Product Description
Build Your Computer Career on a Solid Foundation

Whether you're setting out to earn your A+ certification or just want to know more about how a PC works, A+ JumpStart: PC Hardware and Operating Systems Basics is the place to start. Inside, an experienced PC technician and author demystifies every aspect of PC technology, giving you a firm footing from which you can work towards and realize your goals. Coverage includes:
* PC safety and preventive maintenance
* Motherboard selection and setup
* CPU and memory types
* How video cards and monitors work
* Setting up hard drives
* Selecting and configuring expansion boards
* Electricity basics
* Selecting, installing, and troubleshooting printers
* Selecting and setting up network components
* Configuring Windows for network file and printer sharing
* Device resource management in Windows
* Troubleshooting Windows
* Setting up Internet connections ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Very helpful for someone starting out
It's true, this book will not single-handedly make you pass the A+ exams. It's a beginner book, geared for someone who is just starting out studying computer hardware as a career path. It was great for my students (I teach an A+ class) because the big books were more than they could digest right off the bat. It would not be for everyone though. I'd say if you are already a working PC technician, with a good knowledge of hardware, pick a more advanced book. But if you are just curious about repairing computers, or you don't have a whole lot of experience yet and need to ramp up slowly, definitely go with this one.

Someone commented on errors in the book, but I think every book has an error or two in it. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. This book has tons of good information in it, and is at least 99.9% accurate.

Good for beginners....
This book is a good start toward learning the basics of a PC, but this book will not help you pass the A+ test. Now that is out of the way, it does give a good description of what a motherboard looks like, what buses look like and how they work.
The book does give you some good pictures of how to put memory on a motherboard, and it does have some good points in this book. One of them has to do with the new words that most people don't know what they mean, for example, like what TCP/IP does and what it stands for. It also shows you the command lines like what FDISK does, the basic boot process, basic networking, basic troubleshooting, and just about basic problems you will run into a as a technician. The thing I don't like about this book is that it does not deal with the more technicial detail like the Power On Self Test, the FRU, how the IRQ's work, how to troubleshoot advanced problems; hardware and software. The book is short, and it will help you get the basic technicial skills. Not the best since I am a certified PC Technician, but for anyone who wants to learn how a computer works, then get this book. This book is not for the person who has years of experience, and know what they are doing. So to the beginners who want technicial skills, get this book. It will really help you get a good grasp on computers.

Ruined by too many major errors
The A+ jumpstart professes to be an introduction to the basic info you'll need to know for your A+ exam. If you don't know what the A+ exam is, this book will tell you, and even if you arent interested in getting certified ever, you'll learn a lot of basics about PCs. Those who are serious about getting A+ certitified however should beware and take note that this is NOT an all in one guide. For that I would reffer you to the "All in One A+ Certification Exam Guide" By Michael Meyers. So don't expect to learn it all in this one book.

What this book will do is give you a pretty good place to start if you have no idea where to begin on your quest to getting A+ certified. It tries to "jumpstart" you, by giving you the basic run down of many key concepts and facts. Generally it does a pretty good job of this, but in some places it falls short.

Where? Well.. it's tough to write a book at this level. In some places the book tells you stuff that is so basic it's almost common sense, and in other instances the book assumes you already know things that many people may not (such as the fact computers use binary numbers to process and store data). It's a bit akward, and some of the more basic computing concepts are ignored, it's difficult to tell whether they were left out by chance, or were left out because the author considered them "advanced" and unnecessary to begin with.

The book also has a habit of asking you to remember stuff it never talked about. It will say things like "remember when you learned such and such from chapter 2" when in reality chapter 2 only made a passing comment about what it's reffering to. It almost seems at times as if the book is a chopped down version of an all in one, more coprehensive book. But this doesnt detract too much from the over all experience.

I did notice one major typo on page 98... In the paragraph it says "with 16 bit color you get 256 colors"... then in the table right below it, it clearly shows 16 bit color as having 65,536 colors. It's a good thing I already understood color depth enough to notice the mistake and know which was correct (the table). Many introductary tech books dont get enough attention from the editors, and I could just imagine how confusing this may be to someone who didnt already know about color depth. Come on guys, do better editing!

Yet still, the book is a pretty good place to start if you're looing into A+ cert and don't know where to begin and want a quick overview or intro. But I would strongly suggest Mike Meyer's book as a second step or to anyone REALLY serious about A+ Cert.

***
As an update to this review I've come across another MAJOR informational error in this book. The chapter on memory is COMPLETELY WRONG. It claims that to fill a bank of memory the bit width must match that of the CPU's address bus... when this is clearly INCORRECT. In fact, what they mean to say is the EXTERNAL DATA bus (big dif). This isn't a one-time typographical mistake either, but is repeated through the ENTIRE chapter. Why didnt the editor/fact checkers notice this BLATANT error!

This, combined with other smaller errors I noticed is enough to make me completely loose all confidence in any of the facts in this book. Consequently I can no longer reccomend this book as a study tool because you may be learning/studying the WRONG INFORMATION! This is unacceptable for a book that people are going to buy to help them prepare for a professional certification exam. This is no small deal since the test can cost over 300 dollars to take, and learning the wrong information early on can really hurt someone's understanding, especially beginners who will just end up being very confused by conflicting facts when they move on to other books.

What good is a book that is meant to help you learn, when you cant trust any of the facts it gives you? Unless you want to read this book while sitting online so that you can double check every number, figure or definition it gives you... avoid this book. Im very disapointed to be forced to change my rating from 4 stars, to 2 stars based on this experience.

Easy to Understand, learn quickly, Great Pictures.
Studying for the A+ Cert Exam?Start with this book definetely.Everything is well written and easy to understand.Wished more books were written like this.Then from here go to the Michael Myers Book.Good luck!!!

Excellent for the beginner
This is not the only book you'll need to study for the A+ exams, but it's definitely the first book you should read if you don't have much background in PC hardware yet.It lays out the basics for every exam objective in language that anyone can understand. If you would like to get A+ certified but you find those big 1000-page books intimidating and confusing, try this book first. After you read it, the bigger books will make much more sense. ... Read more

Product Description
Written by best-selling author and instructor Jean Andrews, this edition maps fully to the 2006 A+ Exams. This full-color guide is designed to be the most complete, step-by-step book available for learning the fundamentals of supporting and troubleshooting computer hardware. Video clips are available on the accompanying CD so readers can watch the author bring concepts and technical topics to life via live demonstrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Easy Read, Good for Beginners
Overall it's a good book.It's very easy to understand.The videos included in the CD are great.I would suggest watching them before reading the chapters since they help you see what's going on.This book was required for a hardware class at school, the main reason I bought it.

I gave it 4 stars because some answers for the review questions are hard to find.You really have to dig to find the answers.Some answers are found in applying concepts and side notes.Otherwise it's a good book for beginners and a good reference for those of us with some experience.The only book I'd recommend for A+ over this book is CompTIA A+ Complete published by Sybex.

I've been A+ certified since 2008.I think it's a worthwhile move regardless what your career and educational goals are.This book and it's partner (A+ Guide to Software)along with the Sybex one mentioned earlier are good places to start.That and as much hands on experience as you can get.

CompTIA Preperation
Bought this for CompTIA class, great detailed book and easy to read.This text has great chapter tests.

