Description
Book SynopsisPublished by Sinauer Associates, an imprint of Oxford University Press. Increasingly, scientists find themselves facing exponentially larger data sets and analyses without suitable tools to deal with them. Many biologists end up using spreadsheet programs for most of their data-processing tasks and spend hours clicking around or copying and pasting, and then repeating the process for other data files.Practical Computing for Biologists shows you how to use many freely available computing tools to work more powerfully and effectively. The book was born out of the authors'' own experience in developing tools for their research and helping other biologists with their computational problems. Although many of the techniques are relevant to molecular bioinformatics, the motivation for the book is much broader, focusing on topics and techniques that are applicable to a range of scientific endeavors. Twenty-two chapters organized into six parts address these topics (and more; see Contents): *
Trade ReviewPractical Computing for Biologists is a clear guide to methods that unlock the power of the personal computer. Although the breadth of subjects covered is certainly an asset of this volume, what really makes the book stand out is how well the authors clearly describe each technique and its applicability to biological sciences. It is a great launching point for any necessary further investigation of computational techniques. * Matthew Aiello-Lammens, The Quarterly Review of Biology *
The book covers a wide range of subjects that truly justifies the title of 'practical computing.' In addition to the usual programming-related topics, it also includes a thorough introduction to the programming environment, approaches to combining different programs together, a description of the basic text manipulation tools such as regular expressions, and even an introduction to dealing with digital art and images. As such the book is great value for the money, being at least three books in one. * Olga G. Troyanskaya, Cell *
My copy of Practical Computing for Biologists arrived last week, and I've been very impressed. It is a well-written, well-paced guide to basic computing skills for scientists and engineers of all stripes (not just biologists). It is beautifully produced: full-color printing and great graphical design make this book a joy to read. If I ever do turn Software Carpentry into a book, I might skip the topics PCB covers and just tell people to go and buy it. * Greg Wilson, software-carpentry.org *
When considering my research and use of time, this book has been the most important book I've read in the last year, and perhaps the last decade. Striking a perfect balance by guiding you through tutorials and nudging your own self-exploration, the book has just enough guided direction to not annoy or overwhelm. It has helped (and is still helping) me to do what I was doing before, but more efficiently. * Cyme & Cystidium *
Table of ContentsBefore You Begin.- PART I: TEXT FILES.- Getting Set Up.- Regular Expressions: Powerful Search & Replace.- Exploring the Flexibility of Regular Expressions.- PART II: THE SHELL.- Command-line Operations: The Shell.- Handling Text in the Shell.- Scripting with the Shell.- PART III: PROGRAMMING.- Components of Programming.- Beginning Python Programming.- Decisions and Loops.- Reading and Writing Files.- Merging Files.- Modules and Libraries.- Debugging Strategies.- PART IV: COMBINING METHODS.- Selecting and Combining Tools.- Relational Databases.- Advanced Shell and Pipelines.- PART V: GRAPHICS.- Graphical Concepts.- Working with Vector Art.- Working with Pixel Images.- PART VI: ADVANCED TOPICS.- Working on Remote Computers.- Installing Software.- Electronics: Interacting with the Physical World.- APPENDICES.- Working with other Operating Systems.- Regular Expression Search Terms.- Shell Commands.- Python Quick Reference.- Template Programs.- Binary, Hex, and ASCII.- SQL Commands.- Index.
