How Computers Really Work: A Hands-On Guide to the Inner Workings of the Machine

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(as of Jan 01, 2024 05:15:45 UTC – Details)

An approachable, hands-on guide to understanding how computers work, from low-level circuits to high-level code.

How Computers Really Work is a hands-on guide to the computing ecosystem: everything from circuits to memory and clock signals, machine code, programming languages, operating systems, and the internet.

But you won’t just read about these concepts, you’ll test your knowledge with exercises, and practice what you learn with 41 optional hands-on projects. Build digital circuits, craft a guessing game, convert decimal numbers to binary, examine virtual memory usage, run your own web server, and more.

Explore concepts like how to:

Think like a software engineer as you use data to describe a real world concept
Use Ohm’s and Kirchhoff’s laws to analyze an electrical circuit
Think like a computer as you practice binary addition and execute a program in your mind, step-by-step

The book’s projects will have you translate your learning into action, as you:

Learn how to use a multimeter to measure resistance, current, and voltage
Build a half adder to see how logical operations in hardware can be combined to perform useful functions
Write a program in assembly language, then examine the resulting machine code
Learn to use a debugger, disassemble code, and hack a program to change its behavior without changing the source code
Use a port scanner to see which internet ports your computer has open
Run your own server and get a solid crash course on how the web works

And since a picture is worth a thousand bytes, chapters are filled with detailed diagrams and illustrations to help clarify technical complexities.

Requirements: The projects require a variety of hardware – electronics projects need a breadboard, power supply, and various circuit components; software projects are performed on a Raspberry Pi. Appendix B contains a complete list. Even if you skip the projects, the book’s major concepts are clearly presented in the main text.

From the Publisher

‘Just Right’

“Much more understandable than most books of this type, even when the author delves deeply into machine code, programming languages, operating systems, and the internet. He details 41 hands-on projects, including games, running a web server, and so on. It’s just right for the would-be software engineer.”

—Joy Schwabach, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette’s On Computers

‘Nails It’

“[Author] Justice nails it. He gives a concise — but extremely lucid — explanation of electronics, binary numbers, and gates — and then goes on to explain how a computer really works! It is the best explanation of the CPU, memory arrays, buses, etc. that I’ve ever encountered — and all without any prerequisite knowledge of a computer language.”

—Dr. L., Amazon Reviewer

‘Easy and Straightforward’

“The author incredibly blends electronics and computing concepts (CPU, programming, operating system, etc.) that truly (with its easy and straightforward layout) helps you understand what’s going on in a computer.”

—Mr. Chi Y Pang, Amazon Reviewer

About the Author

Matthew Justice is a software engineer. He spent 17 years at Microsoft where he took on various roles, including debugging the Windows kernel, developing automated fixes, and leading a team of engineers responsible for building diagnostic tools and services. He has worked on low-level software (the operating system) and on software far removed from the underlying hardware (such as web applications). Matthew has a degree in electrical engineering. When he’s not writing code or building circuits, Matthew enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, reading, arranging music, and playing old video games.

Who Should Read this Book

This book is for anyone who wants to understand how computers work. You don’t need to have any prior knowledge of the topics covered — we begin with the basics. On the other hand, if you already have a background in programming or electronics, this book can help you expand your knowledge in other areas. The book is written for the self-motivated learner, someone who is comfortable with basic math and science, and who is already familiar with using computers and smartphones, but who still has questions about how they work. Teachers should find the content useful, too, as the projects are a good fit for the classroom.

About the Publisher

No Starch Press has published the finest in geek entertainment since 1994, creating both timely and timeless titles like Python Crash Course, Python for Kids, How Linux Works, and Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. An independent, San Francisco-based publishing company, No Starch Press focuses on a curated list of well-crafted books that make a difference. They publish on many topics, including computer programming, cybersecurity, operating systems, and LEGO. The titles have personality, the authors are passionate experts, and all the content goes through extensive editorial and technical reviews. Long known for its fun, fearless approach to technology, No Starch Press has earned wide support from STEM enthusiasts worldwide.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Starch Press (December 17, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1718500661
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1718500662
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.57 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.81 x 9.25 inches