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Ok. Ive been looking for a computer book that talks about the very basics of how a computer works. I was wondering if any of you know of a good book that explains this. Anything will help. Thanks.
Also any good books explaining algorithams are would be helpful too. And compression also. :D
Hmmm, you know I got a book at Hastings a year or so ago called "Code" wriiten by M$, I know, that's sick and wrong, anyway it's not bad at all, takes you through the steps to actually build a computer beginning with switches and relays w/ good examples w/ lightbuld etc.
That's what I was going to recommend "Code" - dang! you beat me to it!
It's a great book if by "very basic" you mean the electrical circuitry (yes, no, true, false, on, off - binary). I absolutely love that book!
Edit:
Algorithms? For doing what? An algorithm is just a series of steps used to solve a problem.
Alright, thanks. That will help. I was also looking for a book that tells like how a computer knows what to do with a line of code, how it knows what format a file is, where the file starts and ends, that kind of stuff. Also im looking for a book that explains algorithams (dont know how to spell it) and how compression works.
You could look in the "For Dummies" series and see if they have something there. Those usually cover the basic's of topics pretty well.
Well, if you want to know how an operating system generally works... Modern Operating Systems Second Edition is a good one. It is a little more advanced, and it assumes that you already know the basics.
I took a class on this. It is designed to be one of the last classes in a CNE or CIS degree. It is very technical and covers practically everything, as you can see from the link I provided.
If you are looking for articles on how a computer works, look for some of the old IBM system journals. They will explain memory adressing schemes, ALU design,etc. Most of the operating systems use to old IBM operating systems as a reference. System state of zero, application state of one, etc. Supplement that with a good text on assembler language and you'll have a text book that will have real usefulness for technical programmers.