Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods

Book Description

Now in its Fourth Edition, Fundamentals of Building Construction is an essential textbook that has been used by thou-sands of students annually in schools of architecture, engineering, and construction technology. The best-selling reference focuses on the basic materials and methods used in building construction. Emphasizing common construction systems such as light wood frames, masonry bearing walls, steel frames, and reinforced concrete, the new edition includes new coverage of green design and energy-efficient construction energies, and is based on the International Building Code(r).

Customer Reviews:

my leisure reading.......2007-08-30

this book is an excellent overview of construction materials and practices. i really recommend this book to beginning structural/civil engineers who want to know more about construction. I would absolutely recommend this to architects because it's very practical.

it helps.......2007-04-08

We used this book in my building construction class i took as a second year architecture student. The book is good for people who are learning the basics of how things work, are put together, what types of materials are used for different situations, etc. However if you are looking for detailed drawings, I would go elsewhere. The book is good for generalized explanations, so I did learn a lot from it.

Beautiful.......2007-03-09

The item was brand new. No scratches, no nothing..
Thanks a lot..

Guide for construction.......2006-03-24

Every engineer must have one copy of this book.This is an updated edition of the previous ones.Very detailed description and pictures about construction.

Good book.......2005-09-18

It's relatively well written and good for starter who are new to building construction.

Average customer rating:

A good guide from start to finish
Learn a lot
very good all-around reference
Difficult to follow!
A Must Have Pub

Land Development Handbook (Handbook)
The Dewberry Companies
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Land Development Calculations: Interactive Tools and Techniques for Site Planning, Analysis and Design
Land Developer's Checklists and Forms
Be a Successful Residential Land Developer
Getting Financing & Developing Land
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ASIN: 0071375252

Book Description

Successfully navigate the confusing maze of land development

If you're looking for cutting-edge blockbuster coverage of the land development process, the search ends here! Written by one of the nation's premier consulting firms, this new edition delivers up-to-date coverage of planning, engineering, and surveying . . . all with over 700 illustrations, including diagrams, detailed drawings, plats, and reports generated at the various design stages, as well as charts, tables, and more.

This edition includes regulatory changes; new data on open space areas for landscape architects; coverage of the latest advances in GPS and GIS technology; new perspectives on urban growth; and updated case studies, plans, and details. You'll find a thorough description of the design and approval process for residential, commercial, and retail land development projects and access to valuable bottom-line information on:

* Environmental issues, including erosion and sediment control, storm water management, environmental impact studies and assessments, and water quality
* Types of local regulations; where to get necessary project approval; what to expect during the process
* Site analysis and selection criteria for feasibility studies
* Technical information on the design of suburban infrastructure components such as water treatment and supply systems, sanitary sewer systems, storm drain systems, and roads
* The complete spectrum of surveying methods, including Global Positioning System Surveys and Geographic Information Systems

Customer Reviews:

A good guide from start to finish .......2007-07-24

As a general civil engineer in private practice this book has provided a good overview on the more abstract side of land development including financing, rezoning, and public involvement. All of which, are topics that typical engineers strugle with as it is not the enjoyable aspect of what engineers are trained to do. Nevertheless, these abstract components are just as real as the plans we develop. Of course, the book is excellent for hands on design and calculation support.

Learn a lot.......2007-05-13

As a novice developer, this book put me on the right track without all the confusion and terms I would have never understood. It was simple to understand and after reading it, I felt like I knew a lot more. Very interesting and satisfying. Great reference guide all the way around.

very good all-around reference.......2004-03-01

I primarily work as a structural-architectural engineer and am becoming more and more involved in civil-site work. This handbook is exactly what I was looking for in terms of something that would quickly get me "up to speed" in the fundamentals of civil-site design.
Of course, no single book could (or should) be thought of as a substitute for the experience and mentoring received from seasoned professionals in a design office, but this one has enough technical explanation and details to get you going with confidence.
I choose this one over the Colley book (reviewed both before making purchase) as Land Development Handbook has more of the technical info that engineers would seek.

Difficult to follow!.......2003-12-16

I am in a class at Community College of Baltimore County and we are using this book at this time. Our whole class along with the Professor find this book to be very difficult to follow. The book constantly repeats itself making it extremely boring to read and is not fluent at all. They have examples that reference charts that are 3-5 pages apart from the problem being discussed the formulas you almost have to figure out for yourself how they are used and there are alot of typos.
I recomend burning this book!!!!!!!

