Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Computers Ltd: What They Really Can't Do by David Harel ISBN: 0-19-850555-8 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A limited introduction to the limits of Computation
Comment: This another nice book from David Harel, the author of the delightful
'Algorithmics : the spirit of Computer Science', which introduces the
general reader to the limits of computation (and hence the limits of
what computers can do).
Harel, who's a renowned figure in the field of Theoretical Computer Science,
has the ability to write and explain in a way that makes things seem
wonderfully clear, and indeed it is only such authors who can write good
books for the general reader.
This small (240 pages) book is quite ambitious in its coverage of topics -
starting off with the notion of an algorithm, it goes on to discuss
Efficiency and correctness, Turing machines, Finite state machines,
Decidability, Computability, Complexity, NP-completeness, Recursion,
Parallel algorithms, Probabilistic algorithms, and even touches upon
Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence !!
All this is done with almost no mathematics, at least hardly any beyond
high-school level. The reader is gently introduced to some of the most
celebrated problems of Computer Science, and he/she can get a feel of
the nature of this exciting and interesting field.
Throughout the book, the author keeps underscoring the fact that no matter
how far technology progresses, there'll always be problems that we can't
solve cheaply, or can't solve at all, or can't ever know whether they
can be solved or not (!!), ie he stresses that there are problems that
are 'beyond computers', which cannot be tamed by more and more processing
power or any other technological advancements.
This book covers pretty much the same range of topics as Harel's earlier
book, 'Algorithmics : the spirit of Computer Science', but in only half
the number of pages, and with a heavy emphasis on the 'limitations' of
computers, which actually are limitations of our knowledge rather than
of the machines themselves.
How does it compare with the eariler book ? Well, it's more uptodate,
since it was published in 2000, whereas the other one was in 1992 -
so here you find buzzwords like 'Java', 'Dotcom', 'Quantum Computing',
etc, which you wouldn't find in the earlier book, but on the whole
i prefer the earlier one, since it had a little more detail, made you
think a little more, and even had exercises for those who were interested
in probing further.
So all in all, if you want a light, breezy introduction to the basic ideas
of Theoretical Computer Science which doesn't demand too much concentration,
this is a good choice, but if you're willing to put in some time & effort
& enjoy puzzles & logical thinking, then you'll find Harel's other book,
'Algorithmics : the spirit of Computer Science' much more rewarding.
Rating: 5
Summary: Popularization At Its Best
Comment: This book is a masterpiece! It can be read on many levels and should be a must for anyone who knows how to read and think. The layman will get a gripping and very accessible account of the limits of computing in particular, and the boundaries of knowledge in general. The professional will be able to see, in a nutshell, and explicitly, what he or she or it already knew, but did not really FEEL. But note that this book does not put down computers, but shows the intrinsic limitation of all knowledge. It should have been subtitled: `What EVEN computers can't do'.
 |
Title: Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing (2nd Edition) by David Harel ISBN: 0201504014 Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 23 January, 1992 List Price(USD): $81.00 |
 |
Title: Great Ideas in Computer Science - 2nd Edition: A Gentle Introduction by Alan W. Biermann ISBN: 0262522233 Publisher: The MIT Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1997 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
 |
Title: The (New) Turing Omnibus: 66 Excursions in Computer Science by A. K. Dewdney ISBN: 0805071660 Publisher: Owl Books (NY) Pub. Date: 01 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
 |
Title: Introduction to UNIX by David I. Schwartz ISBN: 0130951358 Publisher: Pearson Education Pub. Date: 23 February, 1999 List Price(USD): $25.80 |
 |
Title: Computability and Unsolvability (McGraw-Hill Series in Information Processing and Computers.) by Martin Davis ISBN: 0486614719 Publisher: Dover Publications Pub. Date: 01 November, 1982 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
