Which book would you recommend as a reference on computing paradigms?

Question

I'm looking for a book that introduces one to the various computing paradigms in existence and then goes in depth into each. What I'd like to take away from the end is a basic understanding of each and the ability to make a much more informed decision on which ones to get deeper into.

Answer 1

Is this a, kind of, taxonomy question?

There's no one, correct answer to this question: because is no general/common understanding/agreement on what the usual/finite list of "computing paradigms" is.

You might be looking for a "Dictionary of Computing"; I know there are dictionaries for other subjects, like Maths and Medicine: I don't know of a dictionary of Computing ... but Google does.

Answer 2

Paradigm is a bit of a catchphrase for.. well.. everything, so I'll assume you mean 'design patterns' (moreso because I don't know any good books on other paradigms... :) ):

• The Gang of Four book is standard fare.
• Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture- is another good book with more structured examples.

ChrisW's mention of 'Dictionary of Computing' reminded me of a book I keep around that's somewhat similar, which is the Oxford Dictionary of Science. As close as I could get to Computing Science.

Answer 3

I got my head around the various programming paradigms (Functinal, Imperative, Object, Logic, ...) by listening/watching to a UC Berkeley's CS 61A course which is available online or through iTunes U.

The course is based on the book "Sturcture and Interpretation of Computer Programs" (aka The Wizard Book) which I believe is very well regarded. The book is available online under Creative comments.