A Must Have Pub.......2002-07-04

Ever since I purchased this publication I can't stop using it. Every civil engineer should have this as part of their reference library, regardless of your area of specialty. It provides macro to micro scale explanations of general processes, design applications, etc in a very readable format. More times than I can remember I have looked to this book for an answer or at least for some guidance and was throuroughly satisfied. No it is not a definitive reference for civil engineers but its' breadth and usability overshadows any technical shortcomings. If I had to have just one reference book for my area of practice (general civil), this would be it. Yeah, yeah, the "Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers" is a more definitive reference, but I usually find out what I need in this pub.

Book Description

Continuing its proud heritage, this Tenth Edition provides thorough coverage of the latest in the theory and practice of environmental control system design. This bestselling book encompasses mechanical and electrical systems for buildings of all sizes, featuring design guidelines and detailed design procedures for every topic covered and supported by more than 2,200 illustrations—over 225 new to this edition!

Customer Reviews:

Informative.......2007-04-08

This book was used as a text for two of my classes in my third year of architecture schooling. It is extremely useful, with lots of descriptions and helps you to understand more than just the structure of the building. Lighting, plumbing, all the different systems, etc. It has been very useful and I recommend it as a great reference.

Very very very thick - but truly worth owning !.......2007-01-31

I came across this book preparing Architectural Registration Exam (ARE).
I have to say that this book is an essential for architects
who are preparing MEP (Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing)section of the ARE.

The book is divided into basically nine sections.

1. design context
2. thermal comfort
3. illumination
4. acoustics
5. water/waste
6. fire protection
7. electricity
8. signal equipment
9. transportation

It describes various systems of each section with pretty
accessible narrative.
Abundance in graphics and diagrams is very helpful.
The book is extremely helpful in understanding where each
kit of parts fit into the overall building systems.

For instance, I heard about AHUs/ cooling towers/ refrigeration
cycle/ boilers/ duct systems/ etc. , but I never knew how
they fit and interconnect to one and another. The book, being
encyclopedic in its contents, really helps to overcome that.

The book also pays particular attention to the "sustainable"
agendas and strategies.

Mechanical and Electrical Systems/ Buildings.......2007-01-04

I was searching for a good general description of central plants. The impending installation of 1000 ton chillers, cooling towers, electrical conversion to primary service, multiple emergency generators, paralleling gear, etc. This book didn't fit the bill. The 9 pages on central plants for HVAC were a disappointment. From the title , I expected more on MEP and didn't expect the book to be more about illumination, color,acoustics etc. My fault, not the book.

Weighty tome shows how engineering intersects architecture.......2006-07-16

This almost 1800 page treatise on mechanical and electrical design as it relates to architecture is one of a kind. It is not an artistic book on the subject, although some artistic ability is always needed in any aspect of building design. Instead it is a very technical book that shows how the architect must be part electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, electrician, physicist, plumber, safety specialist, and transportation engineer in order to design the modern building. And to top it all off, you need to be knowledgable of current mechanical and electrical equipment - their specifications and their costs.

The book has plenty of examples with step by step instructions on how to perform various subtasks. Many of these examples contain numerical calculations, so it will help if you have had freshman engineering physics, especially in the sections on illumination, acoustics, and electricity where calculations, tables, and equations abound.

The book is broken into nine parts encompassing nearly every technical decision involved in designing a modern building. The first section is an introductory one on the context of design. That is followed by sections on thermal control, illumination, acoustics, water and waste, fire protection, electricity, signal systems, and finally in-building transportation. A lengthy appendix contains a great deal of supplemental information, including climate data for various parts of the United States, solar geometry, sound transmission data, and a listing of software that can be helpful in performing the tasks discussed in this book, and how that software can be obtained.

I highly recommend this book to aspiring architects and also to civil engineers that are interested in the construction of modern buildings. It's been the flagship book on the subject for seventy years in its various editions, and probably will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings.......2006-07-04

Excellent. The best book I have seen on the subject.

Computer System Architecture (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Very good for an introductory course
Excellent textbook
Horrible book or just hard material?
Struck by its simplicity and completeness!
The usefulness of a text book often depends on the professor...

