The Hidden Language Of Computer Hardware And Software Pdf Download

My intent in the 2nd edition is the same as the 1st edition: I start with very simple concepts but slowly build to a very deep understanding of the workings of digital computers. Through this steady progression up the hill of knowledge, I employ a minimum of metaphors, analogies, and silly illustrations, and instead use the language and symbols of the actual engineers who design and build computers.

In my opinion, Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software is a unique book with a conversational tone that leads a general audience of readers through a mix of expository writing, imaginative fictional scenarios, and history, to learn about the inner workings of computer hardware and software. It provides an unparalleled depth of understanding for how little it requires from readers in the way of prior knowledge.

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What do flashlights, the British invasion, black cats, and seesaws have to do with computers? In CODE, they show us the ingenious ways we manipulate language and invent new means of communicating with each other. And through CODE, we see how this ingenuity and our very human compulsion to communicate have driven the technological innovations of the past two centuries.

Using everyday objects and familiar language systems such as Braille and Morse code, author Charles Petzold weaves an illuminating narrative for anyone who's ever wondered about the secret inner life of computers and other smart machines.

This book uses Linux assembly language to teach new programmers the most important concepts in programming. It starts by teaching how the computer works under the hood, so that the programmer will have a sufficient background to be successful.

I was fortunate enough to start my coding adventures back in a day where assembly languages were still a thing for application programming. I taught myself some of the basics on my Commodore 64, programmed micro controllers at the university, and started my professional career by writing assembly for an ancient 16-bit safety critical system for the railway industry. As such, I got a bit closer to the metal than I do these days. However, I still didn't have a solid understanding of what really happens in a computer. That's why I turned to Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software. Because what we have here is brilliant. Charles Petzold takes us on a ride from flashlights and telegraph relays all the way to classic microprocessors like the Intel 8080 and Motorola 6800. Along the way we get to actually implement real computers, RAM, controllers for peripherals, and even basic persistence mechanisms.

The book has a nice pace that gradually walks us through the construction of increasingly complex hardware where the next step builds on the previous one. For example, once we've learned to build logical gates out of relays, we see how we can wire two NOR gates into an information retaining circuit. That is, we can now represent state. Later constructions, like the RAM memory, are conceptually harder, but it's still striking how simple these initial constructions are. And that's kind of the beauty: at its fundamental level, a computer is built out of simple parts that are easy to understand and reason about in isolation. Like so many other systems, it's the interactions between all those building blocks that create complex behavior. I'd like to draw a parallel to Conway's Game of Life. The Game of Life has ridiculously simple rules, yet the emerging system behavior is anything but simple. The individual cells in Game of Life relate to the observable behavior of the simulation in just the same way logical gates relate to computer systems. I also think that the same properties apply to software systems; we can have simple building blocks like cohesive functions or classes that are easy to reason about, yet when we combine them, there's no way for us to hold the interactions and emerging behavior in our head (and that's why bugs arise).

Code is a wonderful book that I recommend to every programmer. Sure, the book is 15 years old, which means it doesn't cover the multi-core revolution or the increased importance of CPU caches. This doesn't detract any of the value - everything you'll learn is still relevant - it just means that I'd love to get Charles Petzold's take on those topics too. Code is a solid introduction to computer hardware that also includes interesting mini-biographies on some of the pioneers behind the computing technology we've come to know today. The result is a masterpiece that I highly recommend. 17dc91bb1f