Very Good Book
Jean Andrews is an excellent author, everything is explained well without putting the reader to sleep. Quick ship, book was like new.

OMG you are great.
I just have to say OMG, I received my order from imgarciaz. I will, without a doubt, if at all possible be using this seller in the future. This seller was very faster in service and I received the book in an crazy amount of time. This seller is AWESOME.
I recommend this seller to everyone.

Thank you Amazon.com you are fantastic.

Book Purchase
The shipping was fast, quicker than an order I placed on Half-price books. The book was as described on link. Very pleased with the purchase. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

fun stuff
always loved messing around with hardware store stuff to create things other than the purpose for which they were intended (like washers and different kinds of nuts and wires...)

Fun at the hardware store!
I have been making jewelry for several years and the one thing I have found is that you can make jewelry out of just about anything! With everything Steampunk being popular right now, this how-to book is definitely one that you want to pick up!

Not familiar with what is in your local hardware store? That's okay! I suggest you go and take a look but the author has also provided a page of various pieces that she uses so you can just order them off the internet if you need to! But like I said, half the fun is going to the hardware store, looking around and picking up little pieces of this and that to play with!

There are also pages of beginner how-to's and what's, what in regards to traditional jewelry materials and tools too. Forgot or need to know to wrap loop? You're in luck...the book also provides a few basic wire how-to's!

Earrings, bracelets and necklaces...25 projects that will make you say "Wow, I never thought of that!" Everything from copper washers to tiny light bulbs.....yes, light bulbs!

A fun one from beginners to intermediates....Enjoy!

Love this book!
I've looked through this book several times for inspiration for my own jewelry.Having always enjoyed the hardware store as great stimulus for new jewelry ideas, this book was right on target for me.

This book is absolutely stunning.
This is a fantastic book. The designs are extremely inspiring. The instructions are clear. The pictures are plentiful and beautifully done. I love that many of the designs have alternate versions shown, which really helps if you just want to use the designs as jumping off points rather than following them exactly. I highly recommend this book for anyone that's interested in hardware jewelry in particular, or just interested in something a little different and funky.

Don't Pass this up Simply Because of the Title
I really liked the examples and items in this book.Lots of projects are included and they are not 100% hardware, so you will find lots of very attractive pieces combining metalworks and gemstones!I was surprised at the number of ideas I had after looking through this book.You really will find many unique ways to incorporate these simple, basic, very common components into jewelry designs!My favorite was actually a man's bracelet, that used plumb bobs (gotta see it) and brass nuts.It was quite stunning!

Some designs have a steampunk quality to them, in my opinion.Many could be made from re-cycle or re-use components and still be quite lovely.I especially liked the designs that show women can be strong and creative.By adding hardware to designs, I thought the pieces became dramatic and could be used to show a person's prowess and familiarity with any of hundreds of practical skills.

Yes, like many jewelry makers, I do collect "how to" books, often for inspiration.Designers won't copy someone else's design to sell, but we will use them as a "jumping off" place to start.That way we add our own flair and interpretation, creating something new that incorporates just pieces of the original design in the book.However, many of these designs you will like "as is" and they will make great items to wear or give as gifts!

... Read more

Product Description
Profiles some of the different tanks and other armored fighting vehicles used by armies around the world, describing their design, weapons, and uses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good introduction for children
This book is suitable for young children who may be interested in tanks as a result of having seen them in movies or the news, but who have no other knowledge of the subject. It provides a brief summary of the history of tanks, what makes them useful in military operations, and how they have been developed and used over the past century. The illustrations are quite good. The language is suitably simple for children, but avoids stooping to baby-talk. Terms a youngster would probably find unfamiliar are in bold type, with a definition at the bottom the page on which they first appear. As this is a child's introduction to tanks, there is virtually no military theory (think "The Golden Book of Tanks," as opposed to something by Rommel, Guderian, Liddell-Hart, or Fuller). A reasonably literate reader of 13 or older would probably be better off with a work on tanks written for adults, but I recommend this for younger children with an interest in the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
Choosing hardware can be fun and creative, but selecting the right hardware for a job can be difficult, even for the most experienced woodworker. Installing it is something else again. This comprehensive book covers the entire range of hardware, including common household pieces such as locks, pulls, and handles, all presented in a straightforward style. Over 700 step-by-step photos and drawings accompanied by exacting instructions ease the installation process. Tips and quick access guides help readers find the exact information they need right away. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

hardware
you build things out of wood.this book is a must about hardware for youer projects

Good book. Lacking some details
As usual, books in this collection are well done. The text is clear and concise. The book is full of color pictures illustrating the text.

This book covers all kind of hardware from simple nail to complex hinges.
The "catalog" part of the book is well done. If covers a lot without getting too boring.

I would have given it a 5 stars rating if the information on how to install the hardware was more detailed. If you already know how to install something, reading the text makes complete sense. If you don't it is sometimes difficult with the text alone to get a good idea of the process.

Making Things Work
For the most part hardware is an unromantic subject.Frequently your options are plain and hidden away, and, unless you make your own, the fun stops as soon as you make your choices.Yet a mistake in the use or installation of hardware is often the mistake that is spotted first, easily becoming the ruin if hours of painstaking work.

Hinges happen to be my low water.I've measured, chiseled, shed blood, and excruciated more times than I want to talk about, only to find that it wasn't quite right and I had to make some devious adjustment.Settich's book may not be poetic, but it is eminently practical, and I discovered several tricks that eased the way as I read it.There are twelve sections that cover everything from the simplest nail or screw to the more arcane worlds of locks, slides, and hinges.

Lots of illustration and accompanying text reduce things into easily digestible advice that will improve your work and open new possibilities.My copy is already showing wear from numerous consultations.This really should be one of your earlier purchases in this series.

Must have
This book has far exceeded my expectations. The photos and instructions are clear, concise, and of professional quality. R. Settich presents the material in a knowledgeable and fun way. A must have resource for any workshop!

Outstanding Photos!
This book has been an excellent resource in my workshop.The photos are many and of excellent quality.The instructions are surprisingly clear... a great guide for anyone! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (18)

Great book for programmer
Well, it is not a book for experienced hardware engineers. But it is a Great book for the programmers in the embedded system team.
The author short introduce the basic of electronics, power, and SPI bus, I2C bus, UART serial port in the beginning. Unfortunately, he talks too little of IrDA, USB, CAN bus in the middle of this book. Though the ICs he used is seldom seem in Taiwan, and you cannot establish a embedded system after reading it. Anyway, it is very useful for the programmer to know the business of the hardware engineers. I think the programmers should got one.
I love the latter of this book. The author briefly introduce (Microchip) PIC, (ATMEL) AVR, (Motorolla) 68HC11, (Dallas) MAXQ, (Motorola) DSP6800/68000 CPU from chapter 14 to 19.
Most important is that he Clearly explain what the "memory management unit (MMU)" exactly be done in the electronic element and scheme. Most software programmer learn the MMU from Linux kernel -system call, and have no idea of what it works in the electronic scheme/ICs. The author show you these things quite frankly.
It is great!

Pretty good!
I bought this book just after reading "Getting started with Arduino" - hoping that this book would enhance my knowledge enough that I would not break everything I plug into the Arduino with its Atmel Microcontroller.