Computer System Architecture (3rd Edition)
M. Morris Mano
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0131755633

Customer Reviews:

Very good for an introductory course.......2007-08-05

I had this text for a course more than a decade ago. I found everything very easy to understand and still refer to the book when I want to know something about computer architecuture. It is very complete at the introductory level. My main complaint is the book introduces too much old-fashioned CISC with its microcode and single accumulator register before introducing RISC later on. In a modern course the order should be reversed since I believe most students would find RISC enjoyable to read about while the CISC examples make for tedious reading.

Excellent textbook.......2007-04-13

Read this book before reading anything else. It is clearly written.
Brings you from the bottom to the top.

Dont fall for new modern latest shiny expensive Comp Architecture books. They are impossible to study from.

Horrible book or just hard material?.......2006-12-27

I don't know, but this book was not very useful to me.

Struck by its simplicity and completeness!.......2006-05-22

I love this book. I am struck by its simplicity. How can a book be so simple, yet so clear in delivering the message, in a topic that is considered to be complicated? Computer architecture is not easy, but with the help of this book I was able to build a very solid foundation when I took the course. And even though it is an introductory book, I still refer to it in more advanced courses and related topics.

The usefulness of a text book often depends on the professor..........2006-02-17

I found this book to be one of the most clearly written texts on the subject of computer architecture(as opposed to the terse, cryptic Astrom and Wittenmark books for control systems, for example.)

Now, a professor can easily test around the basics of any text book by surprising students with unexpected special cases, exceptions, and boundary conditions. But, that is not the fault of the text book itself. If any of those tricks actually appeared in a text book, they would be ignored and he/she would find new ones to test.

Noone can memorize how to think; knowing how to solve the examples in a textbook is only the beginning. That's why there are homework problems.

Unpopular professor tricks aside, I think this is a great book on the topic and it gave me the skills to perform certain assignments on my own during my first engineering job...skills that my employer thought he would have to teach to all us newbies. I was glad I had this book in school.

Building Codes Illustrated: A Guide to Understanding the 2006 International Building Code (Building Codes Illustrated)

Average customer rating:

Excellent resource for understanding the code
A great book!
Evaluating Code Compliance in Design
Excellent Code Understanding
Excellent Guide to the Codes.

Building Codes Illustrated: A Guide to Understanding the 2006 International Building Code (Building Codes Illustrated)
Francis D. K. Ching , and Steven R., FAIA,PE Winkel
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Building Construction Illustrated, 3rd Edition
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2006 International Residential Code - Softcover Version (International Residential Code)
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Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods

ASIN: 0471741892

Book Description

Get the easy-to-use, illustrated guide to the 2006 International Building Code®.

As the building industry moves toward a single set of construction codes that have no regional limitations, architects, builders, engineers, and interior designers need an interpretive guide to help them better understand how the code affects their practices. The seond edition of Building Codes Illustrated fills this need by interpreting the updated 2006 International Building Code® (IBC) in a visual format that designers both need and understand.

This unique marriage of bestselling author Francis D.K. Ching's illustrative talent and Steven Winkel's code expertise provides an accessible, time-saving companion guide to the latest code. The visual presentation of information extracts the core portions of the building code that are most relevant for professionals and hones building codes down to the essentials. Organized to correspond with related subject matter in the IBC, Building Codes Illustrated enables architects, engineers, and other design professionals to quickly find clarifying information on the nonstructural provision of the IBC. You'll gain a clear and complete understanding of those sections at a glance through enlightening computer-rendered illustrations and succinct yet thorough interpretations.

There's no excuse for not being up to code. Avoid costly mistakes with the invaluable help of Building Codes Illustrated, Second Edition.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent resource for understanding the code.......2007-09-22

This text does a very good job of breaking the code down into understandable chunks. The addition of graphics helps to understand the verbiage. It is probably best suited to architectural students rather than construction workers, since it spends a lot of time on big picture issues: when do you need to sprinkle, where do you need fire dampers, how many square feet are allowed for Type III construction, etc. Still, it provides the reasoning behind why architects design as they do, so it's still very useful to the non-architect.

Don't go near the code without it.

