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Introduction to Computing Systems: From bits & gates to C & beyond, now in its second edition, is designed to give students a better understanding of computing early in their college careers in order to give them a stronger foundation for later courses. The book is in two parts: (a) the underlying structure of a computer, and (b) programming in a high level language and programming methodology.
To understand the computer, the authors introduce the LC-3 and provide the LC-3 Simulator to give students hands-on access for testing what they learn. To develop their understanding of programming and programming methodology, they use the C programming language. The book takes a "motivated" bottom-up approach, where the students first get exposed to the big picture and then start at the bottom and build their knowledge bottom-up. Within each smaller unit, the same motivated bottom-up approach is followed. Every step of the way, students learn new things, building on what they already know. The authors feel that this approach encourages deeper understanding and downplays the need for memorizing. Students develop a greater breadth of understanding, since they see how the various parts of the computer fit together.
Gradual and relaxed intro, well doneReviewed by Daniel J. Romaniuk, 2008-06-28
I had programmed in a number of languages including C before, but I
was a bit intimidated by assembler. I was also curious about how
microchips work, and why they seem to be all about transistors.
There's a lot of material on the web on this subject, but none of
it seems detailed and organized enough to really teach you
anything. After reading this book, it all makes sense.
There are some great sections including simple, excellent
explanations of 2s-complement numbers and finite state machines.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who already programs in C, and
has played a bit with pointers - I'm not sure I would have liked to
encounter them for the first time in this text.
The book is not perfect. Its pace is very slow, and authors often
threw in "real-world" analogies which I didn't find helpful. Some
sections are a bit repetitive. There were a few concepts thrown in
without careful introduction, for example call-by-value vs.
call-by-reference. Again, that's not a serious problem if you have
even passing familiarity with C.
Overall, a gradual, relaxed, well-structured introduction to a
fascinating subject. Good preparation for further study.
Excellent Book to Teach You the Basics of the ComputerReviewed by N. Crayton, 2007-05-06
This book is really good for learning the basics of how a computer
functions. It takes you from the low-level Flip-Flops to explaining
how a register and other small components of a computer work. Then
the book shows you the basic components a computer, and then gives
a full example in the LC-3. The LC-3 is complete with a
architecture diagram and Assembly instructions. The book does a
good job of of taking you through the LC-3 data path and showing
how an instruction is implemented on the architecture. The book
also does a good job of showing how the assembly code connects to
higher level languages like C/++ or Java. It also gives a
high-level explanation of exactly what a compiler does. Towards the
end it gives some information on data structures and particularly
as to how a stack would be implemented by the LC-3 in assembly. The
book also explains how memory works and how input and output are
handled in some computers.
Some problems with the book are in the C section. This book does
not give a real C tutorial, there are much better guides to C
programming.It doesn't really give you any instruction as to how to
program in LC-3 Assembly; however, the instructions are simple
enough that you should be able to figure it out. Another potential
problem is the combinational logic section. This part of the book
is not really comprehensive, but teaches what you need to know so
that you understand how all the low-level components work; however,
if you want to design your own combinational logic, then there are
other books for that. Also this book does not really go into the
theory of how and why they developed the LC-3 architecture as it
is. It is just an intro to get you used how a computer architecture
looks and how it works.
All in all a great read for a CS student or Electrical Engineer to
get an idea of how a computer runs the programs written on
it.
Note: I am a student at University of Illinois (Patel works here)
and took a class created around this book. ECE 190 is still my
favorite class I've taken to date.
Needs improvementReviewed by ak, 2007-02-04
I was lucky enough to be taught by the professor himself--Dr. Patt.
The book needs definite improvement in clarity. Too many of the
concepts are abstract and ambiguous. The exercises at the end of
each section are pathetic, they should be presented more in a
Mathematical or Physics style and they do not flex your knowledge
about what you have learned in that section. I had to rely on my
TAs to explain certain concepts to me since the book did such a
poor job.
However, once you master everything that this book has to offer (I
strongly recommend you read the appendixes at the end of the book
as collateral reading) you will truly understand how computers work
at the most fundamental level.
Great book.Reviewed by U. SHAHZAD, 2007-01-03
This is one of the best books I have used for a computer science course. This book is really detailed. Would really recommend getting this book and keeping it for reference.
Better Than The TeacherReviewed by Elton V. Pinto, 2005-12-15
I had a pretty ambiguous and boring teacher for the course that
required this book so I didn't listen to her much at all in class.
Instead, I just substituted the book for her lectures, and I aced
the course with ease learning much about how a computer works along
the way. It makes me feel a lot more competent about programming to
know this stuff, and the book provides it in a pretty good way
through the LC-3 architecture and sprinkles the book with
examples.
I didn't read any of the "C and beyond" stuff, but everything else
was spot-on. I found that most of the teacher's slides (up until a
couple of last topics the book didn't cover like linking and
loading) were almost identical to the book's presentation of the
material. It's a pricey book, but take heart in knowing that it's
not a waste of your money for what you get from it.