Sofar it has been great.I have a degree in Computer Science, so some of the "This is a microprocessor, this is what makes it up" stuff was redundant for me, but this will not be the case for everyone.

The "Electronics 101" section is really helping me a lot - I don't have to pester my EE friend with nearly as many questions!

Not for anyone but REAL beginner
All of the topics could be easily found by a google search in much more details. The only good point after reading this book : a beginner knows how to pick from the smorgasbord of the Net.

Pretty useless for Engineers, even beginner Engineers already in the trade.And the book is not cheap !

Good book but low level
I am a Firmware Engineer currently but have a degree in Electrical Engineering so I felt this book would help me relate my Electrical experience to the Firmware world. I was disappointed when I realized how basic this book was. They dedicate a full chapter to basic voltage, resister, capacitor, etc concepts. Even with no on the job experience outside of school I found almost nothing that I did not already know. It is good for people who need to learn the basics but if you have any computer architecture experience or electrical engineering experience then this book is not for you.

Good book on hardware common to embedded systems
This is a practical introduction to embedded hardware, so to write software for the hardware presented in this book, you will need to consult other books. This book is only an introduction and if you want to gain more knowledge and experience in the field of hardware design, further study is required. In the first part of the book the author gives an introduction to computer architecture and describes the components that you find in a PC. The author goes on to explain basic electronics, just enough to understand the explanations about the electronic components. There are the basic equations to calculate voltage and current. The functionality of resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and crystals is explained. There is advice on how you can build or have built your own integrated circuit board. Some simple microprocessors and micro controllers are described including the currently available and commonly used PIC and AVR micro controllers, the 68000-series microprocessor and a DSP based controller. The functionality of the components is described and it is shown how the component can be used with a few other basic components to exercise a minimum of functionality. The book also covers useful topics like the protocols SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) and I2C, Inter Integrated Circuit, which show how components can communicate with each other or the outside world. Various serial port and network protocols are discussed like RS232C and USB. Chapter 13 was particularly interesting, covering analog to digital conversion and applications. For example, the book explains how to use an amplifier to connect a digital circuit to a temperature or light sensor, or a motor control. The one thing I did not like about the book was the dedication of an entire chapter to the ancient language of Forth. This space might have been better spent on expanding the book's discussion of assembly language or the more timely topic of embedded networks.
This book might be too elementary for practicing engineers, particularly if they are already familiar with the devices commonly used in embedded circuits. However, for those engineers that have been writing software since they graduated, this book is a good fast-paced introduction to the hardware commonly found in embedded systems. A good follow-on to this book is "Programming Embedded Systems with C and C++" by the same publisher.
... Read more

Product Description
The design process of embedded systems has changedsubstantially in recent years. One of the main reasons for this changeis the pressure to shorten time-to-market when designing digitalsystems. To shorten the product cycles, programmable processes areused to implement more and more functionality of the embedded system.Therefore, nowadays, embedded systems are very often implemented byheterogeneous systems consisting of ASICs, processors, memories andperipherals. As a consequence, the research topic of hardware/softwareco-design, dealing with the problems of designing these heterogeneoussystems, has gained great importance.
Hardware/Software Co-design for Data Flow Dominated EmbeddedSystems introduces the different tasks of hardware/softwareco-design including system specification, hardware/softwarepartitioning, co-synthesis and co-simulation. The book summarizes andclassifies state-of-the-art co-design tools and methods for thesetasks. In addition, the co-design tool COOL is presented which solvesthe co-design tasks for the class of data-flow dominated embeddedsystems.
In Hardware/Software Co-design for Data Flow Dominated EmbeddedSystems the primary emphasis has been put on thehardware/software partitioning and the co-synthesis phase and theircoupling. In contrast to many other publications in this area, amathematical formulation of the hardware/software partitioning problemis given. This problem formulation supports target architecturesconsisting of multiple processors and multiple ASICs. Several novelapproaches are presented and compared for solving the partitioningproblem, including an MILP approach, a heuristic solution and anapproach based on genetic algorithms. The co-synthesis phase is basedon the idea of controlling the system by means of a static run-timescheduler implemented in hardware. New algorithms are introduced whichgenerate a complete set of hardware and software specificationsrequired to implement heterogeneous systems. All of these techniquesare described in detail and exemplified.
Hardware/Software Co-design for Data Flow Dominated EmbeddedSystems is intended to serve students and researchers working onhardware/software co-design. At the same time the variety of presentedtechniques automating the design tasks of hardware/software systemswill be of interest to industrial engineers and designers of digitalsystems.
From the foreword by Peter Marwedel:
Niemann's method should be known by all persons working in the field.Hence, I recommend this book for everyone who is interested inhardware/software co-design. ... Read more

Product Description
What's New in the Third Edition, Revised Printing

The same great book gets better! This revised printing features all of the original content along with these additional features:

. Appendix A (Assemblers, Linkers, and the SPIM Simulator) has been moved from the CD-ROM into the printed book

. Corrections and bug fixes

Third Edition features

New pedagogical features

. Understanding Program Performance
- Analyzes key performance issues from the programmer's perspective
. Check Yourself Questions
- Helps students assess their understanding of key points of a section
. Computers In the Real World
- Illustrates the diversity of applications of computing technology beyond traditional desktop and servers
. For More Practice
- Provides students with additional problems they can tackle
. In More Depth
- Presents new information and challenging exercises for the advanced student

New reference features

. Highlighted glossary terms and definitions appear on the book page, as bold-faced entries in the index, and as a separate and searchable reference on the CD.
. A complete index of the material in the book and on the CD appears in the printed index and the CD includes a fully searchable version of the same index.
. Historical Perspectives and Further Readings have been updated and expanded to include the history of software R&D.
. CD-Library provides materials collected from the web which directly support the text.


In addition to thoroughly updating every aspect of the text to reflect the most current computing technology, the third edition

. Uses standard 32-bit MIPS 32 as the primary teaching ISA.
. Presents the assembler-to-HLL translations in both C and Java.
. Highlights the latest developments in architecture in Real Stuff sections:
- Intel IA-32
- Power PC 604
- Google's PC cluster
- Pentium P4
- SPEC CPU2000 benchmark suite for processors
- SPEC Web99 benchmark for web servers
- EEMBC benchmark for embedded systems
- AMD Opteron memory hierarchy
- AMD vs. 1A-64

New support for distinct course goals

Many of the adopters who have used our book throughout its two editions are refining their courses with a greater hardware or software focus. We have provided new material to support these course goals:

New material to support a Hardware Focus

. Using logic design conventions
. Designing with hardware description languages
. Advanced pipelining
. Designing with FPGAs
. HDL simulators and tutorials
. Xilinx CAD tools

New material to support a Software Focus

. How compilers work
. How to optimize compilers
. How to implement object oriented languages
. MIPS simulator and tutorial
. History sections on programming languages, compilers, operating systems and databases


On the CD

. NEW: Search function to search for content on both the CD-ROM and the printed text
. CD-Bars: Full length sections that are introduced in the book and presented on the CD
. CD-Appendixes: Appendices B-D
. CD-Library: Materials collected from the web which directly support the text
. CD-Exercises: For More Practice provides exercises and solutions for self-study
. In More Depth presents new information and challenging exercises for the advanced or curious student
. Glossary: Terms that are defined in the text are collected in this searchable reference
. Further Reading: References are organized by the chapter they support
. Software: HDL simulators, MIPS simulators, and FPGA design tools
. Tutorials: SPIM, Verilog, and VHDL
. Additional Support: Processor Models, Labs, Homeworks, Index covering the book and CD contents

