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It's surprising that Code, by Charles Petzold, didn't make the top 50. That's one of the most approachable books out there for learning how computers really wor
by anthomtb 3y ago
It's surprising that Code, by Charles Petzold, didn't make the top 50. That's one of the most approachable books out there for learning how computers really work. I see a lot of mentions of Code on HN but maybe that is skewed by the links for which I read the comments.
- Mimmy 3y agoi see it at #15
- anthomtb 3y agoYou are right. Its under the full title: "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software".
- botro 3y agoIt's the #2 most frequently posted Amazon link in Hacker News comments according to my site (HNLikes.com).
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- throw1234651234 3y agoThat book has parallels to "Draw the rest of the horse" - it's an awesome book, but the author definitely doesn't do a great job with the latter half, where he assumes that you not only understood the first part but also committed components to memory, so the rest of what he is saying can fit into your working memory and make sense. Have to admit I struggled with the latter half, mainly because I didn't quite memorize the first half even though "I get it". I do like the "teach it to me like I am 5" approach. People try to gloss over the basics nowadays like it's not complex enough intrinsically.
- nzgrover 3y agoThis is a fantastic book if you have difficulty sleeping! I had no idea such an interesting topic, the fundamentals of the operation of computers, could be rendered so lifeless and dull or that it would take so many words to do so. I'm reading through it now but it's taking an awful long time as I never get through more than 3 or 4 pages before it's lights out.
- anthomtb 3y agoDo you have a suggested alternative?
- __rito__ 3y agoPlease consider reading and working through nand2tetris. It's really great.
- __anon-2023__ 3y agoBy the way, number 48 on the list, The Elements of Computing Systems, is the book of nand2tetris. https://www.nand2tetris.org/book https://www.nand2tetris.org/book
- __rito__ 3y agoI read it full and didn't honestly understand the hype. It gives you the false sense of you getting the full picture. But not really. Among other HN darlings in books- The Little Schemer, SICP, The Black Swan were totally worth it.
- booleandilemma 3y agoI love that book. That's the book I recommend to non-technical people who want to know about the theory of how it all works.
- 3abiton 3y agoWill be used for the next version
- ChristianGeek 3y agoIt’s at the top of the Hacker News All Time Top Books list referenced above by __rito__.