How Computers Really Work

A Hands-On Guide to the Inner Workings of the Machine

By Matthew Justice | Publisher: No Starch Press

About the book

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.

    Editions of How Computers Really Work

    Paperback
    ISBN 9781718500662
    EBook
    ISBN 9781718500679

    Read an Excerpt

    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.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is How Computers Really Work about?

    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.

    What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in How Computers Really Work?

    Computing and Information Technology > Digital and Information technology: general topics

    Where can I read a sample of How Computers Really Work?

    You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781718500662

    Who is/are the Author/s of the book How Computers Really Work?

    Matthew Justice

    Who is the Publisher of the book How Computers Really Work?

    No Starch Press

    What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

    How Computers Really Work is available as paperback(ISBN 9781718500662) and ebook(ISBN 9781718500679)

    Where can I buy How Computers Really Work online or support local independent bookshops?

    You can buy How Computers Really Work from below

    Where can I buy How Computers Really Work?