Computer science
by J. Glenn Brookshear, Brookshear · first published 1985
73% recommend27% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Broad, readable overview of the whole field of computer science, covering how computers work and the core ideas behind them; a common first pick for students and newcomers to computing.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Computer Science: An Overview, Tenth Edition, delivers a solid, comprehensive overview of what computer science is all about. Each topic is presented with its historical perspective, current state, and future potential, as well as ethical issues for students to consider. This balanced, realistic picture helps students see the many opportunities that computing presents for further studies and future careers."--BOOK JACKET.
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Physics: Feynman's lectures on physics. Maths: Rudin's Real and Complex analysis. Software engineering: The Mythical Man-Month. Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP.
on “Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?” ↗…(1975) I hate Mathematics Book, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Brown-Paper-School-Books/... Mathematics, philosophy, music, molecular biology/biochemistry, computer science, visual art, poetry, cognitive science: Hofstadter, Douglas R. (1979) Gödel, Escher, Bach - An Eternal Golden Braid. New York, NY: Basic Books. ("GEB") Computer Science: Abelson, Harold and Gerald…
on “Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?” ↗India specific : India after Gandhi, India Unbound Computer Science : GEB(still reading), Mahout in Action General : Cryptonomicon, V for Vendetta
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗India specific : India after Gandhi, India Unbound Computer Science : GEB( still reading), Mahout in Action General : Cryptonomicon
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗- Computer Science, an Overview, by Brookshear: an excellent introduction to the whole field. - Introduction to Algorithms, by Cormen, et all: a bible for computer science. - Design Patterns, by the Gang of 4: well designed…
on “Ask HN: Books/courses for self-taught programmer” ↗I could recommend a hundred, but I'll limit myself to four: 1. Computer Science: The Pattern on the Stone is a nearly perfect, foundational explanation of how computers work. 2. The Mind: Brain Rules (John Medina) is a fast, well-organized read on the fundamentals of how your brain…
on “Ask HN: Books Similar to Code by Charles Petzold?” ↗Math: Art of Problem Solving (read in jr high) Computer Science: CLR Algorithms book and Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual (read both in college)
on “Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?” ↗Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation. Programming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp. Artificial intelligence: AI a modern approach. Signals and…
on “Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?” ↗Top 5 will never cover the field. Here's my top 10 * Brookshear and Brylow - Computer Science - An Overview * Forta - Teach yourself SQL in 10 minutes * Stallings - Computer Organization and Architecture * Stallings - Operating Systems - Internals and Design Principles * CLRS * Kurose, Ross…
on “Mathematics for Computer Science (2018) [pdf]” ↗There are three areas to really study here: 1. Programming 2. Computer Science 3. Software engineering Programming is, well, the act of writing code both in general and in a particular language. For this, find one or two books or courses on the languages you're using. Work through…
on “Ask HN: I'm looking for a good book on the fundamentals of CS” ↗…slightly tweaked; it's in its second edition and its 23rd year. So it's an example of the dynamic I'm talking about, not a counterexample to it. I'm talking about things like https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Science-Overview-Brookshear-... (Brookshear & Brylow), which Amazon tells me is US$155.49 for the Swindle or US$79 in paperback (new) and is in its 13th edition after 35 years; the first edition was evidently…
on “Al Alcorn, creator of Pong, explains the NTSC color graphics trick” ↗This is very similar to the project I have in Chapter 2 of my new book Computer Science from Scratch [0]. It's also Tiny BASIC without INPUT. I called it NanoBASIC. But it's an interpreter not a compiler. This tutorial is a nice starting point. The chapter is much more comprehensive, so…
on “I Wrote a Compiler” ↗…and MacBinary. You can get the code for free and do the conversions yourself without Retro Dither here: https://github.com/davecom/ComputerScienceFromScratch The book is here: https://nostarch.com/computer-science-from-scratch
on “MacPaint Art from the Mid-80s Still Looks Great Today” ↗