The classic guide to how computers work updated with new chapters and interactive graphics For
me Code was a revelation. It was the first book about programming that spoke to me. It started
with a story and it built up layer by layer analogy by analogy until I understood not just
the Code but the System. Code is a book that is as much about Systems Thinking and
abstractions as it is about code and programming. Code teaches us how many unseen layers there
are between the computer systems that we as users look at every day and the magical silicon
rocks that we infused with lightning and taught to think. - Scott Hanselman Partner Program
Director Microsoft and host of Hanselminutes Computers are everywhere most obviously in our
laptops and smartphones but also our cars televisions microwave ovens alarm clocks robot
vacuum cleaners and other smart appliances. Have you ever wondered what goes on inside these
devices to make our lives easier but occasionally more infuriating? For more than 20 years
readers have delighted in Charles Petzold's illuminating story of the secret inner life of
computers and now he has revised it for this new age of computing. Cleverly illustrated and
easy to understand this is the book that cracks the mystery. You'll discover what flashlights
black cats seesaws and the ride of Paul Revere can teach you about computing and how human
ingenuity and our compulsion to communicate have shaped every electronic device we use. This
new expanded edition explores more deeply the bit-by-bit and gate-by-gate construction of the
heart of every smart device the central processing unit that combines the simplest of basic
operations to perform the most complex of feats. Petzold's companion website
CodeHiddenLanguage.com uses animated graphics of key circuits in the book to make computers
even easier to comprehend. In addition to substantially revised and updated content new
chapters include: Chapter 18: Let's Build a Clock! Chapter 21: The Arithmetic Logic Unit
Chapter 22: Registers and Busses Chapter 23: CPU Control Signals Chapter 24: Jumps Loops and
Calls Chapter 28: The World Brain From the simple ticking of clocks to the worldwide hum of the
internet Code reveals the essence of the digital revolution.