Instructor Support

Instructor support provided on textbooks.elsevier.com:

. Solutions to all the exercises
. Figures from the book in a number of formats
. Lecture slides prepared by the authors and other instructors
. Lecture notes

*For the Revised Printing, Appendix A appears in the printed book rather than on the CD. This is the only change.
*Explains the latest benchmarking software including SPEC CPU2000 suite for processors, SPEC Web99 for web servers, and EEMBC for embedded systems
*Features the latest developments of the Intel IA-32 architecture as well as the Power PC 604, the AMD Opteron Memory, and the Intrinsity FastMATH processor.
*Compares MIPs assembler code to both C and Java ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Great book, poor kindle version.
This book is a *must have* for any student or profession at CS. I have the 2nd edition and I bought the Kindle edition of the 3rd. The book is great, but a lot of images are hard to see and understand at kindle version and I really dont know to (or if it possible) to access the content of the CD of the printed version. My tip: buy the printed version, but not the kindle one.

Great product, Super fast shipping A+++
my experience shows that companies should post more than just the state on the from location. this ended up shipping from a shop right down the street from me. although it had a price tag on it for $45, and I paid ~10. other than that, shipping was great and book was in excellent condition.

Good books and very cheap
I have to say this is the best deal I get from Amazon.com, only cost me 1 dollar and it is amazing cheap!

Not a bad deal
The book is in the condition described, except there is a little writing in the margins and stuff from previous owner. Otherwise, it was a perfect purchase. Fast shipping and good price =)

Comp Arch Book
It's the required textbook for my CA class, and I haven't looked at it yet. ... Read more

Product Description
Drag those windows from your screen and into the air in front of you. Use a simple glance to switch lights, open doors or surf the web. Virtual devices, virtual objects will surround us, anywhere. Only one piece of real hardware will do it all, replace anything. From concept to design to even a fiction part, "this book is a blueprint for an entire technology". The new edition has been greatly extended, with many new ideas and materials. From the foreword by Oliver Bimber: "Despite a technological focus, the book is written in a popular-scientific style - and therefore allows easy access to the material - even for non-experts.If I were to characterize this book in a single word, that word would be 'inspiring'. I can only hope that one day, someone will pick up and realize these ideas. For although, this might not be the 'End of Hardware' - it could well be the beginning of many new and exciting interfaces to the digital world in which we all live in.". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Wishful thinking
Not an especially good book. Not badly written. But little reality comes back in the book.

The front cover is just ghastly as is the table of contents. An introduction comprising 100 pages. It is badly organized and comes across as pseudoscience.. Other than that it is ok. I hope someone some day will write a proper book on Augmented Reality.

That said. It does give a good overview of techniques that might be useful for Augmented Reality. But after a while the would, should, could get's old. And you just want a practical example.

Some pages missing
Hello, I bought the third edition last month, and I've discovered that my book doesn't have the pages number 209 to 212. I don't know if it's a generalized problem.
Otherwise, the book itself is interesting although it has a few language errors that even me, a non english speaker, can detect.

Greetings from Spain

end of hardware book review
This was an eye opening book.Essentially it talks about the not so distant future of human / computer interfaces.If you can imagine a hardware delivery system that doesn't feel like a computer but is so natural to use it is just with you.This book describes the coming time when these kind of displays and technology will make life with machines much more natural.Essentially doing away with the klunky interfaces of today into a much more wearable computer technology that becomes part of who we are.

Highly recommended
Augmented reality could be many things today. This book is based on the original idea - portable, ubiquitous computing with but a single user interface, minimized to the absolutely necessary adaptation to the human senses - and it's probably the most complete book ever written about it.
Does it really make sense that we're filling our rooms with more and more electronic gimmicks and gadgets, including boulders like TVs and PCs, obsolete and junked every 2 years ? - Read this book, and you'll definitely know it doesn't.
The author gives a thrilling survey of new ideas and solutions, all written in a very concrete and readable style, richly illustrated, understandable to almost anyone - which is mandatory, as it really concerns anyone. It's about the future of information technology, from right now on through the next decades at least, about what to expect and for what to prepare.
This doesn't get speculative at all, the author frankly explains and calculates realistic options technology will offer, explains all these new applications that will change our lives.
After an extensive introduction comes a fiction part, illustrating the impact on everyone's everyday life, then a design part handling all aspects of implementation including many new approaches, and finally there's a part about the future of media, especially regarding all the new capabilities calling for three dimensional productions. Some holographic techniques are introduced, for example, that I've never heard about anywhere else.
Don't expect extensive mathematics or even program code however. This is not a textbook (which wouldn't make sense anyway, because it touches so many different disciplines).
There are more issues of course, concerning such a technology that doesn't stop at the user interface at all. Ubiquitous computing raises essential questions. The author shows that computers will more and more become sort of mind extensions, so computer privacy is already getting exceedingly important.
Bottom line: This book is groundbreaking, very relevant, and a must for anyone interested or involved in modern technology.

Simply essential to read!
This is not one of the usual popular science books - this is the blueprint for an entire technology.
The author manages to address both interested 'laymen' and technology experts. The design part makes up half of the book and may be more demanding to read, but even here he explains everything as simply as possible, with many pictures and without requiring any math.

This book doesn't just bother a lot with the state of the art, it goes straight ahead to new shores and explores the tools to get on. Several ideas are most probably entirely new. So the expert will profit a lot from this lecture as well.

One core thematic are displays, a problem simply taken as incurable by many other publications in this field. Without the clear proof that those ultra light, ultra versatile display glasses are actually feasible, the approach wouldn't work, so here it comes. An entire bunch of other technologies belonging to the complete thematic are discussed as well. Many more aspects of the case are addressed, everyday applications are treated extensively, the impact on media, security aspects, anything.
A complete table of contents and the introduction can be found at the book's site theendofhardware.com.

One may object if everything discussed here will really emerge this way, but as to feasibility and applicability, the author delivers good and comprehensive arguments, emphasizes ergonomical aspects, unaffectedly predicts that certain classical hardware like keyboards will seamlessly coexist with the new technology.

The really exceptional content and the way it is written - plain, straightforward, with lots of illustrations and explanations and quite some humor - are making this book a prime recommendation.

