The Essentials of Computer Organization And Architecture

Average customer rating:

Follows its Charter, But...

Textbook for Computer Organization class

Very Good Book

Tries to cover all of computer science in one book.

Excellent Survey of Computer Architectures

The Essentials of Computer Organization And Architecture
Linda Null , and Julia Lobur
Manufacturer: Jones & Bartlett Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Computer Design | Microprocessors & System Design | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Design & Architecture | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0763737690

Book Description

Covers all the core topics, such as digital logic, data representation, machine-level language, general organization, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Follows its Charter, But..........2007-06-21

I'm in a quandary about how to rate this book. On one hand, it's well written and organized, and definitely follows its charter. From page ix of the Preface, the authors state:

"...we hope to convey the spirit of design used in the development of modern computing systems and what impact this has on computer science students.... Most organization and architecture textbooks present a similar subset of technical information regarding these basics. We, however, pay particular attention to the level at which the information should be covered, and to presenting that information in the context that has relevance for computer science students."

Essentially, the book covers everything a Computer Science (CS) student would need to know (at a fairly high level) about computer systems, their peripherals, and their interconnections. However (and this is the "other hand"), because of their focus on "relevance for computer science students," this book reads more like an extension to a CS "survey" book than it does to a Computer Architecture book.

Though interesting and useful, most of the material (well over 50%, and maybe up to 75%) duplicates material from other courses in a CS degree. To me, every chapter except 4, 5, and 6 resembles summaries of other courses the CS student will take later (actually, chapters 1, 2 and 3 would be from that real "survey" course). Along with the duplication of material, this means that nothing gets covered in depth. Once things get technical, the authors gloss over the details and move on.

Personally, I think that Patterson & Hennessy's Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface, Third Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architecture and Design) (The ... Series in Computer Architecture and Design) is a much better book for learning Computer Architecture and Organization. That book is definitely hard slogging for CS-types and has quite a few editing and organization rough spots. But, it covers the area well and without duplication. Still, because THIS book is true to its stated aims and is very well written, I have to give it a Very Good 4 stars out of 5 rating (though I'd really like to reduce that to an OK 3 stars out of 5).

Textbook for Computer Organization class.......2007-01-04

Depending on the competence of the instructor for this course, this book can be either an extremely helpful supplement or a fairly complex crash course to Computer organization. The first four or five chapters truly hold the bulk of information needed to understand the general concepts behind computer organization. The rest of the book just goes into more detail about most of the concepts explained in the first five chapters.
Using MARIE is extremely easy and gives the reader a good understanding on how a simple assembly language works. The Powerpoint presentations on each chapter are a great supplement to the book. The questions in the back of each chapter are fairly challenging as well. Good textbook overall.

Very Good Book.......2005-10-25

I used this book for a course in Computer Architecture. Except for one chapter, I read the entire book and I practiced almost all the exercises. As a novice reader, I liked the book very much. The book is very well organized, chapters are laid out in logical sequence and the writing style is very clear. Many illustrations are presented in the book that make it easy to understand concepts. Many examples are presented in special cases that help the student understand complicated stuff. Overall I am very much pleased with this book. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because the answers to the exercises listed at the back of the book had errors in them (I confirmed this fact after checking with my instructor) and these are not fixed even in the last edition. Highly recommended to those who are new to this topic.

Tries to cover all of computer science in one book. .......2005-08-11

I can't say I have read this book cover to cover, but I did examine each chapter and its contents for at least a couple of hours. I am a computer science instructor at a start up university.

First the pros - I will say this book is very well organized in terms of each chapter covering specific aspects about computer science. It gives a good "big picture" view of computer hardware and how it interacts with networking and operating system concepts. If this is what you are looking for, this book is a good one.

Cons - However, I was hoping to find a book that goes beyond digital logic and explaining the architecture within .. bus architectures, how ALU and microprogramming work and so on (i.e., to the level of detail done by the Patterson and Hennessy computer org book - but I don't find their book very organized). This book does have a chapter on this but the material was covered very cursorily. What I found was that this book seems to cover almost half of computer science - down to operating system concepts of memory management and disk access and even data structures and computer networks. I would say that MORE than half of this book is already taught in other subjects that most computer science students generally take. I would see no need (as an instructor) to repeat most of its content to computer science students. However, if I were to target non-computer science students (say .. EE majors looking for an understanding of the hardware-software-network interface within one course), then this would be a good book.

I assign it 3 stars only because it does not suit my purpose as prescribing it as a textbook and what I believe this book should deliver in accordance with its title. However, it is a well written book that many could find very useful.

Excellent Survey of Computer Architectures.......2005-08-06

I recently used this book for a course and agree with the reviews that it is easy to read and very concise. It provides a wide scope of computer architectures and covers these well. However, I did find it frustrating at times that it provided too cursory a coverage of the computer organization pertaining to memory. This was especially prevalent in its discussion of caching and virtual addressing. It did not provide enough technical discussion or indepth examples although the illustrations were excellent.

