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Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation (2nd Edition) Review by Hasan Al-Sheboul
Want an Advanced? Get the First Edition of 1979
My first exposure to Automata Theory backs to 1992, as a senior undergrad textbook for that course, which was mandatory and a prerequisite to the Compilers Course. (No student could take them together). Although I got the highest grade among over 80 students, but I was not getting enough comprehension from the class, as it should be. I admit it was due to the complexity and sophistication of that text, since this was the first course that 100% dedicated to computational theory; taking into account it is BS in Computer/COMPUTATIONAL Science.
In my MS work, the required text was By Sipser, but the instructor was giving material that was from Hopcroft/Ullman 1979 text. It was the definitive resource, period.
I purchased the 2nd Ed, 2000, Hopcroft/Ullman/Mitwani; it was simpler than the 1st Ed. and easy going. My focus, and all Professors and researchers whom I know who work in a related-area, have this exact edition as a reference when needed!
Chapter Contents and Material Exhibits
The chapters are relatively not big in text but are very-rich in contents, that sometimes, if this is your first read/exposure to Automata theory, then perhaps you may need to read each section more than one time. If you're reading the text in deep, and in chapter 4+, you would really have a full enjoyment of how the authors are going with their exploring the ideas, with motivation. This is not my first text that I read by Ullman, Hopecroft, and Aho, especially, their older texts; their writings are just "amazing."
Exercises
Try to solve the exercises but not at once. Perhaps the exercises can be divided into 4 categories
1. Simple ones
2. moderate (average), that mayhap need to scratch your brain
3. difficult (beyond average), but not challenging, they are just doable.
4. challenging --> I didn't solve all of this category. They are few.
An Advice: some of the exercises in early chapters might be easier to do once you read the later chapters. This is due in part that the way you are making progress in the material, and another, some depend on and only "ideas" that are explored in later chapters.
Errata
I've searched the Internet looking for a (maintainable) Errata list, but there's no one. The text has some typos, and otherwise very minor that you could easily spot. I'll mention some:
One of the, perhaps, typos, is in on of the examples related to the conversion between NFAs to DFAs. Another one also in an example to the PDAs, but don't remember exactly.
The Bottom Line
If you are going to have some future work in Automata and Computational theory, you may grab the 3rd Ed. and/or 2nd Ed. to star with, but for sure you should have the 1st Ed. at your disk; it's a "PRIMER."