Computer Science Made Simple

Receiving Four Stars on Amazon.com and great reviews, Computer Science Made Simple, authored by V. Anton Spraul, professor of Computer Science at American Sentinel Univeristy, and published by Double Day "…gives a quick and easy introduction to explaining this mysterious thing called computer science," according to one reviewer.

I recently had a chance to sit down with long-time faculty member V. Anton Spraul to talk about his recently published book. As a professor at ACCIS, Spraul teaches both introductory and advanced computer science courses. Spraul received his undergraduate degree in computer science form Birmingham Southern College and completed his graduate work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and then we can get to the book.

I came to ACCIS in 1994, right after I completed my master's degree. I've been given various titles over the years, but at this point we've settled with Director of Curriculum Development and Professor. I've lived in the Birmingham area my whole life. This year my wife, Mary Beth Newbill, and I celebrated ten years of marriage.

Congrats. Many big accomplishments this year I see. Tell us about your book.

The book is Computer Science Made Simple. It's an introduction to the entire field of computer science. The book covers broad topics like what jobs computer science graduates have and how computers interact with society, and narrow topics like how modern CPUs work and the design of databases. Here at ACCIS, we are using the text in our new CS105 course, Introduction to Computer Science, but the book is also meant for managers who want a primer for talking with technical staff and for the layperson who has just always wondered what computer science is all about.

How did the book come about?

I just jumped on the opportunity when it arrived. The Made Simple books had been around for a while, but more recently the publisher was looking to expand the series, including into computer science. Another author had been lined up for the book but dropped out. I heard they were looking for someone and I sent in my qualifications. I was very eager. Trying to make computer science simple is something I try to do every day at work, and I was confident I could do a good job with this book.

Was it difficult to condense "computer science" into book form?

My first task was choosing topics out of the entire computer science universe. Because I knew I couldn't cover everything, I made a decision to cover topics that I thought would be most interesting to a general audience. It was also difficult to know when to stop once I starting writing on a topic. Also in some cases, topics were necessarily simplified. I wanted a book that anyone could enjoy while still providing a wealth of useful information.

From your reviews, it looks like you succeeded. Obviously, the book will be a helpful intro to the computer layperson, but did you, the ol' pro, learn anything new while writing it?

I did learn quite a bit while writing the book. For example, in the section on computer graphics I learned about a new technique for rendering text on LCD screens. Or, in the section about hardware, I learned a lot of details about how some printers work. Why is a laser printer so hot inside? I had the general idea before, but now I know-and anyone who reads the book will know, too.

Any thoughts or insights about being able to creatively combine your passion and your work, as you did with this book?

I've always enjoyed writing. In my spare time, I've written some novels, which I'm still trying to get published. At ACCIS, I'm often writing what I hope are simple explanations of complicated ideas, in the form of e-mails to student questions. Of course I like talking about computer science. So my work on this book combined a lot of my interests.

For a closer look at Computer Science Made Simple, be sure to check out Anton's book at Amazon.com.