Book Description

This book draws upon selected, revised and edited papers from a conference of rural geographers from the U.K., the U.S., and Canada, held at the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter. It focuses on rural regions, which are facing conflicting demands, pressures, and challenges, which themselves have far-reaching implications for rural space and society. Themes that occur throughout the book include agricultural change, environmental issues, rural communities, governanance and globalization, and rural response to these themes.

Book Description

This book, which has derived from UNEP-sponsored training courses in the subject, contains vital up-to-date information, presented by a leading team of international experts, on all the major parameters of plant growth and the effect upon them of global climate change. It will be an invaluable manual and reference source for students and researchers in plant science, ecology and environmental science.

Average customer rating:

Did not receive it, but got money back
Great Deal
good for a general ecology course or reference
pretty pictures, but a poor text choice

Ecolog & Field Bio Stu Ed 4e
Smith
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0060463317

Book Description

This book presents a comprehensive overview of all aspects of ecology, including evolution, ecosystems theory, practical applications, plants, animals, biogeochemical cycles, and global change. This balanced approach has made Ecology and Field Biology, Sixth Edition the best-selling ecology book on the market. The field package also includes The Ecology Action Guide, a guide that encourages readers to be environmentally responsible citizens, and a subscription to The Ecology Place (www.ecologyplace.com), a web site and CD-ROM that enables users to become virtual field ecologists by performing experiments such as estimating the number of mice on an imaginary island or restoring prairie land in Iowa.

Customer Reviews:

Did not receive it, but got money back.......2005-10-03

I did not receive my book because it was out of stock. Some weeks later, I got my money back.

Great Deal.......2002-10-07

Fast delivery. Book was in great shape for a great price. Thanx!

good for a general ecology course or reference.......1999-10-28

I have used this book for several years as a text for my general ecology course. Although simple errors may plague this book, it is one of the most comprehensive for a course involving field investigations. The appendix sections on sampling plant and animal populations and life table construction are very helpful for students and instructors. The book is strong on physiological ecology, plant interactions, and case history presentations.

pretty pictures, but a poor text choice.......1997-12-03

I "inherited" Smith's book from my predecessor as the text for a general ecology course (junior-level). I found it to be a poor choice. The fifth edition appears to have undergone recent and massive revision; the text had far more than its fair share of typos, literature citations that were not listed in the bibliography, and perhaps most damningly, colorful figures that were often inadequately explained and sometimes incorrectly labeled. While I understand the presence of factual errors - a text with a subject as diverse as ecology would be difficult for one person to write - there is no excuse for them. All in all, this book was a disappointment.

Field ecology (American Institute of Biological Sciences. Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Committee on Innovation in Laboratory Instruction. Laboratory blocks for high school biology)

Average customer rating:

Field ecology (American Institute of Biological Sciences. Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Committee on Innovation in Laboratory Instruction. Laboratory blocks for high school biology)
Edwin A Phillips
Manufacturer: D.C. Heath
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007DQ30Q

Average customer rating:

Manual of field biology
Allen H Benton
Manufacturer: Burgess
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007G5RQE

Average customer rating:

Manual of Field Biology and Ecology
Allen H. Benton , and William E., Jr. Werner
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Manual of Field Biology and Ecology

Manufacturer: Burgess Intl Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0808740865

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Manual of Field Biology and Ecology
Allen H.; Werner, William E. Benton
Manufacturer: Burgess Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VPI1KA

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Manual of Field Biology and Ecology
Allen H. Benton
Manufacturer: Burgess Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000KO6RUI

Instructors Manual to Ecology and Field Biology 5e

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Instructors Manual to Ecology and Field Biology 5e
Smith
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0065009797

Book Description

Habitat Conservation examines the relationship between habitat and ecosystem dynamics. Over the last decade scientists have made advances in their understanding of this relationship and this has had major impacts on their approach to nature conservation management.
In many habitats conservation management needs to take into account the physical dynamic processes such as the impact of air, soil and water as well as the biological processes.
Covering habitats ranging from mountains to floodplains to coastal dunes and rivers this text discusses:
* how the biological and physical processes interact in each habitat
* explores the current and future impact of global warming and sea-level rise and;
* uses case studies to demonstrate how different habitats can be naturally managed and restored.
Written by geomorphologists, hydrologists, climatologists and limnologists this is a fundamental text for masters and undergraduate students studying nature conservation, habitat ecology and environmental management. It will also be essential reading for all conservationists, environmental consultants, managers and engineers.

