There are two overriding features of this text, the first being the use of the C programming language. C is rapidly becoming the vehicle of choice for teaching courses throughout the curriculum. Though cumbersome, C is widely used in industry, and encourages a smooth transition to C++ and object-oriented programming later in the curriculum. The other main feature of this text is the content. In particular, the authors include a graphics example (a fractal known as the von Koch snow flake) throughout several chapters. They also devote a chapter to data compression, a topic in computing that deals with ways in which data may be constructed to minimize the amount of space it occupies on a disk, transmission wire or other medium.