Scott J. Clark. But How Do It Know - The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone

John Clark Scott, 2009. — 266 p.Finally, this brand new book exposes the secrets of computers for everyone to see. Its humorous title begins with the punch line of a classic joke about someone who is baffled by technology. It was written by a 40-year computer veteran who wants to take the mystery out of computers and allow everyone to gain a true understanding of exactly what computers are, and also what they are not. Years of writing, diagramming, piloting and editing have culminated in one easy to read volume that contains all of the basic principles of computers written so that everyone can understand them.There used to be only two types of book that delved into the insides of computers. The simple ones point out the major parts and describe their functions in broad general terms. Computer Science textbooks eventually tell the whole story, but along the way, they include every detail that an engineer could conceivably ever need to know. Like Baby Bear's porridge, But How Do It Know? is just right, but it is much more than just a happy medium. For the first time, this book thoroughly demonstrates each of the basic principles that have been used in every computer ever built, while at the same time showing the integral role that codes play in everything that computers are able to do. It cuts through all of the electronics and mathematics, and gets right to practical matters. Here is a simple part, see what it does. Connect a few of these together and you get a new part that does another simple thing. After just a few iterations of connecting up simple parts - voilà! - it's a computer. And it is much simpler than anyone ever imagined.But How Do It Know? really explains how computers work. They are far simpler than anyone has ever permitted you to believe. It contains everything you need to know, and nothing you don't need to know. No technical background of any kind is required. The basic principles of computers have not changed one iota since they were invented in the mid 20th century. "Since the day I learned how computers work, it always felt like I knew a giant secret, but couldn't tell anyone," says the author. Now he's taken the time to explain it in such a manner that anyone can have that same moment of enlightenment and thereafter see computers in an entirely new light.Contents:
Just the Facts Ma’am
Speed
Language
Just a Little Bit
What the…?
Simple Variations
Diagrams
Remember When
What Can We Do With A Bit?
A Rose by Any Other Name
Eight Is Enough
Codes
Back to the Byte
The Magic Bus
More Gate Combinations
First Half of the Computer
Numbers
Addresses
The Other Half of the Computer
More Gates
Messing with Bytes
The Left and Right Shifters
The NOTter
The ANDer
The ORer
The Exclusive ORer
The Adder
The Comparator and Zero
Logic
The Arithmetic and Logic Unit
More of the Processor
The Clock
Doing Something Useful
Step by Step
Everything’s Under Control
Doing Something Useful, Revisited
What’s Next?
The First Great Invention
Instructions
The Arithmetic or Logic Instruction
The Load and Store Instructions
The Data Instruction
The Second Great Invention
Another Way to Jump
The Third Great Invention
The Clear Flags Instruction
Ta Daa!
A Few More Words on Arithmetic
The Outside World
The Keyboard
The Display Screen
Another Code
The Final Word on Codes
The Disk
Excuse Me Ma’am
That’s All Folks
Hardware and Software
Programs
The Operating System
Languages
The File System
Errors
Computer Diseases?
Firmware
Boots
Digital vs. Analog
I Lied – Sort of
Full Disclosure
Philosophy