Open License Computer Books

Recently the field of computer-human interaction has exploded with new ideas, technologies, and issues. In response to these many developments, Apple presents this beautiful, full-color book that not only describes the interface guidelines for Macintosh computers, but also examines the theory behind the famous Macintosh "look and feel" and the process of designing and testing an interface.

"An important adjunct to precision is a sound theoretical foundation. The relational model is solidly based on two parts of mathematics: firstorder predicate logic and the theory of relations. This book, however, does not dwell on the theoretical foundations, but rather on all the features of the relational model that I now perceive as important for database users, and therefore for DBMS vendors. My perceptions result from 20 years of practical experience in computing and data processing (chiefly, but not exclusively, with large-scale customers of IBM), followed by another 20 years of research.

Electronic computers have evolved from exiguous experimental enterprises in the 1940s to prolific practical data processing systems in the 1980s. As we have come to rely on these systems to process and store data, we have also come to wonder about their ability to protect valuable data.

Data security is the science and study of methods of protecting data in computer and communication systems from unauthorized disclosure and modification. The goal of this book is to introduce the mathematical principles of data security and to show how these principles apply to operating systems, database systems, and computer networks. The book is for students and professionals seeking an introduction to these principles. There are many references for those who would like to study specific topics further.

This book is for collectors.

Advances in the design and production of computer hardware have brought many more people into direct contact with computers. Similar advances in the design and production of computer software are required in order that this increased contact be as rewarding as possible. The Smalltalk-80 system is a result of a decade of research into creating computer software that is appropriate for producing highly functional and interactive contact with personal computer systems. This book is the first detailed account of the Smalltalk-80 system.

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This book is for collectors.

Budd's introduction to Smalltalk programming and the Little Smalltalk interpreter focuses on elementary, rather than advanced topics of object-oriented programming. The Little Smalltalk system runs under the UNIX operating system and can be executed on conventional terminals.

When the classic book Design Patterns was first published in 1994, the landscape of object-oriented software engineering was forever changed. The 23 patterns contained in the seminal work vastly improved the discipline of object-oriented software design. That book, and the concepts it presented, allowed software professionals to solve specific design problems by reusing successful designs.

This book presents the theory of formal languages as a coherent theory and makes explicit its relationship to automata. The book begins with an explanation of the notion of a finite description of a language. The fundamental descriptive device--the grammar--is explained, as well as its three major subclasses--regular, context-free, and context-sensitive grammars. The context-free grammars are treated in detail, and such topics as normal forms, derivation trees, and ambiguity are covered. Four types of automata equivalent to the four types of grammars are described.

Computer forensics--the art and science of gathering and analyzing digital evidence, reconstructing data and attacks, and tracking perpetrators--is becoming ever more important as IT and law enforcement professionals face an epidemic in computer crime. In Forensic Discovery, two internationally recognized experts present a thorough and realistic guide to the subject.