Introduction to the Theory of Computation
Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Michael Sipserby Michael Sipser
Shares rank 11 of 28 computer science textbooks by recommenders
Recommended as a textbook to read and work through its homework problems, with the same advice applying to other equivalent theory texts.
Recommended as a textbook to read and work through its homework problems, with the same advice applying to other equivalent theory texts.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Work through textbook and homework problems
“read through Sipser or other equivalent textbook and do the homework problems”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “Evolution "Doesn't Need" Mutation. Here's Proof. - Blaise Agüera y Arcas [video]” Core ideas stay relevant over time
“Most underlying technology is timeless”
Comment from 23 Jan 2026 in “The cleaner: One woman's mission to help Britain's hoarders”
Other computer science textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other computer science textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programsby Abelson and Sussman | 55 | 5 | 92% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Art of Computer Programmingby Donald E. Knuth | 28 | 6 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programsby Abelson and Sussman | 12 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Quantum Computation and Quantum Informationby Nielsen and Chuang | 12 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Introduction to the Theory of Computationby Michael SipserThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“read through Sipser or other equivalent textbook and do the homework problems”
“Most underlying technology is timeless”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.