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The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
Simon Singh
Delacorte Press, 2000, $15.00, ISBN: 0-385-49532-3
This is a superb text. It is both comprehensive and accessible, which is an unusual combination. It introduces the reader to cryptography and cryptanalysis—subsets of the broader field of cryptology—which might be loosely referred to as the study of codes.
The book defines cryptography as the use of algorithms to convey messages in a manner (purportedly) indiscernible to those not possessing a specific key. It also provides a brief introduction to cryptanalysis, the breaking of such messages without a key; the derivation of keys and algorithms; and how such information can be used to forge messages.
There is also an overview of the impact of cryptology on today’s world, providing examples of critical points in history when codes or ciphers played a decisive role, either through the successful use of cryptography, or more frequently, through its failure in the face of cryptanalysis.
Singh is an accomplished author, having previously written Fermat’s Last Theorem. His capacity for storytelling is evident in this book, which serves as a history of cryptology for the layperson, an introduction to the mathematics behind cryptography and cryptanalysis for the inquisitive, and an enjoyable read for those who may be curious about the art and science of codes. It is highly recommended to all readers.—Lee Imrey
Agile Software Development,Principles, Patterns, and Practices
Robert C. Martin
Prentice Hall, 2002, $55.00, ISBN: 0-135-97444-5
Martin has distilled his knowledge and experience in this excellent book, using the peculiar style that characterizes his craftsman’s columns in Software Development magazine.
This book presents helpful examples, along with plenty of source code. This is one of its strongest points, since programmers can immediately learn how to apply well-known design patterns in programming languages.
It starts with a manifesto of the so-called agile movement. Among its principles, agile development promotes simplicity as “the art of maximizing the amount of work not done” in order to maximize the business value of software development. Once the stage for agile development is set, the book presents the set of extreme programming practices and devotes a few chapters to describing some of them in detail (the planning game, test-first design, and refactoring).
There are two sections devoted to design principles: class design problems and package design. In respect to package design, in my opinion the best section, Martin explains how to avoid undesirable dependencies between packages, why they are not desirable, and how they can be detected using software metrics.
In short, this is an entertaining and instructive “bible of agile practices and design concepts.”—Fernando Berzal
Reprinted from Computing Reviews, © 2003 ACM, http://www.reviews.com
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Originally published in Queue vol. 1, no. 9—
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