Book Description

In this book the author extends the concepts previously introduced in his "Quantum Field Theory in Condensed Matter Physics" to situations in which the strong electronic correlations are crucial for the understanding of the observed phenomena. Starting from a model field theory to illustrate the basic ideas, more complex systems are analysed in turn. A special chapter is devoted to the description of antiferromagnets, doped Mott insulators and quantum Hall liquids from the point of view of gauge theory. This advanced text is written for graduate students and researchers working in related areas of physics.

Average customer rating:

"Loose" Benfield is back

Pearson Is Brilliant, But....

Pearson's funniest in years

good, with flashes of brilliance

Deceptively Complex

Glad News of the Natural World: A Novel
T.R. Pearson
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature & Fiction | Bargain Books | Stores | Books
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ASIN: B000KHXBTU

Customer Reviews:

"Loose" Benfield is back.......2007-01-11

One after the other I read T.R. Pearson's "Glad News" and "Seaworthy," and in the process I gained a new appreciation for the author's skill as a writer. Ever since "A Short History of a Small Place" I've laughed at the situations and characters he created, but there's more ... in both these books: more skill, more feeling, more of almost everything that matters in literature.

Pearson Is Brilliant, But...........2006-12-31

T.R. Pearson employs the language as well as anyone writing today, and uses it for breathtakingly funny satire. Unlike writers who are supposedly funny but are not at all -- yes, I mean Carl Hiaasen -- Pearson will have you gasping from laughter. Don't read this book in public places unless you want to garner funny looks.

On the other hand, Pearson's world is easily broken down into three kinds of people: The losers who know they are losers, the losers who do not know they are losers, and the evil. Talk about depressing.

You've been warned.

Pearson's funniest in years.......2006-08-30

I have missed the small town of Neely with it's wonderful evenings on the porch -- talking about family and the past -- my past too. Glad News follows the life of Louis, the narrator of Pearson's first three novels, as he moves between New York and Neely.

But Neely has changed as the South has modernized over the years, and I morn its passing while still laughing at its eccentricities.

Meanwhile Louis tries to figure out how to live in a city bereft of his past.

good, with flashes of brilliance.......2005-10-03

This is quite different from the old T.R. Pearson we knew and
loved. A Short History of a Small Place featured Louis Benfield,
and the writing was narrative and rambled--no fast-food here, you
had to take the sentences slowly and lovingly--brilliant small-
town dialogue. The Benfield-less Blue Ridge had some parts that
took place in New York, and which lacked the charm and delight
of the parts involving small-town life. Glad News is mostly New
York:the writing is good, but not great, Louis Benfield is now
grown up, sentences are more compact, less rambling.

The novel reminded me, strangely, of a non-fiction book "The
Last Serious Thing" about a summer of watching bullfighting in
Spain. One of the matadors was aging, and no longer very
enjoyable to watch--EXCEPT!--that perhaps once every 50 or 100
fights he would have a bull he would like, and you would then
see real brilliance and a breathtaking performance. So the
afficionados would endure poor perormance after poor performance
in the hope of seeing the old unforgettable form. In Glad News
the writing is good, but not memorable (as with Short History)
until suddenly you see a flash of the old brilliance, a stunning
series of passes, a breathtaking faena, to use the bullfight
analogy. When you read these, you want to leap out of your seat,
scream OLE!! with tears running down your face, so to speak.
"Not much trace of the wide world had actually penetrated Neely.
We had an altogether deplorable Chinese restaurant on the bypass
where they tried to compensate with cornstarch for what they
lacked in cooking skill, and there was a sort of a taco shack
out near the public pool which got by on corrupted adaptations
like pulled-pork enchiladas, dirty chowchow, and refried black-
eyed peas." It's passages such as this which make Glad News a
fine novel.

The ending is downbeat. I realize that not all of life is like
Short History, and in real life there must be the downbeat
parts--but a lot of the enjoyment in the Pearson novels is to
read slowly, savor the writing, let it roll around on your
tongue, and escape into a world that helps you forget the
downbeat side of real life for a while. Still--the book is
enjoyable to read, and there are the raisins in the pudding
to nibble on, so to speak.

Deceptively Complex.......2005-06-30

Pearson's latest offering is one of his best. Louis Benfield is all grown up, and who and what he is today poses a challenge for those who believed they "knew" Louis in Short History. Pearson's unrelenting eye for detail, his knack for the laugh-out-loud turn of phrase, and his ability to render setting its own character have never been more impressive.

An initial reading of Glad News seems quick and light, but if one is careful and deliberate, a different novel will emerge. Louis is dark, cynical, and edgy in ways not readily apparent the first time out. Moreover, Pearson's prose has never been tighter; no languid, meandering sentences/paragraphs here. There's not an extra syllable in the entire text, which contributes to the need to read closely and carefully. Louis's actions belie his commentary, at times. Read it twice and see if you don't realize the character within the character and, consequently, recognize Pearson's genius in the process.

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