Klaus ... Read more

Product Description
"If I had this book 10 years ago, the FBI would never have found me!" -- Kevin Mitnick This book has something for everyone---from the beginner hobbyist with no electronics or coding experience to the self-proclaimed "gadget geek." Take an ordinary piece of equipment and turn it into a personal work of art. Build upon an existing idea to create something better. Have fun while voiding your warranty! Some of the hardware hacks in this book include:
* Don't toss your iPod away when the battery dies! Don't pay Apple the $99 to replace it! Install a new iPod battery yourself without Apple's "help"
* An Apple a day! Modify a standard Apple USB Mouse into a glowing UFO Mouse or build a FireWire terabyte hard drive and custom case
* Have you played Atari today? Create an arcade-style Atari 5200 paddle controller for your favorite retro videogames or transform the Atari 2600 joystick into one that can be used by left-handed players
* Modern game systems, too! Hack your PlayStation 2 to boot code from the memory card or modify your PlayStation 2 for homebrew game development
* Videophiles unite! Design, build, and configure your own Windows- or Linux-based Home Theater PC
* Ride the airwaves! Modify a wireless PCMCIA NIC to include an external antenna connector or load Linux onto your Access Point
* Stick it to The Man! Remove the proprietary barcode encoding from your CueCat and turn it into a regular barcode reader
* Hack your Palm! Upgrade the available RAM on your Palm m505 from 8MB to 16MB

· Includes hacks of today's most popular gaming systems like Xbox and PS/2.
· Teaches readers to unlock the full entertainment potential of their desktop PC.
· Frees iMac owners to enhance the features they love and get rid of the ones they hate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Warning: This book will consume your free time!
When I ordered this book, I planned to give it to my little brother in the hopes of interesting him in the delightful world of hardware hacking. I didn't expect it to contain anything I hadn't picked up doing E&M research for MIT, or engineering research for the Air Force. However, the things in the book were surprisingly advanced, even for people with experience. There are many excellent ways to kill time in here, and they can even turn out to be useful. They are explained clearly and presented without being intimidating, which makes it perfect for the motivated beginner as well. If you have the basic equipment and the drive, this book is great for you!

good, but not for everyone
The title is somewhat misleading since theres a fair amount of console repairing information here.The actual hacking information ranges from simple controller rewiring to completely gutting a pc. The chapters done by the main author are very indepth and maybe out of reach of some but the author knows his subject.The chapters concerning the Atari systems though are quite the opposite.All the information presented has already been published by others before or has been available online for free for years, and the author seems more concerned about promoting his website and selling homemade games.Overall there isn't much information here that is new to justify the price but it's a nice compilation with plenty of nice pictures.

This Book made My Hardware EVEN MORE fun to play with
This book is good for anyone who wants to get into either Electronics or Computers..A book like this would have been Wonderful for My Highschool years, when I started playing around with Electronics...If you have a Child in Highschool or College who likes to tinker & find out how things work in a hands on fashion, GET THIS BOOK for them...I would even recommend this books To Amatuer Radio enthusiasts

Major Hardware Hacks for the Hacking Inspires
The book contains 15 amazing projects that range from the truly useful to the legendary and wacky. You'll learn how to connect toasters and coffeemakers to a network; upgrade radio-controlled cars and talking toys such as the Furby; and build car-mounted periscopes and home video arcades. You'll see how to turn a classic Mac machine into an aquarium and harness ordinary batteries to power your laptop. You'll learn how to build an intruder-detection system for your office cubicle and how to track remote objects as they move around. There's even a project for hacking a 12-story building to use its windows as elements of a huge display screen.

Each project includes step-by-step instructions that even a novice hacker can follow, while also providing the necessary detail to satisfy an experienced hacker. The knowledge gained by building each project can easily be applied to your own projects. If you are unfamiliar with basic electronics, you'll find sections that teach you how to use the tools of the trade; you'll also learn how to read schematics and do basic soldering.

So, whether you're an electronics hobbyist who likes to learn by doing, a software hacker who wants to learn how the other half lives, or a neophyte who has only dreamed of hacking, "Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks" will inspire you to tinker with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos, and will serve as a jumping-off point for new and clever hacks.

Good stuff for the experienced hacker..
If you're the hard-core type that likes to take things apart and "fix" them, you'll like Hardware Hacking: Having Fun While Voiding Your Warranty by Joe Grand (Syngress).Your discarded toys will never be quite the same again.

Chapter list: Tools of the Warranty Voiding Trade; Electrical Engineering Basics; Declawing Your CueCat; Case Modification: Building a Custom Terabyte FireWire Hard Drive; Macintosh; Home Theater PCs; Hack Your Atari 2600 and 7800; Hack Your Atari 5200 and 8-Bit Computer; Hacking the PlayStation 2; Wireless 802.11 Hacks; Hacking the iPod; Can You Hear Me Now? Nokia 6210 Mobile Phone Modifications; Upgrading Memory on Palm Devices; Operating Systems Overview; Coding 101; Index

The first thing to know about this book is that it isn't a beginner's volume.There is some serious hardware modifications going on here.You should be comfortable with electrical theory, devices such as resistors and capacitors, and tools like soldering irons.Also, I'd recommend that you don't try these things on primary devices.I'd say there's a decent chance you could damage it trying some of these tricks.But having said all that, you'll enjoy the book if you meet the above qualifications.

Since I'm not a major hardware geek, I don't know that I could do many of these mods.One of the mods that would be useful even to non-geeks is the chapter on the iPod.You will learn how to replace the battery and how to upgrade the hard drive on your earlier generation iPods, and you don't even need to be that handy.That tip alone would probably pay for the cost of the book.Each hack is very well illustrated with excellent photos and instructions, so you don't feel like you're reading assembly instructions written by something that was run through an automatic translator.

So if you have some old video game consoles gathering dust in the basement, pull them out and see what you can do with them using this book.You'll end up being the envy of all your geeky friends.:-) ... Read more

Product Description

Thomas & Moorby’s The Verilog Hardware Description Language has become the standard reference text for Verilog.

This edition presents the new IEEE 1364-2001 standard of the language. The examples have all been updated to illustrate the new features of the language. A cross referenced guide to the new and old features is provided. Thus, designers already familiar with Verilog can quickly learn the new features. Newcomers to the language can use it as a guide for reading “old” specifications.

The Verilog Hardware Description Language, Fifth Edition, is a valuable resource for engineers and students interested in describing, simulating, and synthesizing digital systems; the extensive number of simulatable examples and wide range of representation styles covered ensure its quick use in design.

The book is also ready for use in university courses, having been used for introductory logic design and simulation through advanced VLSI design courses. An appendix with tutorial help and a work-along style is keyed into the introduction for new students. Material supporting a computer-aided design course on the inner working of simulators is also included.

Customer Reviews (12)

Excellent Book, Watch out for Chinese Version which Sucks!! Beware.
I really liked the book since I had read a copy from my school library hence I decided to purchase one. Unfortunately since Amazon doesn't set any standards that all sellers should meet, my purchase was a rip off.

I order the book assuming it was a North American Copy Unfortunately The one that I received was printed in CHINA & FULL OF GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES please watch out for the seller "Express_Textbook" do not purchase unless u want a Chinese Version.

The seller does not specify this information so once you have made a transactionyou'd have to go through the hassle of returning it.

A NOTE TO AMAZON ADMIN: PLEASE INSIST SELLERS WHEN SELLING NEW PRODUCTS TO SPECIFY DETAILS SO THAT CUSTOMERS CAN MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.

Very good
'The Verilog Hardware Description Language' is a very good tutorial and reference for intermediate designers.
I used this book in an upper level hardware design course. The course had a beginning Verilog course as a prerequisite. I hadn't taken that course but I had experience in digital design and VHDL. This book got me up to speed quickly with it's many examples and tight explanations of the Verilog Language.
Some pluses:
-Example designs are short, complete, and simulatable. Most are even synthesizable. This is good because an example can be quickly understood in its entirety. You don't need to flip through and stare and multiple pages to get an idea of what's going on. If you insist on having them, there are two long, practical examples towards the end of the book.
-The text is very well written. Similar in style to 'The C Programming Language by Kernighan and Ritchie.'
-Verilog 2001: Focuses on 2001, which is a little clearer than previous standards. I think all tools support 2001 by default now so that should be used.

