Beginning computing students often finish the introduction to programming course without having had exposure to various system tools, without knowing how to optimize program performance and without understanding how programs interact with the larger computer system.

Adam Hoover's System Programming with C and Unix introduces students to commonly used system tools (libraries, debuggers, system calls, shells and scripting languages) and then explains how to utilize these tools to optimize program development. The text also examines lower level data types with an emphasis on memory and understanding how and why different data types are used.

About the Author

Adam W. Hoover received a B.S. in Computer Engineering in 1992, a M.S. in Computer Engineering in 1993, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering in 1996, all from the University of South Florida. In 1996, he joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of California, San Diego, as an Assistant Project Scientist and Visiting Lecturer. In 1998, he received the department's Honorary Graduate Teaching Award. In 1999, he joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Clemson University, where he is currently an Associate Professor. Dr. Hoover is an active Member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and co-founder of EyeDx, a company dedicated to preventative screening of children's vision. Dr. Hoover's research interests are in the area of intelligent systems, with an emphasis on tracking, embedded systems, and medical informatics.