Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #466

by Subrata Dasgupta

Over the past sixty years, the spectacular growth of the technologies associated with the computer is visible for all to see and experience. Yet, the science underpinning this technology is less visible and little understood outside the professional computer science community. As a scientific discipline, computer science stands alongside the likes of molecular biology and cognitive science as one of the most significant new sciences of the post Second World War era.

In this Very Short Introduction, Subrata Dasgupta sheds light on these lesser known areas and considers the conceptual basis of computer science. Discussing algorithms, programming, and sequential and parallel processing, he considers emerging modern ideas such as biological computing and cognitive modelling, challenging the idea of computer science as a science of the artificial.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Computer Science, Nonfiction, Science, Technology, Computers, Reference, Technical

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Graeme Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction lives up to its promise of concision and clarity. Although I had picked up most of the content in bits and pieces in the past, Subrata Dasgupta wove them together into a coherent scheme, with beautiful prose, occasional learned references, and a polymathic eye for beauty.

Programs should be aesthetically satisfying; they should be beautiful. The experience of writing a program should be akin to composing poetry or music. Thus, the idea of style, so intimately a part of the discourses of art, music, and literature, must be an element of programming aesthetics.

Professor Dasgupta thought and talked a good deal about the place of computer science alongside the natural sciences and engineering. What we call it is less important than all the good work that has been done under its flag, but I remained unconvinced that it fits with the natural sciences. Most of the substantial innovation in the field has come, I would argue, from the scientists and engineers of hardware and software businesses, without dependence on the esoterica of academic computer science. In the Epilogue, however, Dasgupta points out:

...computational thinking serves as a bridge between the world of computational artifacts and the natural world, specifically that of biological molecules, human cognition, and neuronal processes. Could it be, then, that computing not only affords a mentality but that, more insidiously, computation as a phenomenon embraces the natural and the artificial? That computer science is a universal science?

The name then seems less appropriate than ever, and we should probably follow the Europeans who called it 'informatique' or 'informatik' years ago.

Very Short Introductions are available from the Oxford University Press to cover a vast range of subjects. I found the format delightful, apart from text that may try the visual acuity of old farts like me, and margins narrower than an undergraduate resume. I particularly value the practice of printing the main title and chapter titles in the outer margins, where they seemed much more visible and useful than at the top of the page.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Computer Science : A Very Short Introduction (2016) by Subrata Dasgupta is a very well done very short introduction. Dasgupta is a professor of computer science who has written numerous books about computer science.

What Computer Science is, beyond learning about computers, is well described in the book. The chapters are: The stuff of computing, Computation artefacts, Algorithmic thinking, The art, science and engineering of programming, The discipline of computer architecture, Heuristic computing and Computational thinking.

The chapter on the stuff of computing sets the stage very well for the rest of the book. The layers for thinking about computing work well. Turing machines and similar then get a mention. The chapter on algorithms and their centrality to computer science is also good. The chapter on Heuristic computing and how that leads into AI is interesting. The chaptre on computational thinking and how this has become such a universal way of approaching things is also well done.

Computer Science : A Very Short Introduction would be well worth a read for people pondering what computer science departments do beyond teaching students to program. It would also be well worth a read for prospective students of computer science and related fields. Professional coders who didn’t go through a computer science program would also get quite a lot from the book.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, it's the first time I've read a a book of the 'very short introductions' series and I'm really amazed. What a great book. It provides an excellent overview of what computer science is and its main principles. From AI over algorithmic thinking to parallel computing: a lot of topics are covered, but always short and always insightful and to the point. Can definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about computer science, but also to software engineers or practitioners who want to learn more from a theoretical perspective.

[Jeff Liu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Very Short Introduction Books can be either hit or miss. This book manages to be neither. It's an okay book but I think it leaves out some very key concepts; there's little to no writing on binary numbers or data structures. Chapter 5, the chapter about computer architecture, is the densest chapter of the book and probably my least favorite part about it. Anyhow, the rest of the book is palatable. The parts that delved into cognitive science and the meta nature of computer science as a discipline were pretty interesting.

[Rick Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great introduction to fields within Computer Science. In the Epilogue, the author asks, is Computer Science, an Universal Science? I would say, yes. I'd say, you can pretty much combine computational methods to any field of science.