Some minuses:
-Too expensive.
-Not enough discussion on how Verilog constructs are compiled and netlisted. This is critically important in FPGA/ASIC design. However, this book is not any worse than other HDL books in this respect. It's just so important, I really haven't seen anything that gives the topic the treatment it deserves.

Possible minus:
-Not really for beginners. This is not a hardware design text.

I haven't used the CD that came with the book so I can't comment on that. My guess is anything on that CD is not as good as industry standard tools like Mentor's ModelSim.
Overall a very impressive book that will get you to productivity quickly in a Verilog project.

Could be great book, but shows too many deficiencies
This book should be used only by the experienced users that can filter out problematic sections.
Major problems:
- first chapter, "recommended" by authors for university courses, is extremely chaotic (begin..end blocks are called loops, exercises ask you to use loops before introducing them, etc.)
- cover of the latest edition claims coverage of the latest Verilog standard - unfortunately it is very poor coverage: new interesting features such as libraries and configurations are not mentioned at all!
- I had to work hard during many trainings to correct bad coding styles showing in students reading this book as their first Verilog publication
- the book is grossly overpriced...

Main advantage:
- good set of examples

Read This First Before Coding in Verilog
The claim that this book has become the standard for learning Verilog is true.
I use Verilog a lot but I still wish I had read this book before writing Verilog codes.

Had to have my own copy
Was sharing this book with my workmate. Found it pretty useful. I think its a great reference book to have.
It has
+ A great Index.
+ Good examples.
+ Been written by the masters of Verilog.
- A lot of words (ie some people might find it very 'wordy')

Every ASIC/FPGA designer I know has this one in there shelf. So go for it. ... Read more

Product Description
This advanced textbook presents an almost complete overview of techniques for hardware verification. It covers all approaches used in existing tools, such as binary and word-level decision diagrams, symbolic methods for equivalence and temporal logic model checking, and introduces the use of higher-order logic theorem proving for verifying circuit correctness. Each chapter contains an introduction and a summary as well as a section for the advanced reader, aiding an understanding of the advantages and limitations of each technique. Backed by many examples and illustrations, this text will appeal to a broad audience, from beginners in system design to experts. XXXXXXX Neuer Text This is a complete overview of existing techniques for hardware verification. It covers all approaches used in existing verification tools, such as symbolic methods for equivalence checking, temporal logic model checking, and higher-order logic theorem proving for verifying circuit correctness. The book helps readers to understand the advantages and limitations of each technique. Each chapter contains a summary as well as a section for the advanced reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent Introduction
This was the first book I read in Formal Verification when I started my Ph.D. research in this area in 2001. The book was of great value to me and helped me a lot in coming up to speed in the field of Formal Verification. It is concise, well explained, and comprehensive. It covers formal hardware models, equivalence checking, model checking, symbolic model checking, and theorem proving. Although a lot of advances have happened in formal verification since the publication of this book, I still think it is the best place to start if you want to learn this area.

Excellent book
This book presents each major area in Formal Hardware Verification in a chapter. The treatment is detailed and is based on clear mathematical foundations. I especially like the reachability analysis treatment in Chapter 3. However, I think that one of the weak points of this book is the lack of discussion on different "combinational equivalence checking" techniques.

Book Review
The book contains the concepts of the most recently researches in the area of formal hardware verification .I read a lot of journal publications, and I couldn't get the expected benefitfrommost of them, because they assumea high background in formal techniques. This book offers me thebasicknowledge, that enable to get complete benefit from the otherpublications in this topic. The book also contains a lot ofillustrativeexamples, and Figures that follow eachsection, and this make iteasierto the reader. ... Read more

Product Description
This text focuses on the Intel 8086 family that are used in the IBM PC's and teaches students the programming, system connections, and interfacing of microprocessors and their peripheral devices in detail. Students begin with a brief introduction to computer hardware which leads to an in-depth look at how microprocessor-based computers are programmed to do real tasks. They also cover assembly language programming of 8086-based systems. Throughout the text, the emphasis is on writing assembly language programs in a top-down, structured manner. Included are comparisons between CISC and RISC microcomputer architectures and their trade-offs. 1990 HC 000pp ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Great Book for Beginners
I Bought this book on an impulse at the book shop while buying some books on programming. I've never regreted that decision. Its a really good book dealing with the simple basics of microprocessors and digital electronicsalong with fundamentals of assembly language programming. Any one who wantsto learn more about how computers work should buy this one..... Idefinitely rate it 5-star.

AN Excellent Book for learning the 8088 Microprocessor
This is a great book for beginners using the 8088 concepts for programming and interfacing.Clears most of your doubts without consulting your lecturer

How do you manage to combine that subjects like this.
This type of writing is included excellent contents and I like all subjects in it. I am trying to teach the chapters. I don't have an original book. I've borrowed one from the library. I think this oneis an oldversion. I have difficulty get it and borrowing. I always recommend it tostudents. I want to know if you haveand on the CD some documents likethis.If I have all documents about this book I will actually help mystudents. As faras I'm concerned all instructors interested in themicroprocessors should read this book.

Excellent book for microprocessors and interfacing!
Explaining 80x86 family processors. This book is very good to start learning how to program microprocessors. Not only that, the author explains how to do interfacing. Buy this book! You won't regret it.... ... Read more

Product Description
Fuzzy logic is enjoying an unprecedented popularity – and for excellent reasons.It has moved successfully beyond the technological and engineering fields into areas as diverse as consumer and electronic products and systems, the stock market, and medical diagnostics. ... Read more

Product Description
The Newnes Know It All Series takes the best of what our authors have written to create hard-working desk references that will be an engineer's first port of call for key information, design techniques and rules of thumb. Guaranteed not to gather dust on a shelf!

Circuit design using microcontrollers is both a science and an art. This book covers it all. It details all of the essential theory and facts to help an engineer design a robust embedded system. Processors, memory, and the hot topic of interconnects (I/O) are completely covered. Our authors bring a wealth of experience and ideas; this is a must-own book for any embedded designer.

CHAPTER 1: Embedded Hardware Basics
CHAPTER 2: Logic Circuits
CHAPTER 3: Embedded Processors
CHAPTER 4: Embedded Board Buses and I/O
CHAPTER 5: Memory Systems
CHAPTER 6: Timing Analysis in Embedded Systems
CHAPTER 7: Chooosing a Microcontroller and Other Design Decisions
CHAPTER 8:The Essence of Microcontroller Networking: RS-232
CHAPTER 9: Interfacing to Sensors and Actuators
CHAPTER 10: Other Useful Hardware Design Tips and Techniques
APPENDIX A: Schematic Symbols
APPENDIX B: Acronyms and Abbreviations
APPENDIX C: PC Board Design Issues

*A 360 degree view from best-selling authors including Jack Ganssle, Tammy Noergard, and Fred Eady
*Key facts, techniques, and applications fully detailed
*The ultimate hard-working desk reference: all the essential information, techniques, and tricks of the trade in one volume ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

If you are a real engineer "Dont"
Had I picked this book up from a shelf in a bookstore, I would have flipped through it and put it back. It is full of racked together bits and pieces of things easily found on the net.It isn't really put together in a useful way.I had mistakenly thought it might be a good technical and philosophical guide to embedded layout, organization and basic design ideas.Practical ideas - good ones and bad ones.Its far to basic and just lists stolen information from all over.In a nut shell don't waste your money.....