A great book!.......2007-06-04

Ching did a great job again! The line drawings clarified the codes and made it easy to understand.
Gang Chen, author of Planting Design Illustrated

Evaluating Code Compliance in Design.......2007-01-10

This book is a great tool to use during the design of a building. It applies more to commercial, but is also useful to residential buildings. Using this book will sharpen your code skills and avoid some costly design errors. You will need to have a copy of the 2006 IBC at your disposal if you are going to use this book in any serious way. It is organized in a logical format, but you can easily skip around and cover critical sections. The only thing that I think should be added to this book is a checklist for each type of construction that could be used for plan review. All of my work is in residential so a checklist would help me focus on the pertinent sections of the book.

Excellent Code Understanding.......2006-11-05

Great visual graphics which aid in NC Building Codes along with clear explainations

Excellent Guide to the Codes........2006-03-11

Being an architecture student, this book, and others by Frank Ching, are more than helpful. It really clarifies the IBC and makes design for studio projects go a lot quicker. Definitely get this book if you're studying architecture.

Interior Design and Decoration (5th Edition)

Average customer rating:

Classic Prinicples
Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!
Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!
A Very Historical Overview of Interiors

Interior Design and Decoration (5th Edition)
Sherrill Whiton , and Stanley Abercrombie
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0130307483

Customer Reviews:

Classic Prinicples.......2002-12-28

This book is a must for anyone wishing to understand classic prinicples of design. It gives details unavailable in many standard works. I had an earlier edition while in university and when I lost it after a move, was delighted to be able to find another copy of this valuable resource. It was like Christmas to have it once again in my possession.

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!.......2001-02-26

As an instructor of Interior Design, I cannot praise this book enough....My students as well as fellow instructors find it an invaluable tool, not only in teaching beginning level courses, but also as a great reference manual after the student graduates....Several of us still have well-worn copies in our offices...Buy this book, you won't be dissapointed!

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!.......2001-02-26

A Very Historical Overview of Interiors.......2001-01-25

I found this book to be loaded with information. The author did an especially good job of incorporating the political, economic, and social context into the discussion of period styles. My main complaint about this book, however, was the complex writing style. It seemed to jump around a lot in attempt to include a basic overview of everything. This became VERY confusing at times. I feel it would be most helpful to someone who already has a solid background in the history of interior/furniture design periods. There was a lot of information about specific arts and crafts of each period (ie. metalwork, ceramics, woodwork).

Engineering Drawing And Design Student Edition 2002

Average customer rating:

What engineering is really all about
This Should Be the First Book in Your Engineering Library

Engineering Drawing And Design Student Edition 2002
Cecil H. Jensen , Jay D. Helsel , Dennis Short , Jay Helsel , and Cecil Jensen
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0078266114

Customer Reviews:

What engineering is really all about.......2002-09-29

This book is what engineering is really all about- actually designing machinery and mechanical components to fill a need. I know that is why I got into the game several decades ago. Yet with all the management, scheduling, quoting, and clerical chores that are piled on engineers and engineering departments these days, it is easy to lose sight of why you chose this career in the first place. In fact, that's the only thanks you ever get in a largely thankless profession- the joy of occationally getting to design something that works.

This book is a rarity, it works as both an introductory text, as a design text, and as a life long reference book. I've taken mine along on many an assignment long after I had discarded lesser texts and references to save weight.

You get the fundamentals of how to produce a useful, working, engineering drawing that the shop can actually use to produce a part (you would be amazed at how many CAD "experts" cannot do this.) Then you get detailed information on industrial processes and materials (casting, forging, cold heading, powder metallurgy, extruding, roll forming, electroforming, welding, plastic injection, etc.) Plus you get a good intro to standard design components like all types of fasteners, bearing, seals, couplings, clutches, speed reducers, etc.) Then, you also get excellent basics in speciality areas like sheet metal development, piping, jig and fixture design, fluid power, and structural drafting. The sections on beam equations, trusses, and strength of materials are quite clearly written and requires only a working knowlege of trig. You top it off with an appendix that covers everything from conversions and fastener specs to fit types and geometric tolerancing.

Whenever I get disgusted and start to question why I am still doing this after so many others have gotten out, I pick up this text and flip through it. It reminds me that America used to be known as the land of engineers- real engineers.

