随着计算机应用的普及，“计算机科学导论”课程不再是教授学生使用字处理器、数据库、电子表格、演示软件和电子邮件了，也不是只限于诸如Web页面设计和交互式图形的“娱乐”应用，而是还应包含诸如算法、硬件设计、计算机组织结构、系统软件、语言模型、计算理论以及计算机社会与伦理问题等知识。对这些核心知识的介绍，将向学生展示整个计算机领域的丰富和华美。它不仅使得学生可以高效地使用计算机和软件，而且还可以鉴赏计算机和软件的创建和实现背后的基本思想。本书就是针对“计算机科学导论”课的这种改革而编写的。本书全面地介绍了该学科的内容，无需读者有计算机科学、程序设计或数学等背景知识。本书不仅适合用作计算机及相关专业学生的课程，也非常适合用作高中计算机科学课程的教材。

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