Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!dali.cs.montana.edu!caen!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!arizona.edu!arizona!gln From: gln@cs.arizona.edu (GaRY NEweLl) Newsgroups: comp.edu Subject: Re: Don't buy Manber's Message-ID: <2873@optima.cs.arizona.edu> Date: 7 May 91 20:48:14 GMT References: <1991May3.170740.22652@news.cs.indiana.edu> Distribution: comp Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson Lines: 24 In article <1991May3.170740.22652@news.cs.indiana.edu>, rawlins@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Gregory J. E. Rawlins) writes: > In article hobbit@SHUM.HUJI.AC.IL (yoav gonen) writes: > >If you are thinking on buying the book: "INTRODUCTION TO ALGORITHMS" - > >written by UDI MANBER - D o n 't d o i t!!!!!!! > >It is the worst book on algorithms I have ever seen - especially because it > >isn't including some of the most importent ones. Here are only some examples: > Why the hysteria? Looking at the list of point you give leads me to > suspect that you don't want a textbook, but a handbook or reference book. I must agree. I have had an opportunity to use the book as a student here at Arizona (taught by Udi Manber) and found the text to be very helpful in teaching problem solving - it is not intended as a source for every algorithm under the sun but instead is an attempt to teach a systematic approach to solving problems using induction - it is quite effective in my opinion. I no longer feel helpless when presented with a problem that I am unfamiliar with - I have the tools to try and develop a solution on my own without running to an "expert" or searching a source book for existing algorithms > If so, you should buy Sedgewick's book, or Cormen, Leiserson, and Rivest's > book (if you want detailed analysis as well a large number of algorithms). Again, I agree - there are better reference books available but Manber's text is very good at teaching algorithm design IMHO...