This Should Be the First Book in Your Engineering Library.......2000-08-25

Having started in engineering as a draftsman more than 40 years ago, I have seen them all ... and in my humble opinion this is the best book of its kind ever written. The authors, Jensen and Helsel, have bypassed most of the fluff, like how to sharpen your pencil, and go directly to the heart of the matter. They have packed more pertinent, practical how-to information and technical reference data in this book than you will find in any other five books of its size. The book is easy to read, and to find specifically what you need. Proper and in-depth coverage is given to the very latest in drafting standards in both metric and inch systems; including limits and fits, geometric tolerancing, shop practices, and also standard parts.

Book Description

Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture

"This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA."
—Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation

"A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future."
—Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions

"This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike."
—Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning

"Too often, SOA has been perceived as 'all about the technology'-standards, technology stacks, operational monitoring, and the like. In this book, Marks and Bell expand beyond the technology to provide a refreshing business-driven perspective to SOA, connecting the dots between business requirements, architecture, and development and operations, and overlaying these perspectives with tried-and-true governance techniques to keep SOA initiatives on track. A must-read for those leading the charge to adopt SOA within their enterprise."
—Brent Carlson, Chief Technology Officer, LogicLibrary and coauthor of San Francisco Design Patterns: Blueprints for Business Software

"Marks and Bell have captured a wealth of practical experience and lessons learned in what has become the hottest topic in software development. In this book, they explain in detail what works and what does not, from procedural issues to technical challenges. This book is an invaluable reference for organizations seeking the benefits of SOAs."
—Dr. Jeffrey S. Poulin, System Architect, Lockheed Martin and author of Measuring Software Reuse: Principles, Practices, and Economic Models

"One of the last things companies often consider when implementing a business solution such as SOA is the impact on people. Marks and Bell provide an in-depth look at 'what has to change' from a process standpoint to make any SOA implementation a success. A great read for those considering to embark on an enterprise SOA and looking for the right mix of people, process, and products."
—Alan Himler, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing, LogicLibrary

SOA is a complex topic and a complex organizational goal

Service-Oriented Architecture: A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology shows you how to plan, implement, and achieve SOA value through its prescriptive approach, joining the business and strategic perspective to the technical and architectural perspective.

Applicable to all industries, technology platforms, and operating environments, this innovative book provides you with the essential strategies to drive greater value from your SOA and realize your business goals.

Download Description

Praise for Service-Oriented Architecture ""This book provides a superb overview of the SOA topic. Marks and Bell provide practical guidance across the entire SOA life cycle-from business imperatives and motivations to the post-deployment business and technical metrics to consider. With this book, Marks and Bell demonstrate a unique ability to take the complex dynamics of SOA, and through an eloquent set of metaphors, models, and principles, provide an understandable and insightful how-to manual for both technical and business executives. This will become a required handbook for any organization implementing SOA."" Dan Bertrand, Enterprise Technology Officer & EDS Fellow, EDS Corporation ""A fundamental breakthrough in the business and technology perspectives of SOA-this book belongs in every software developer, architect, and IT executive library. Marks and Bell demonstrate a creative and practical approach to building complex, service-oriented systems. I especially liked the hands-on perspective brought to multiple aspects of SOA. A must-have guide in the technology turbulence of the future."" Ariel Aloni, Chief Technology Officer, SunGard Data Management Solutions ""This outstanding text gets straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through the hyperbole and discussing how to drive real business value through SOA. It will certainly impact my behavior, our governance models, and, subsequently, the successful business outcomes we derive as we continue to embrace SOA. A must-read for battle-scarred SOA veterans and fledgling architects alike."" Christopher Crowhurst, Vice President and Chief Architect, Thomson Learning

Customer Reviews:

AN EXCELLENT TECHNOLOGY BOOK .......2007-07-02

This book is an excellent SOA technological introduction that presents major architectural concerns that most architects, team leads, developers, and software modelers struggle with. It addresses fundamental service-oriented challenges and provides viable solutions that IT professionals can employ:
- A service lifecycle that identifies major modeling disciplines
- Introduction to service-oriented analysis, design, and realization
- Introduction to service-oriented technologies
- A service-oriented integration model that provide viable interoperable solutions
- Service reusability model that elaborates on various methods that can facilitate asset reuse in organizations

I'd recommend this book to IT personnel and SOA practitioners that would like to learn more about starting service-oriented projects and achieving effective results.

