algorithms

I've been a professional computer programmer for the last seven years, with no formal training. I bought this book to begin improving my grasp of computer theory as well as practice. I've found this book to be eminantly readable, an actual page turner. Parts of it are quite elementary, but it's very good at explaining "why" as well as "what".

I consider the pseudo-code an advantage, since it forces me to look at unfamiliar terms and structures and equate them with the equivalent items in my "real" language. It teaches *theory*, which I can apply to any language, not implementation in a single language that will be obsolete in a year or two.

If the title of this book was "Introduction to Programming", then I would wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Black below. Indeed, Dr. Shackelford does not teach programming in his book. Rather, he presents algorithms in a general sense, and algorithmic thought over programming practice is presented to the novice.

An adequate programming foundation begins with the trials and errors of learning one's first programming knowledge. Dr. Shackelford's book better preparesone for their first programming language experience, but is by no means a substitute for a programming language course if one's goal is to learn to program.

There are many that wish to gain a better knowledge of computing from a higher-level, theoretical standpoint. Also as an upper-level computer science theory TA at Georgia Tech, I realize the importance of being introduced to a concept in its high-level foundations, rather than in its gory details.

The CS curriculum at Tech is moving to Scheme as an introduction to computing and computer science. While I adamantly feel this is an excellent move on the part of the College of Computing, given their goal to output programmers from the school, I also feel some generalized theoretical foundations are lacking from the course that were present when it was taught with Dr. Shackelford's book.

Overall, if one is interested in grasping high-level algorithms and receiving a basic understanding of how computers process data and execute programs, then this book is wonderful. If, however, one is interested in coding VB applications in a couple of weeks, this book is not appropriate.

With "Introduction to Computing and Algorithms", thousands of students have, at Georgia Tech and elsewhere, been tricked into believing that they can program. The ability to think algorithmically, Dr. Shackleford would have one believe, is an adequate programming foundation. Theoretically, perhaps. In truth, however, the book's clear disregard for efficiency, as well as a refusal to get into the "nuts and bolts" of programming, leaves one feeling like a confident programmer -- but it is a feeling which is all-too-often deceitful.

As an upper-level teaching assistant at Georgia Tech, where the book is used for the Introduction to Computing class, I have seen many students learn from the book, only to see their "skills" fail to pass on to real languages. Programming can only be learned via experience, and Dr. Shackleford's use of an uncompilable psuedocode is perhaps the most damning aspect of the book. I give it an additional star due to its possible use in a classroom setting *with* experienced teachers, but it is by no means a practical guide for anyone interested in being introduced to, for the first time, computer science.