Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!ubc-cs!manis From: manis@cs.ubc.ca (Vincent Manis) Newsgroups: comp.edu Subject: Re: Textbook for Intro. Comp. Theory course Message-ID: <9627@ubc-cs.UUCP> Date: 18 Sep 90 19:20:58 GMT References: <392sis-a@massey.ac.nz> <12007@chaph.usc.edu> Sender: news@cs.ubc.ca Organization: Institute for Pure and Applied Eschatology Lines: 30 In article <12007@chaph.usc.edu> wilber@aludra.usc.edu (John Wilber) writes: >As far as I have been able to tell, the concept of a "good" textbook on >"computer theory" is an oxymoron. Since such books are invariably >written by computer science theoreticians and computer science theoreticians >invariably know almost nothing about computers (as one would expect >from mathematicians) the textbooks I have seen have all been dismally >uninformed about the realities of computer technology (and even good >theory for that matter). In article <4343343@vorpal.blade> glump@snicker.snee (Omar Glump) writes: >Is there a good book on quantum mechanics? As far as I have been able to tell, the concept of a "good" textbook on "quantum mechanics" is an oxymoron. Since such books are invariably written by physics theoreticians and computer science theoreticians invariably know almost nothing about car repair (as one would expect from mathematicians) the textbooks I have seen have all been dismally uninformed about the realities of automotive mechanics (and even good theory for that matter). Perhaps we should periodically post an article which reminds people that computer science isn't `the science of computers', or even the study of computer technology (an important and interesting field in its own right, of course). -- \ Vincent Manis "There is no law that vulgarity and \ Department of Computer Science literary excellence cannot coexist." /\ University of British Columbia -- A. Trevor Hodge / \ Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1W5 (604) 228-2394