Rating:  - A Valuable Guide to Computer Basics
Computer Science Illuminated is an easy to understand, educational guide to computer fundamentals. Basic computer skills are presented through seventeen detailed chapters. Key terms are in bold for easy identification, with clear definitions in the margins. Pictures, charts, and diagrams are illustrated for further clarification and understanding of ideas.
I found this book to be an excellent source. It taught me valuable basic computer skills in an easy, clear manner. Some chapters appeared to be quite long and wordy, but it was all out of good intentions. Any repetition was to further enhance ideas and make them clear to make sure that they were learned. With the completion of this book, you will be able to understand and utilize the computer concepts you have learned. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning computer science fundamentals through an easy, understandable guide.
Rating:  - Computer Science Illuminated
Coming from the perspective of a college freshman currently studying from this book, I would say that Dale and Lewis did a satisfactory job with this Illuminated textbook. The graphs and charts are for the most part easy to read and comprehend, and the information is helpful for my computer science course. The questions at the end of the chapter are very helpful in identifying key concepts, with the glossary and the index as additonal tools for understanding.
One thing that the authors could have done better with this book is making it clearer to understanding. While those charts may be simple, the facts about computer and network systems are something that I feel is over my head. With having very little knowledge about this type of computer systems, I was unsure of the meaning of certain terms and components of the machine. Pretty well written, helpful when paired with a computer science course.
Rating: - Computer Science Illuminated
I am currently taking a computer science class with this book. It was pretty useful and explained the basics of computer science. The book is illustrated with charts, tables, and pictures that help explain the concepts better.
The book was helpful but, the book is somewhat confusing with the more complex and conceptual topics of Computer Science. For an introductory class, it is sometimes hard to grasp the conceptual topics because the book doesn't lay it out very clearly.
Rating: - Sufficient
Dale's explanations of basic concepts are more than adequate for the formation of a simplistic understanding of a variety of computing concepts. The prose is straightforward and easily understood. As a college freshman, I found the text to be easy to skim and ascertain the major concepts at work.
My main caveat with the book is the way it fails to mesh disseperate ideas. The synthesis of elements within Illuminated occurs rarely and inadequately. Rather than conglomerate various chapters into a thorough overview, Dale's text skips accross the surface without necessarily connecting the gamut of components.
Rating: - Overall, a very decent textbook
This is probably one of the better computer science textbooks you will find. As a college student, I am using this textbook for a computer science class. For the most part, it does a good job covering the material and presents it in a very clear and straightforward manner. It contains many graphs, diagrams, pictures etc. that really do help you understand the material better. The summary after each chapter also makes learning the main concepts a lot easier.
The only gripe I have with the textbook is that it can sometimes be a bit unclear especially when focusing on mathematical expressions. Having said that, this is really the only problem I had with the textbook. I would definitely recommend it.
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