Computer Science is complex, and solid field. The Chapter on Computer Architecture was difficult to understand, I am puzzled on the abstractions and levels within Architecture.

Overall, a great book for an introduction.

[Zach Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that the field of 'computer science' is so large that it would be difficult to nail this topic for everyone. I work as a software engineer, but don't have a Com Sci background. This book really was worthwhile in the way it made me think about approaching computers.

It was a hard read, if you don't have previous experience with computer programming I think it would be difficult to grasp

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I started reading this series of books, I am finding that it is the science related topics that benefit the most from this treatment. Despite the fact that science can be very complex, the basics of a lot of scientific subjects do not veer off into abstractions that make the short format too constricting.

Dasgupta gives a pretty concise overview of the subject. You can also tell that he would love to talk about philosophy of science (he mentions Popper and Kuhn) and AI, but knows he doesn't have enough time in this format. He does get to touch on those subjects as it related to computer science. I found this book very easy to understand, but my father was a computer programmer and I've read a ton of books on AI, so maybe it might be confusing to some people, but there were a few parts, as with most of the entries in this series, I found a bit "too basic."

[MS · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 computer scientific starz because this book, albeit too philosophical for my liking at times, manages to do just what the title claims> introduce the readers to the wondrous universe of CS and moreover make them curious about it^^

It must be hugely difficult to write such an introduction. but the author pulled it off. I am now very intrigued by many of the concepts he mentioned, and I will surely do some further reading in order to expand my understanding.

[Hiro Protagonist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Answers the questions what is a computer?

Not sure someone could completely understand abstraction/refinement without having done a significant amount of programming.

[Hmd Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب به فارسی هنوز ترجمه نشده است و شامل فصل‌های زیر است:
۱. چیزهای محاسبه
۲. دست‌سخت‌های محاسباتی
۳. تفکر الگوریتمی
۴. هنر، علم و مهندسی برنامه‌نویسی
۵. شاخه ساختار کامپیوتر
۶. محاسبه هیوریستیک
۷. تفکر محاسباتی
نکته مثبت کتاب این است که موارد زیادی را پوشش می‌دهد و از این جهت برای خواننده‌ی نوعی و ناآشنا به جزییات علوم کامپیوتر مفید است.
هر چند برای خودم سوالاتی حل نشده ماند که بحث کمی در کتاب در مورد آنها صورت گرفته است. مثلا با اینکه تفاوت زبان‌های برنامه ریزی سطح بالا و سطح پایین تا جای خوبی توضیح داده شده است، نبود مثال‌های دنیای واقعی دنبال کردن بحث را بیشتر ذهنی و تئوریک کرده است. مثلا زبان‌های سطح بالا چه فرقی با هم دارند؟ زبان مثلا جاوا چه فرقی با سایر زبان‌هایی دارد که به ویژه برای محاسبات به کار می‌روند؟
سوال دیگری که ممکن است همه گیر باشد این که فرق علوم کامپیوتر و مهندسی نرم‌افزار چیست؟ هر چند کتاب زیرفصلی با نام برنامه‌نویسی به مثابه مهندسی (نرم‌افزار) دارد و به تمرکز مهندسی نرم‌افزار روی محصولات صنعتی اشاره دارد اما این سوال در پایان بی‌جواب می‌ماند که دانش مهندسی کامپیوتر و علوم کامپیوتر چه تفاوتی دارند؟ در دو رشته دانشگاهی مربوطه چه درس‌ها و مباحثی هر یک دنبال می‌کنند که باعث تفاوت آنها می‌شود؟
احتمالا پاسخ به این سوال یکسان نباشد و مثلا در ایران و آمریکا دو پاسخ مختلف به آن داده شود و اصلا شاید خارج از حیطه کتاب باشد اما شناخت یک چیز با ذکر تفاوت‌های آن با چیزهای دیگر آسان می‌شود!
در کل نکته منفی کتاب لحن کمی خشک آن و نبود مثال‌های ملموس برای خواننده است طوری که زیبای‌های موضوع را در چند مورد پررنگ کند.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this tiny book took me two weeks to get through Dasgupta's writing was clear and actually enjoyable despite this being an entirely new subject for me. It was a bit more high concept/philosophical than I was expecting - more about how algorithms work and how to *think* about computers than how they actually work. So it wasn't quite what I was looking for, and I think I need a bit of a harder foundation (perhaps just "Computers: A Very Short Introduction") to get to the understanding I want.