Business Focused SOA .......2007-06-26

This book is a must read for the Executive and Architect responsible for transforming their business processes and IT infrastructure from something resembling an anchor to an agile, flexible system that enables corporate progress. This book will show you a process that will help you get off step 0, define the right services, and ensure that your SOA efforts resolve your business and IT challenges. When implementing an SOA, the technology is the easy part, ensuring that services are created in a consistent manner, that they are designed with reuse in mind, that s/w creation, and hence new product development, gets less expensive and takes less time, over time, that's the hard part, that's where SOA Governance comes in, and this book will give you the SOA Governance basics you need to get your SOA transformation off to a good start. Get control of Governance and your 75% there. This book will not provide code snippets, developer advice, or describe technical specifications, if you want these things, get Thomas Url' or Greg Lomow' books. This book is about using a top-down business service analysis, bottom-up implementation considered, iterative SOA design model. Read it to develop or improve your SOA planning capabilities.

Not for a Developer.......2007-05-15

Note: My strong dislike of this book probably says more about me than the book...

As a developer I like books that bridge the technical and the business gap. I need to see, in concrete examples, how things might be implemented -- I want to see code, configuration documents, snippets of policy code etc. I also find it helpful when books build upon a sample application. I wanted to see examples of the technology that enables SOA, walk-thrus of standards such WSPL.

This book has none of that. To me it is a book of high-level lists of lists and every section I've read leaves me wondering what it said. I think they repeat themselves too much and the book seems poorly organized with material half way through a chapter which seemed to me to belong at the start. For all it being high-level, they make an assumption that the reader is familiar with a host of acronyms and/or the technology behind them.

SOA - Pragmatic Advice .......2007-03-05

Much has been written about the promise of SOA and, at the same time, the difficulty in realizing that promise to date. Most of us who work in this field know by now how to address the technical concepts, architecture and services in an SOA. Where this book stands apart from so many others is that it provides both conceptual and pragmatic advice in three critical areas which need attention for SOA to mature, to achieve business buy-in, and to attain the "SOA network effect" as the authors call it. These keys are: shifting focus to identification of candidate business services; SOA governance, organization, and behavior; and a framework for an SOA business case, ROI model and scorecard.

I enthusiastically recommend this book for the authors' lucid, insightful chapters on these three subjects alone. That they are woven nicely into a more complete system of processes and supporting structures to nurture along SOA through critical mass is an added bonus.

A Must Read !!!!.......2007-01-23

"Service Oriented Architecture is a hot topic and will be for times to come however it is often misunderstood topic in the Information Technology field today. Based on the SDN Network IT professionals see the potential of an SOA -- especially a web services-based SOA -- in dramatically speeding up the application development process They also see it as a way to build applications and systems that are more adaptable, and in doing so, they see IT becoming more agile in responding to changing business needs. Not only is SOA a hot topic, but it's clearly the wave of the future. Gartner reports that "By 2008, SOA will be a prevailing software engineering practice, ending the 40-year domination of monolithic software architecture" and that "Through 2008, SOA and web services will be implemented together in more than 75 percent of new SOA or web services projects." Bell articulately describes the concepts, specifications, technical nuisances and standards behind service orientation and Web Services. One primary objective of applying SOA in design is to provide business value to the solutions we build. Understanding the right approach to analyzing, designing, and developing service-oriented solutions is critical. This book is a must read!"

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

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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.

Introduction to Computing Systems: From bits & gates to C & beyond

Average customer rating:

Excellent Book to Teach You the Basics of the Computer
Needs improvement
Great book.
Better Than The Teacher
Intro to CS the way it should be done

Introduction to Computing Systems: From bits & gates to C & beyond
Yale N. Patt , and Sanjay J. Patel
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0072467509

Book Description

Introduction to Computing Systems: From bits & gates to C & beyond, now in its second edition, is designed to give students a better understanding of computing early in their college careers in order to give them a stronger foundation for later courses. The book is in two parts: (a) the underlying structure of a computer, and (b) programming in a high level language and programming methodology.

