CS 5244 - Internet Software - Professor Oliva

FAQ Subject: Textbooks

Which textbooks will we need for the class?
Required Texts (valid for Spring 2016):
 Optional/Recommended Texts (These are all available through alternative sources):
 It can take some time to get these textbooks delivered; when do we need to have them?
You definitely won't need the textbooks during the first three weeks or so of class.  The first several readings are completely online, available on the course website.  You should have plenty of time to obtain them from any commercial source, even if you wait until the first week of class to order them.

Can we use any older editions of any of these books?
Usually that's fine, but you do so at your own risk. This means you are responsible for the materials as they appear in the editions listed, whether they appear in your edition or not. The readings generally don't change very much, but technology does move quite fast, and this course is updated often to keep it as relevant and fresh as possible. Thus there is always a chance your older book will not cover the latest versions and/or technologies we're discussing.

Are there readings or other materials not covered in these books?
Yes, quite a bit of reading material will be assigned outside of these textbooks. All such material will be made available via the web.  Some of the content has been created specifically for this class, while other content is provided by various public sites not affiliated with Virginia Tech.

What does it mean that some texts are "required" and others are not?
You must complete reading assignments from each of the required texts as part of the class, and the material is fair game for quizzes and the final exam. The other texts may be very useful to you while completing the programming assignments throughout the term.

Are there any alternatives available to purchasing textbooks?
Yes--there is an alternative--you may "borrow" these books from an online library. 

The folks at Safari Books Online, a joint venture between O'Reilly and Associates and The Pearson Technology Group, have made the full contents of thousands of their books online.  Go to their "How It Works" link for more detailed information on their service. This is a month-by-month pay subscription service, but the price for an entire semester is about the same as the purchase price of any one of our textbooks. You can search across the entire library and (depending on your subscription level) download chapters for offline reading. You can try it for free for a limited time, then cancel your subscription if you are not interested. See the Subscription Information page for more details.

NOTE: This is offered as one possible alternative to purchasing textbooks; it is neither suggested nor required that you subscribe and/or use the library's system. It may be of great value to some of you, and of no value to others.  This service is completely controlled and managed by Safari, and has nothing at all to do with me or Virginia Tech (except, of course, the library's subscription). Any help or support you may need if you encounter technical problems should be directed to Safari or the library.