This tutorial-style book provides an introductory "look under the hood" of a modern computer. It covers fundamental topics like data storage formats, computer arithmetic, basic data types, logic gates and circuits, and the CPU. Unlike other books about assembly language and computer organization, Introduction to Computer Organization is written with the understanding that most programmers will never have to write x86-64 assembly language or design hardware. This book is written to give those programmers a practical and concrete understanding of what's happening in a computer in the hopes that this knowledge will help them become a better programmer in their chosen field. You'll learn how transistors are used to construct the binary switches that are used to implement the logic circuits that make up a computer; how these circuits are programmed to implement basic programming constructs; and how data items are organized and manipulated. By the end of the book you should have a strong understanding of how binary is used to store data; how Boolean logic works, and how it's implemented in a computer; the basics of computer hardware; and how to use assembly language to implement things like program flow and Input/Output.

Autorentext

Bob Plantz started his career designing electronics for the horizon scanners on the Gemini spacecraft and Apollo Lunar Module. He earned his PhD in electrical engineering at the University of California Berkeley and worked as a software engineer for eight years before becoming an educator. He was a professor at Sonoma State University for 21 years.

Klappentext

This hands-on tutorial is a broad examination of how a modern computer works. Classroom tested for over a decade, it gives readers a firm understanding of how computers do what they do, covering essentials like data storage, logic gates and transistors, data types, the CPU, assembly, and machine code.

Introduction to Computer Organization gives programmers a practical understanding of what happens in a computer when you execute your code. Working from the ground up, the book starts with fundamental concepts like memory organization, digital circuit design, and computer arithmetic. It then uses C/C++ to explore how familiar high-level coding concepts—like control flow, input/output, and functions—are implemented in assembly language. The goal isn’t to make you an assembly language programmer, but to help you understand what happens behind the scenes when you run your programs. 

Classroom-tested for over a decade, this book will also demystify topics like:

• How data is encoded in memory

• How the operating system manages hardware resources with exceptions and interrupts

• How Boolean algebra is used to implement the circuits that process digital information

• How a CPU is structured, and how it uses buses to execute a program stored in main memory

• How recursion is implemented in assembly, and how it can be used to solve repetitive problems

• How program code gets transformed into machine code the computer understands

You may never have to write x86-64 assembly language or design hardware yourself, but knowing how the hardware and software works will make you a better, more confident programmer.