To understand the computer, the authors introduce the LC-3 and provide the LC-3 Simulator to give students hands-on access for testing what they learn. To develop their understanding of programming and programming methodology, they use the C programming language. The book takes a "motivated" bottom-up approach, where the students first get exposed to the big picture and then start at the bottom and build their knowledge bottom-up. Within each smaller unit, the same motivated bottom-up approach is followed. Every step of the way, students learn new things, building on what they already know. The authors feel that this approach encourages deeper understanding and downplays the need for memorizing. Students develop a greater breadth of understanding, since they see how the various parts of the computer fit together.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book to Teach You the Basics of the Computer.......2007-05-06

This book is really good for learning the basics of how a computer functions. It takes you from the low-level Flip-Flops to explaining how a register and other small components of a computer work. Then the book shows you the basic components a computer, and then gives a full example in the LC-3. The LC-3 is complete with a architecture diagram and Assembly instructions. The book does a good job of of taking you through the LC-3 data path and showing how an instruction is implemented on the architecture. The book also does a good job of showing how the assembly code connects to higher level languages like C/++ or Java. It also gives a high-level explanation of exactly what a compiler does. Towards the end it gives some information on data structures and particularly as to how a stack would be implemented by the LC-3 in assembly. The book also explains how memory works and how input and output are handled in some computers.

Some problems with the book are in the C section. This book does not give a real C tutorial, there are much better guides to C programming.It doesn't really give you any instruction as to how to program in LC-3 Assembly; however, the instructions are simple enough that you should be able to figure it out. Another potential problem is the combinational logic section. This part of the book is not really comprehensive, but teaches what you need to know so that you understand how all the low-level components work; however, if you want to design your own combinational logic, then there are other books for that. Also this book does not really go into the theory of how and why they developed the LC-3 architecture as it is. It is just an intro to get you used how a computer architecture looks and how it works.

All in all a great read for a CS student or Electrical Engineer to get an idea of how a computer runs the programs written on it.

Note: I am a student at University of Illinois (Patel works here) and took a class created around this book. ECE 190 is still my favorite class I've taken to date.

Needs improvement.......2007-02-05

I was lucky enough to be taught by the professor himself--Dr. Patt. The book needs definite improvement in clarity. Too many of the concepts are abstract and ambiguous. The exercises at the end of each section are pathetic, they should be presented more in a Mathematical or Physics style and they do not flex your knowledge about what you have learned in that section. I had to rely on my TAs to explain certain concepts to me since the book did such a poor job.

However, once you master everything that this book has to offer (I strongly recommend you read the appendixes at the end of the book as collateral reading) you will truly understand how computers work at the most fundamental level.

Great book........2007-01-03

This is one of the best books I have used for a computer science course. This book is really detailed. Would really recommend getting this book and keeping it for reference.

Better Than The Teacher.......2005-12-15

I had a pretty ambiguous and boring teacher for the course that required this book so I didn't listen to her much at all in class. Instead, I just substituted the book for her lectures, and I aced the course with ease learning much about how a computer works along the way. It makes me feel a lot more competent about programming to know this stuff, and the book provides it in a pretty good way through the LC-3 architecture and sprinkles the book with examples.

I didn't read any of the "C and beyond" stuff, but everything else was spot-on. I found that most of the teacher's slides (up until a couple of last topics the book didn't cover like linking and loading) were almost identical to the book's presentation of the material. It's a pricey book, but take heart in knowing that it's not a waste of your money for what you get from it.

Intro to CS the way it should be done.......2005-05-17

This book is the implementation of what I have been trying to impart to my beginning students for years. It contains explanations of all of the ideas that make up the foundation of computer science. The first sections deal with the fundamentals of binary data, how numbers are represented, how arithmetic is performed, how the bitwise operations are executed, followed by the basics of digital logic. These ideas are then expanded into a simple assembly code with many control instructions. Staying at the assembly level, I/O operations, subroutines and stacks are demonstrated.
In chapter 11, the transition is made to higher-level languages by the introduction of C. It is then used to illustrate variables, operators, control structures, functions, pointers and arrays; recursion, I/O in C and simple data structures. The explanations are all very well done and the topics are what should be the first set encountered by a computer science major. While the level of abstraction that most programmers work at has dramatically increased over the years, there is still no substitute for being well schooled in the fundamentals. Not only does this make it easier to move up the abstraction ladder, it also makes it possible for a programmer to function at the lower level, should the need arise.
I strongly recommend this book for adoption as a text for a first course in computer science. While it is not designed to fit into the traditional mold of a first semester programming class, it will provide a much stronger foundation for the student taking their first course in CS.

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