The design of distributed systems where computing devices (computers, smartphones, sensors) interact with one another is one of the most challenging problems in computer science. This book is a gentle introduction to some of the most fundamental issues and classical results of computer science underlying the design of algorithms for distributed systems.

While humans can see and hear each other, computing devices usually communicate by sending messages or reading from and writing to shared memory locations. As a result, it is far more difficult to synchronize interactions between computers than between humans. Based on this observation, fundamental principles that relate to interactions between computing devices that involve concurrency and synchronization are explained throughout the book.

Each chapter deals with a specific topic in terms of a story. It compares the issues that arise when dealing with groups of computing devices to those that arise when a group of people has to share their resources and work as a team to solve various problems. This is an excellent introduction to the feel and nature of this exciting and interesting field.

Gadi Taubenfeld, The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya
Gadi Taubenfeld is a professor and past dean of the School of Computer Science at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. He is an established authority in the area of concurrent and distributed computing and has published widely in leading journals and conferences. He authored the book Synchronization Algorithms and Concurrent Programming, published by Pearson Education. His primary research interests are in concurrent and distributed computing. Gadi was the head of the computer science division at Israel's Open University; member of technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories; consultant to AT&T Labs-Research; and a research scientist and lecturer at Yale University. Gadi served as the program committee chair of PODC 2013 and DISC 2008 and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Distributed Computing
One Loaf of Bread, Please
A Tale of Two Lovers
A Night at the Movies
The Fall of the Byzantine Empire
Sightseeing in Paris
Food for Thought
All for One and One for All
The World is a Playground
Getting the Service You Deserve
Bibliography
Author's Biography
Index