Tag Archives: Saylor Foundation

CC BY, Computer Science, Textbook Equity Imprint

►Bonaventure, “Computer Networking : Principles, Protocols and Practice” (2011)

18957436_cover-page-001“Computer Networking : Principles, Protocols and Practice”

Complementary textbook to Saylor Academy’s “Computer Communications and Networks” (CS402)

Original textbook © October 31, 2011 by Olivier Bonaventure, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license made possible by funding from The Saylor Foundation’s Open Textbook Challenge in order to be incorporated into Saylor’s collection of open courses available at: http://www.saylor.org.

Print $29.95 USD, 282 pages, B&W

ISBN: 978-1-365-18583-0

Free PDF  Color, 282 pages, 8.6 MB

This open textbook aims to fill the gap between the open-source implementations and the open-source network specifications by providing a detailed but pedagogical description of the key principles that guide the operation of the Internet. The book is released under a creative commons licence. Such an open-source license is motivated by two reasons. The first is that we hope that this will allow many students to use the book to learn computer networks. The second is that I hope that other teachers will reuse, adapt and improve it. Time will tell if it is possible to build a community of contributors to improve and develop the book further. As a starting point, the first release contains all the material for a one-semester first upper undergraduate or a graduate networking course.

Table of Contents
1 Preface
2 Introduction
2.1 Services and protocols
2.2 The reference models
2.3 Organisation of the book
3 The application Layer
3.1 Principles
3.2 Application-level protocols
3.3 Writing simple networked applications
4 The transport layer
4.1 Principles of a reliable transport protocol
4.2 The User Datagram Protocol
4.3 The Transmission Control Protocol
5 The network layer
5.1 Principles
5.2 Internet Protocol
5.3 Routing in IP networks
6 The datalink layer and the Local Area Networks
6.1 Principles
6.2 Medium Access Control
6.3 Datalink layer technologies
7 Glossary
8 Bibliography

CC BY, Computer Science, Textbook Equity Imprint

►Bourgeois, “Information Systems for Business and Beyond” (2014)

product_thumbnail.phpA college-level open education resource (CC BY) thanks to the Saylor Foundation and David T. Bourgeois, Ph.D.

This text is used in Saylor’s free course “Management Information Systems”  at  https://learn.saylor.org/course/view.php?id=41

Purchase a print copy (167 pages, b&w) $22.95

Download the PDF (free, 167 pages, 4.3 Mb)

The Saylor Academy also offers several e-book  formats of this open textbook.

 

ISBN: 978-1-304-94348-4

“This book is written as an introductory text, meant for those with little or no experience with computers or information systems. While sometimes the descriptions can get a little bit technical, every effort has been made to convey the information essential to understanding a topic while not getting bogged down in detailed terminology or esoteric discussions.  . . . At the end of each chapter, there is a set of study questions and exercises (except for chapter 1, which only offers study questions). The study questions can be assigned to help focus students’ reading on the learning objectives. The exercises are meant to be a more in-depth, experiential way for students to learn chapter topics. It is recommended that you review any exercise before assigning it, adding any detail needed (such as length, due date) to complete the assignment.”

Contents
Introduction
Part 1: What Is an Information System?
Chapter 1: What Is an Information System?
Chapter 2: Hardware
Chapter 3: Software
Chapter 4: Data and Databases
Chapter 5: Networking and Communication
Chapter 6: Information Systems Security
Part 2: Information Systems for Strategic Advantage
Chapter 7: Does IT Matter?
Chapter 8: Business Processes
Chapter 9: The People in Information Systems
Chapter 10: Information Systems Development
Part 3: Information Systems Beyond the Organization
Chapter 11: Globalization and the Digital Divide
Chapter 12: The Ethical and Legal Implications of Information Systems
Chapter 13: Future Trends in Information Systems
Answers to Study Questions 150
Bibliography 162

Algebra, CC BY, Textbook Equity Imprint

►Kuttler, "Linear Algebra, Theory And Applications" (2012)

A open education resource (CC BY) thanks to the Saylor Foundation and Kenneth Kuttler, PhD.

Purchase a print copylinear2_product_thumbnail.php (503 pages) $39.95

Download the PDF (free, 503 pages, 6 Mb)
ISBN: 9781304912794

This is a book on linear algebra and matrix theory. While it is self contained, it will work best for those who have already had some exposure to linear algebra. It is also assumed that the reader has had calculus. Some optional topics require more analysis than this, however. I think that the subject of linear algebra is likely the most significant topic discussed in undergraduate mathematics courses. Part of the reason for this is its usefulness in unifying so many different topics. Linear algebra is essential in analysis, applied math, and even in theoretical mathematics. This is the point of view of this book, more than a presentation of linear algebra for its own sake. This is why there are numerous applications, some fairly unusual.