Programming Embedded Systems, 174pp, O'Reilly, £25
Embedded systems are all around us; tiny computers which control the operation of our washing machines, the timing of our video recorders and the functions of satellites, telephones, cars and aeroplanes. The list is almost endless - and growing. This book is for the people who develop these systems. Often working from first principles in a world tailored for their own specific needs and tools, developers can feel isolated - that no-one out there understands them. Reading this book will at very least show that they are not alone.
For those attempting to teach embedded systems, it could well be one of a limited number of good text books. It starts with first principles and uses experience and anecdote to take the prospective relay-switcher from the first LED turn-on to development of simple embedded operating systems.
It is general in nature, not a reference book for specific development platforms. Clear, well-structured - and more than a little amusing - it has found a reassuring place on my bookshelf. For the uninitiated, it might give some insight into the murky world of embedded systems, and it is a must-have for the practitioner.
Liam Miller
Creating Your First Web Page, Alan Simpson, Cliffsnotes, 120pp, £6.99 sterling
It is certainly an interesting phenomenon for a 40-year-old cramnotes brand to take on webpublishing. The "forget about education, here's enough to get through the exam" attitude translates surprisingly well and this book provides a bare-bones approach to putting a website together.
Of course there are limitations. The reader can use any tool, as long as it is Microsoft FrontPage Express. Peeking under the bonnet is not encouraged, although there are some suggestions for further reading and a website with tips and examples.
The book is heavily illustrated and makes a fair goal-oriented substitute for working your way through the FrontPage Express help files. The question that remains - if making Web pages is a chore to be got through as lightly as possible - is why bother at all. An bhfuil cead agam dul amach anois?
Fiachra O Marcaigh
Mastering Algorithms with Perl, Orwant, Hietaniemi & Mcdonald, O'Reilly, 686pp, $34.95
Perl, the free programming language that seems to power half the Web, is nothing if not practical. Its first initial (Practical Extraction and Reporting Language) says so, and most books about Perl are unremittingly practical, focusing on worked examples, exercises, realworld problems. This makes sense, as it was born out of necessity and fostered by those who really needed to solve problems fast. That said, it is great fun now to have a book that answers the classic Irish question: "The practice is all very well, but how does it work in theory?"
This book takes Perl back from the workplace and pitches it at the classic questions used in computer science courses: lists, trees, heaps, sorts and sets. Probability, number theory and matrices are in there for good measure.
It's a great read, as much for the byways it opens up as for the possibility of using it to attack real-world problems. It marks a sort of coming of age for the language and most people who use Perl as a day to day "Swiss army chainsaw" will enjoy it.
Fiachra O Marcaigh