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The Essential Guide to Computing: The Story of Information Technology (Essential Guide Series)

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Author : E. Garrison Walters
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9780130194695
ISBN : 0130194697
Label : Prentice Hall PTR
Manufacturer : Prentice Hall PTR
Number of pages : 528
Publication date : 2000-08-11
Publisher : Prentice Hall PTR
Title : The Essential Guide to Computing: The Story of Information Technology (Essential Guide Series)
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Studio : Prentice Hall PTR

Editorial reviews

Product Description
The Complete, easy-to-understand guide to IT-now and in the future! Computers, networks, and pervasive computing Hardware, operating systems, and software How networks work: LANs, WANs, and the Internet E-business, the Web, and security

Amazon.com Review
Lots of circumstances conspired to make information technology what it is today. Business decisions (both wise and foolish), scientific discoveries (both old and recent), marketing campaigns (founded both in truth and otherwise), and plenty of random chance have played parts in defining the industrial, social, and cultural phenomena that personal and business computing have become. The Essential Guide to Computing: The Story of Information Technology tells the technical, commercial, and social stories behind the electronic computer and related technologies, such as telecommunications and software development. Along the way, author E. Garrison Walters reveals a lot of general knowledge about computers. This book is highly readable. It's essentially a general-interest nonfiction book, and a good one, at that.

As you read this book, you can't avoid picking up the little technical facts that have become part of our culture, particularly its younger parts. What's an embedded operating system? What's object-oriented programming? What is the open-source movement? Walters teaches you enough about these subjects--and the ways in which they fit together--to enable you to speak intelligently about them and perform further research, as your needs require. You'll enjoy this book, regardless of your level of computer expertise or your area of specialization, because you're sure to learn something and enjoy the process. --David Wall

Topics covered: The state of the art in electronic computing, data storage, and data communications, in a historical context. The operations of processors, memory chips, persistent storage devices (e.g., disks), and other hardware subsystems. Software development--including compression, encryption, and the challenges and promise of parallel computing--receives attention. Ditto for network communications infrastructures, protocols, and applications. It's all explained in detail and with style.

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2007-09-19 rating:

Unbelievably Good
Walters' comprehensive knowledge of the world of IT and incredible ability to explain complex concepts make this book a fascinating read for any gadget geek interested in how stuff actually works. And he doesn't settle for simple, surface level explanations. Instead of shying away from the details and tech-speak, Walters takes you one step further than you thought you could ever go through insightful examples and meaningful analogies.

In addition, his ability to put technological developments in context allow the reader to see the larger factors and trends that have and continue to drive change. A seemingly chaotic and overwhelmingly fast-changing industry suddenly seems logical and "trackable" after reading Walters' book. In this way, it's easy to forgive the fact that the text is a bit out of date. Everything I've read about today's technology I've easily been able to connect back to the ideas I learned here.

Truly one of a kind.

review by: date: 2005-07-22 rating:

Pretty cool book!
It is very cool book, I would say valuable book to build up your understanding of IT in general. It converges many technologies into one coherent pattern so you start to understand many things. I combined reading of this book with "UNIX Essentials" DVD and it nice to explore many of the conceptions in action. If you are lacking some evenness with your IT knowledge pick this one it is nicely shape your vision of it.

review by: booklovermpls date: 2002-12-06 rating:

Great coverage of the IT field
There is a great breadth of information presented in a very lucid fashion. The material is easy to understand, and the author adds a great sense of humor.
However, with the rapid advancements in technology, the book is a bit dated. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a gain a great breadth of knowledge in the field of Information technology, in a short period of time.

review by: date: 2002-03-13 rating:

Review from an Experienced Marketing Manager's Perspective
With 6+ years marketing management experience and an MBA, I feel this book was very helpful in understanding the many facets of technology and its evolution through time. The book is a must read for anyone who needs to build or brush up on a solid but basic understanding of technology. However, many of the newest trends in technology are only briefly covered. This is due, I believe, to the fact that many of the pervasive technologies and collaborative applications now being pushed in the marketplace didn't make the editor's draft of the book even though the published date is 2001.

review by: marre68 date: 2002-03-13 rating:

A REMARKABLE FIND !
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO COMPUTING is simply an extraordinary achievement. It reflects a breadth of knowledge and clarity of presentation that is remarkable. It makes every effort to distill knowledge about computers and computing in an easy, reader-friendly, memorable way. For computer users everywhere -- in organizations, schools, colleges and universities, and individuals -- this volume gives multiple ways of getting to know more about computing in its fast changing environment. First, you get to know the foundations of how computers and computing works in practical, everyday language. Second, you get a reference book that explains key terms, key workings, and key interconnections among the parts.

The most noteworthy aspect of the book is its superb coherence in presenting vast amounts of computing knowledge arranged in for easy understanding. Information and explanations in one chapter are referenced in subsequent ones, never failing to explain connections among them, with a view to present an overall picture of how computers and computing works.

Each chapter highlights technical terms related to computing and information technology, provides an overview of specific aspects as for example "An Overview of How Storage Works" (Chapter 2, p.40), and highlights in grey explanations of widely used terms such as "Disks From a User's Perspective" (p. 56). Each chapter also ends with a summary list of questions that focus on self-evaluating one's grasp of the chapter's contents.

E. Garrison Walters' book will continue to enrich the understanding of all who enjoy working with computers at work or for pleasure. I wish this book had been available to guide me in computing long before I found it, and, that I had written it ! It is a remarkable achievement!

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