Great Book - Must have if you want to do something with PIC
This is a great Book. Worth the buy if you wanted to learn how to get working with PIC.

Great book for the professional, good book for hobbyist
I purchased Embedded Hardware because I'm a computer science student and hobbyist who wants to understand more of this stuff.

The first couple chapters which covered the basics were well written and was a refreshing review of the associated topics.

Most of the embedded hardware discussed was embedded processors, the busses in an embedded system, and the different memory types used.These topics take up about 1/3 of the book.The coverage is very complete.

Another huge part of the book talks very in depth about RS-232.It starts with a history lesson, then talks about the standards, and then proceeds to show you how to write your own UART code in Basic, C, and assembly.While this is one topic I'm very comfortable with, I found a lot of the discussion to be long, drawn out, and just plain overkill.The same section covers I2C and SPI and those were done properly.YMMV here.

The book has chapters on interfacing to sensors and goes through a fairly lengthy example of how to check noise related to ADC's.

Last but not least, it has a couple tips chapters which talk about common pitfalls and problems, and talks about PCB design issues...These chapters were well done.

The target audience of this book is definitely professionals that already work in the field.The book has a "business-side" feel to it which discusses things like part cost, IP licensing, relationship with vendors, and so on.The authors do mention hobbyists throughout, but it's usually a passing reference and a "hobbyists can ignore this."-type of message.

Besides the fact that there were like 11 different contributing authors, the book has a consistent writing style and appeared to be well-edited with few gaping mistakes.

The book is relatively new, as of April '08, and has an up to date feel to it.No passing references about a gig of memory being $500 or anything. :)

I found it a relatively easy read although I've got a decent background in computer architecture.I admit I skimmed some of the very detailed processor specifics and some of the memory section.Some of those chapters felt like they were written for reference rather than for a narrative.

Overall, I like the book and would recommend it.Hobbyists will have to filter out some of the unnecessary stuff --- and look elsewhere if they expect coverage of small 8-bit microcontrollers.

for EEs designing systems
For an electrical engineer, the book has scads of details about how to use various types of chips, when designing a system like a microprocessor on a motherboard. Typical information includes the differences between NAND and NOR chips. NAND has higher densities than NOR because of a more efficient cell layout method. But NAND tends to have higher bit error rates. And NAND flash chips need a file system, unlike NOR.

Timing analysis gets a good discussion in one chapter. Which also talks about the 3 most common logic families - TTL, NMOS and CMOS. A little surprising for me to see TTL (aka. bipolar) mentioned. These were the first type of transistors I dealt with, but I thought they got phased out years ago. But there are still TTL chips in use. And the TTL-derived logic voltage levels also persist in legacy designs. The comparative analysis provided of these logic families is succinct. ... Read more

Product Description

 “Many books discuss high-tech decision making, but this is the only book I know of that provides a systematic approach based on objective analysis.”

–Matthew Scarpino, author of Programming the Cell Processor

“This book offers a unique approach to analyzing business strategy that changes the focus and attitude to a lively and fun exercise of treating business strategy as a game.”

–Dave Hendricksen, Architect, Thomson-Reuters

USE GAME THEORY TO SOLVE THE #1 PROBLEM THAT CAUSES NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO FAIL IN THE MARKETPLACE: LACK OF COORDINATION

Too many advanced technologies fail the test of adoption, at immense cost to their creators and investors. Why? Many new technologies are launched into complex ecosystems where hardware, software, and/or connectivity components must work together–for instance, next-generation gaming and video platforms that can only succeed if they offer attractive, compatible content. Often, users aren’t ready to give up existing systems, and content or connectivity providers aren’t ready to move away from existing markets. In either case, the real issue is a lack of coordination. Fortunately, coordination problems have specific, proven solutions, and Winning the Hardware—Software Game shows you exactly how to find them.

Drawing on advanced ideas from game theory, economics, sociology, and business strategy, author Ruth D. Fisher presents a systematic framework for identifying, assessing, and resolving coordination problems among all the participants in a product ecosystem. Writing in plain, nontechnical, nonmathematical English, Dr. Fisher helps you discover specific steps that will prepare your customers and partners for successful adoption. Using these techniques, you can shape strategy, systematically reduce risk, and dramatically increase profitability.

Topics covered in this book include:

• Discovering the forces that drive or delay adoption by users and content providers
• Understanding networks, network effects, switching costs, technology compatibility, and other crucial issues
• Speeding the pace of adoption, and getting to the “tipping point” sooner
• Clarifying and restructuring the incentives that motivate users and software providers
• Engineering new systems to maximize the likelihood of adoption
• Creating expectations of adoption and decreasing the relative value of older systems
• Learning from Apple Newton versus Palm Pilot, HD DVD versus Blu-Ray, and other
  significant technology battles
• Leveraging lock-in, path dependence, standardization, and first-mover advantage

With so much at stake, Winning the Hardware—Software Game is a required resource for everyone concerned with new technology adoption–executives, strategists, R&D leaders, marketers, product managers, industry analysts, and investors alike.

Customer Reviews (3)

Secrets to Tech adoption in Cloud Computing and Web 2.0
Dr. Fisher takes the waterfront of game theory and technology adoption into the realm of executable strategies.This book brings the technical mysteries of why technologies such as Cloud Computing and Web 2.0 pass or fail in the marketplace.This is a must read for CXOs, Sales VPs and anyone with a stake in getting there from here.From how to craft the incentives that make a product a winner, to driving social behavior within an organization, it is clear that without the proper incentives, products and policies continue to fail.This work is having an impact both inside and outside the beltway as its ideas are fresh, pertinent and drive home the point that new technology not only has to be great, it has to have a winning hand in the marketplace to displace the current offerings.A clear manual for survival for Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing marketeers. Kevin T. McDonald, Author, Above the Clouds: Managing Risk in the World of Cloud Computing

insightful analysis
A well written and insightful analysis of a common problem among manufacturers and users of technology

game theory for non-economists
The author is perhaps the first person to broadly describe to an audience of non-economists the use of game theory to model a 3 party game of hardware and software vendors and the end user. Accordingly, while the book uses equations from game theory, these are relegated to the appendix and you don't have to sit through how they are derived. If you are not an economist and have no inclination or time to study that field, then having derivations in the book, even in the appendix, would likely be a waste of paper.

Rather, the book's merit is in extensively describing in words different scenarios, where hardware and software vendors each try to optimise its profits, in a game where there is feedback. Another factor which figures prominently is where the gadget has some amount of network effect, be this direct or indirect. These network effects can crucially affect the uptake of the device in the marketplace, as different types of users will be attracted to it at different times.

The outcomes of several scenarios are graphed and the implications described.

