E-Book Overview
This book presents the "great ideas" of computer science, condensing a large amount of complex material into a manageable, accessible form; it does so using the Java programming language. The book is based on the problem-oriented approach that has been so successful in traditional quantitative sciences. For example, the reader learns about database systems by coding one in Java, about system architecture by reading and writing programs in assembly language, about compilation by hand-compiling Java statements into assembly language, and about noncomputability by studying a proof of noncomputability and learning to classify problems as either computable or noncomputable. The book covers an unusually broad range of material at a surprisingly deep level. It also includes chapters on networking and security. Even the reader who pursues computer science no further will acquire an understanding of the conceptual structure of computing and information technology that every well-informed citizen should have.
E-Book Content
Great Ideas in Computer Science with Java This page intentionally left blank Alan W. Biermann and Dietolf Ramm Great Ideas in Computer Science with Java The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England ( 2002 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. This book was set in Times New Roman by Asco Typesetters, Hong Kong, and printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Biermann, Alan W., 1939± Great ideas in computer science with Java / Alan W. Biermann and Dietolf Ramm. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-262-02497-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1.