Book excerpt: Computer system performance evaluation is a key discipline for the understanding of the behavior and limitations of large scale computer systems and networks. This volume provides an overview of the milestones and major developments of the field.The contributions to the book include many of the principal leaders from industry and academia with a truly international coverage, including several IEEE and ACM Fellows, two Fellows of the US National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the European Academy, and a former President of the Association of Computing Machinery.