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.