The appendix is useful if you want to start tweaking the scenarios for your situation, where you could be either a hardware or software provider. While the equations might look formidable, they are explicitly given and converting these to code shouldn't be too hard. Basically, you take a black box approach, since you don't know how they are derived.

Keep in mind these caveats, which apply to the numerical results and graphs in the text and to any that you might get if you run the equations. There are two possible sources of error. One is the parameters that you put into this engine. The author chooses some plausible values for her narrative. But as to the accuracy of your values, that depends on your expert knowledge. Though varying these can let you estimate the sensitivity.

More importantly, how accurate are those equations as a model of the multiplayer phenomena? Since they are not derived in situ, and the book says little or nothing about the assumptions that were made, this is a much harder problem. To go into this, you'd have to chase down some of the game theory references in the text and learn something more about the field. Perhaps a pragmatic approach is to regard the simulations you get as advisory, as qualitative predictions and not quantitative.

Note that the book's focus is on cases where a hardware vendor makes a piece of hardware that has a significant software component. Where in general the latter comes from another vendor. The book does not concern itself with the case of negligible third party software. ... Read more

Product Description
With software and hardware development techniques improving constantly, it's surprising to learn that more than half of all technology projects overrun their schedules and budgets by 200 percent or more. Computerworld magazine recently reported several surveys showing that project failure is overwhelmingly traceable to poorly defined project organization, a lack of training, weak executive support, inconsistent methods and policies, and other readily addressed factors.

Managing Information Technology Projects gives systems project managers field-proven tools and step-by-step methodologies to start and complete every project -- hardware, software, or integration -- within prescribed parameters. Coverage includes:

* Organizing information technology project teams and developing project plans* Risk management issues for IT projects* Systems engineering* Customer requirements and service* Project monitoring, control, closeout, and assessment ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Managing Information Technology Projects
The book was in excellent condition. It has a good overview on the subject. It touches on most activities/tasks required, however, it lacks specific and detailed examples to demonstrate the concepts. ... Read more

Product Description
Embedded Linux will help the user: select an Embedded Linux platform based on hardware requirements; build and boot a custom Linux kernel for the platform; remote debug programs running on the platform using GNU tools; connect data acquisition and control electronics/peripherals using the platform's serial, parallel, USB, I/O port and I2C interfaces; interface the peripherals to the kernel and applications using modules; collect, control, store and present data via open source protocols and applications; and analyze Embedded Linux vendor product offerings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

not enough info to be usefull
the book does not contain enough information to be usefull. I would recommend other books such as "building Embedded Linux Systems"

Great Reference, Odd Story format
This book is clearly the best reference I have for embedded projects under linux; future and present inclusive. The author covers USB device integration quite well, and gives a well worded approach to mounting and setting up your own usb-devfs.
Along with clear examples, the author mainly tries to format the text from an on-lookers prospective to an "embedded ski lift monitor" project- i.e. "My data from working along-side the team" Great effort there-
Another pro to this book is that there are many code samples (all but one I got working, first try) that keep the flow of the book geared towards a beginning hardware-level programmer, with teach by example in mind.
The biggest down side to the text is the beginning material about setting up the workspace environment. A friend tried the same book, and had much trouble simply because they didn't know what pitfalls to expect when installing Debian. Although, the setup does allow for multiple-processor compilations of source code. A Great plus, and another reason for me using the book as a reference.

Out of all the good and bad, this book earned the 4 star rating and with honors. If you want a place to begin embedded systems, and aren't weary of installing a fresh copy of an older model of Debian, have at this book!
Hope this helps-

Slightly Out of Date but still well worth the purchase
As of 4/2004,the book relies on a free distribution of Hard Hat linux that is no longer available on Montavista's site (as they charge $25K for a single seat, I guess they felt they were giving too much away ;-) HOWEVER:Hollanaugh has copies of them with all of his scripts on his site, so look for them there. His scripts are also now modified to point to the new locations.Though even this distribution is somewhat out of date, this book does a pretty reasonable job of getting you through it all.I found finding free (useful, current) distributions of embedded linux very hard to find but eventually did.. Check out www.denx.de and store.yahoo.com/snapgear/snemlidi.html for current multiplatform distributions.The denx distribution ELDK appears to have morphed from the original Hard Hat distibution as many of the utilities still exist, I used this and was able to "generally" follow along. It's a more recent distribution and supports more platforms (at least for the PPC).I would definately repurchase this book again..
His site is:
http://www.embeddedlinuxinterfacing.com/overview.shtml

Most Excellent Introduction and Objective Methodology
Dr. Hollabaugh has certainly shed useful light on the concept of embedded linux.He intelligently sets the stage and walk you through real steps for deploying a fully embedded linux control and monitoring system.The diagram, table, and code examples will leave you with a very clear understanding of the subject matter (providing you have some background with linux development).Personally, I was totally captivated and found myself extremely happy that I have chosen this book to help thrust foward my own intelligence of embedded linux.This book and website....has become a primary reference for future embedded linux application.

Great book
Hey embedded Linux developers,

This book is great. The simple examples clearly illustrate how to get a development system up and running, then how to develop simple device drivers to exercise hardware. I learned from these examples and put them to work on my project immediately. I read the other reviews below and don't know why they didn't like this book, did they even read it?

Its a great book, buy it now (its the best [money]spent on embedded Linux available).

Satisfied Customer ... Read more

Product Description
The updated edition of the classic visual manual for troubleshooting PC hardware problems. Morris Rosenthal creates a visual expert system for diagnosing component failure and identifying conflicts. The seventeen diagnostic flowcharts at the core of this book are intended for the intermediate to advanced hobbyist, or the beginning technician. Following a structured approach to troubleshooting hardware reduces the false diagnoses and parts wastage typical of the "swap 'till you drop" school of thought. Flowcharts include: Power Supply Failure, Video Failure, Video Performance, Motherboard, CPU, RAM Failure, Motherboard, CPU, RAM Performance, IDE Drive Failure, Hard Drive Boot and Performance, CD or DVD Playback, CD or DVD Recording Problem, Modem Failure, Modem Performance, Sound Failure, Sound and Game Controller Performance, Network Failure, Peripheral Failure, SCSI Failure and Conflict Resolution ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

A simple approach to troubleshooting
With no pictures, no technical details but just some simple straight forward flow chart, I have to give credit to the author.

This book is well written and outlined out so even a beginner can follow and troubleshoot.
For the well experienced, it serves a simple reminder that some problems are generally solved by taking the simple steps first.

It is indeed very good book to have.

PC Repair Book
This book is not as detailed as the same author's book on laptop repair.Therefore, it is not as good as it might have been.

MUST BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EASY TO UNDERSTAND. I FIXED 2 ISSUES WITHIN 1 WEEK ON MY COMPUTER.BETTER THAN THE OTHER 2 BOOKS I BOUGHT.IT IS A MUST HAVE AT THIS PRICE

Excellent Troubleshooting tool
This is probably the most valuable tool a PC Technician could have in his tool box. It's better at diagnostics and been more helpful than many of the bigger more expensive PC repair books I've gotten. My only regret is that I didn't buy this sooner. Also see the The Laptop Repair Workbook by the same author. It's well written and easy to follow. I highly recommend both.

computer repair
It's always good to have a reference book when dealing with computer problems. If not this book,a similar book would do just as well. ... Read more