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Search in Book Reviews

The ACCU passes on review copies of computer books to its members for them to review. The result is a large, high quality collection of book reviews by programmers, for programmers. Currently there are 1949 reviews in the database and more every month.
Search is a simple string search in either book title or book author. The full text search is a search of the text of the review.
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Title:
Embedded Systems Dictionary
Author:
Jack Ganssle and Michael Barr
ISBN:
1-57820-120-9
Publisher:
CMP Books
Pages:
286pp
Price:
£25-99
Reviewer:
Francis Glassborow
Subject:
embedded systems
Appeared in:
15-5
Note that this is a dictionary, and that is exactly what it is. It covers words, phrases and acronyms that might be met in the context of embedded systems, defining them in that context or related ones. For example looking up 'yield' we find:

yield 1. v. To offer use of the CPU to another task that is ready to run.

2. n. The percentage of good die on a wafer. IC vendors test each die, with the sure knowledge that some percentage of them will not pass. Mature manufacturing processes with smaller chips give high yields; very dense parts or those made with new processes could result in yields less than 50%.

As far as I can see the book gives a very good coverage of the area with good definitions. The pronunciations are, of course, American but I can live with that. I can envisage this book being exactly what the newcomer to embedded systems needs to avoid irritating his/her colleagues with requests for explanations. When a team leader tells you that you need some JK flip-flops it is probably not a good career move to ask which clothing shop stocks that brand.

The real expert will have little use for this book, but I would recommend it to others that have to talk with such experts. Like all dictionaries it will spend much time sitting on your shelf but it is comforting to have it there to grab when you need an explanation of some piece of 'jargon'.