0.1 (A Book About How Computers Work)

-> A Unique Journey Through the Evolution of the Digital Technologies that Define the Modern Age

Common questions that necessitate knowledge about the inner workings of personal computers:

• What’s the difference between storage and memory?

Memory is like the surface of your desk and storage is like the filing cabinet.
^ This is an insufficient answer because:
* Computer architecture isn’t patterned after an office
* The distinction between memory and storage is artificial, existing only because:
* We lack a storage medium that’s both fast and vast as well as stable/non-volatile.

von Neumann Architecture is an example of this deficiency.

Understanding Computers

Computers are constructed in a hierarchy:
* Information displayed on computer screens is at the top
* Transistors are down at the bottom

-> This book is structured to describe the aforementioned hierarchy of computers by moving up from the lowest level to the highest.

Everything in the first 17 chapters of this book can be built entirely using simple electrical devices that have been around for over a century.

0.2 (The Meaning of the Word ‘Code’)

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:

1. A system of signals used to represent letters or numbers in transmitting messages.

   1. A system of symbols, letters, or words, given certain arbitrary meanings, used for transmitting messages requiring secrecy or brevity.

2. A system of symbols and rules used to represent instructions to a computer.