That said, I'm probably going to read Dasgupta's other book, IT BEGAN WITH BABBAGE, as well as a bunch of the stuff he cited in the back.

[Tom Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's short as advertised, but the content seemed slow and poorly-chosen. There is quite a lot of philosophy about computer science and eg the theoretical distinction between software and hardware, but I can't imagine this is what computer scientists actually talk about all day. At least there was a description of a Turing machine and a discussion of computational complexity classes, but (eg) nothing about the halting problem (which is quite foundational) or any real attempt to explain why the P/NP distinction is important.

[Thomas Pegler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I was looking for, or expecting for that matter, although a wholly interesting and thought-provoking little book.

It has plenty of history and light touches on what one might imagine as "computer science" but also touches on the more global and far-flung corners of what computer science touches as well as some philosophy of computer science. I'd give it 5 stars if I'd had gone in expecting that but I was rather more looking for a book on "traditional" computer science.

[Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was mainly about the history of computers, random theories that led up to the development of programming languages and computers, and debates on whether computer science is a real science or not... Did learn some new terminology and some cool things, but was expecting the book to contain more useful/applicable Computer Science topics such as discrete math, binary code, programming, etc :(

[Merricat Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I was expecting--I was looking for something a little more technical and practical, and this is pretty abstract. I enjoyed reading it but it seems stuck between two worlds. For someone like me with no experience in computer science it's hard to apply any of the claims or arguments here to ... anything at all, but it seems like most of this content would be trivial to someone with a computer science background.

[Ahmed Jawad · Rating 3 out of 5]

ليسَ بالكتابِ السهل، خاصة إن لم تمتلك خلفية عن الافكارِ المطروحة؛ بالرغم من كون الكتاب قصير، مثلما يعِد العنوان ألا انه ليس بالمقدِمة السهلة. ولكن لا انكر أنه قد اثار فضولي حول قد ما يصبح قريبا مجال دراستي (علوم الحاسوب)، وهو المطلوب من كتابٍ بهذا الحجم.

[Martynas Petkevičius · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like "Philosophy of Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction". Not to say it's bad—before reading the book a didn't ponder enough what concepts such as data, computation or abstraction actually mean.

[Natasha Holme · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the perspective of a front-end web developer, this is often over my head, yet still enjoyable. If I could have another life I would study Computer Science.

[lixy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the subject occasionally makes my eyes glaze over, this is one of those excellently written and illuminating VSIs.

[Dana Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The VSI series rarely disappoints. Like most VSI books, this one has a strong philosophical slant, and is not for everyone.

[Shel Soloa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't believe this book makes for a good "introduction". It is more of an overview for those already familiar with the topic. I believe those who are new to the field would be lost by the content.

[Nathan Ormond · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview, sometimes a little too conceptual and could do with some more "concrete" examples of things.

[Sonika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learnt more about the philosophy of science (theory of knowledge vibes) than computer science imo, but the book was great.

[Precious Fatoye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concepts

[Ricky Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Emeritus Subrata Dasgupta takes on the gargantuan subject of computer science. Beginning with early ideas that stretch back into antiquity, such as the idea of automatons that act on their own impetus, to the modern, physical machines that are capable of stored-program computation. Subrata Dasgupta tackles a very integral topic right from the get-go: the distinctions between, and the varied uses of, terms such as "information," "data," and "knowledge." These terms are used widely in computer science literature, but it's important (since few rigorously define what they consider either of these three things) that the reader can infer the implications behind these terms as they are used by any specific writer. Sabrata Dasgupta proceeds to discuss the many faucets of computer science, in addition to how computer science has influenced other fields and how some relatively newer fields have taken computer science as a fundamental basis.

If you expect something applied from this text, then dash those expectations; this text is philsophical, historical, and technical in content, but it is also palpitating and at the heart of computer science. While I think this text is excellent, it is my opinion that some dabbling in the subject prior is essential. Some experience with a programming language, so that a person can reason their way through pseudo-code, and at least some internal concept of how a computer operates will get you a long way with this text.

[Ayham أيهم · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond 5-star rating! A must-read for all CS students