subject. Offers complete coverage of any aspect of concurrency with Ada, including real-time and distributed programming issues. Burns and Wellings are the acknowledged experts on this topic.

The best aspect of the book is the analysis of features and their interactions, providing a depth not available in other texts covering the entire language.

Assumes you know some Ada, but includes an introduction to the sequential part of the language.

I own quite a few books on Ada; this is the one to get if you want the details of Ada concurrency.

This book is a delight. Written by an expert in the field, it is useful to to various people, from beginner to advanced.

"Constraint Processing" features a perfect balance between theory and practice, proving itself a valuable aid both in teaching and in production.

This is the most comprehensive book in the area of Constraint Processing (aka Constraint Solving and CSP) I have seen. It starts with the basics and takes the reader all the way to advanced topics. It is an excellent place to start if you want to learn the field. It is also an excellent reference for researchers and practitioners. I use this book frequently in my research and my work in the field of Formal Verification. The book is also of great value to those in Artificial Intelligence, Optimization, and Operation Research.

This is the only book I found that contains almost all important results in the field. I have to refer to it from time to time.

This book includes the basics of constraint satisfaction that should appear in a textbook while in the same time presenting in a unifying manner important research results that constitute the state-of-the-art in the field. Diverse lines of research like tractable languages, constraint optimization, temporal CSPs etc are gathered in a single reference. The material is presented along with comprehensive examples. In my opinion this is an essential reference.

This book covers both introductory and advanced material. It is a
solid resource for introducing students to the basic mechanisms of
Constraint Processing and for training the future generation of
researchers in the field. It is also an invaluable tool for
perfecting the knowledge of the seasoned researcher in topics beyond
his/her particular expertise.

Its coverage of the relationship between relational algebra and
Constraint Satisfaction is unique and bound to inspire new synergies
between Databases and Constraint Processing. The depth and rigor
at which advanced topics are addressed (e.g., advanced consistency
methods, tree decomposition techniques, and temporal reasoning
networks) are a remarkable achievement, possible only given the wealth
and significance of the author's own contributions to the field.

This is one of those rare books you will enjoy reading over and over
again, every time acquiring new knowledge.

This is probably the best book I own on Mac programming. It goes into the lower level, hard-core topics that other books are afraid to touch. As I read it straight through, cover to cover, I see how I've been doing things wrong, and I constantly refer back to concepts I just read when I write new code. It makes me the envy of all my peers.

Go to this website for details:

http://www.bignerdranch.com/products/core.shtml

I bought some months ago "Cocoa programming for Mac OS X" written by the same author A. Hillegass. It was the key book for me to understand the Cocoa. Now I write my own applications and I am sure the next book from The Big Nerd Ranch will help me to discover next areas of the Mac OS X Programming.

However it is a pity that Amazon.com tells us it is a bargain (nearly 30% off the catalog price $97.95). On the Big Nerd Ranch there is a link to a company which sells this book for $65.

This book is a bit on the pricey side, but it delivers the goods more than many other expensive book in my bookshelf. I own hundreds of programming books (as well as have written several of them). Of them all there is only a handful that I consider trully excellent. This is one of them.

This book covers every possible topic (both OS X specific and UNIX) that you could possibly think of, but the coverage is not lightweight. It is heavy duty information delivered at its best. Fine code examples, and fine discussion, well worth the price.

If Amazon had a ten star rating, this book would get it. - GET IT!

If you're a programmer and you want to learn more about Mac OS X and its Unix underpinnings, you must have this book. The information in here is not available anywhere else, including in Apple's documentation. The authors have done a remarkable job in ferreting out cool stuff, such as how the memory model works, programming with sockets, using GDB, multithreading, and a zillion more nifty topics. This is a remarkable book.