Architecture of Computer Systems. How to Build a Modern Computer According to All the Rules

The best way to understand how computers work is to build one from scratch!

This is what the authors of this book believe, and that is why they offer a practical approach to studying computer systems. Inside, you will find not... only a comprehensive theoretical description of how a modern computer works but also an algorithm of specific steps necessary for its construction.

Thanks to this book, you will learn to understand the following topics:
• Hardware
• Computer Architecture
• Low-level and High-level Languages
• Virtual Machines
• Compilers
• Programming
• Operating Systems
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Software Engineering

The unique feature of this book is that all these topics are closely related and clearly oriented towards the main goal: building a modern computer system from scratch.

The textbook is completely self-sufficient: all the necessary knowledge for building the hardware and software systems described within is included.
Part I, «Hardware», requires no prior knowledge, making Projects 1—6 accessible to any student or self-learner.
Part II, «Software», and Projects 7—12 require prior knowledge of programming (in any high-level language).

Unlike other textbooks that cover only one aspect of the topic, «Architecture of Computer Systems» provides a holistic and comprehensive understanding of applied computer science necessary for creating your own projects.

«We wrote this book because we had the impression that many of those studying computer science do not see the forest for the trees. A typical student rushes through a series of courses on programming, theory, and engineering without stopping to appreciate the beauty of the big picture. And the big picture is that hardware, software, and application systems are closely interconnected, which is not obvious, through a hidden web of abstractions, interfaces, and contract implementations». — Noam Nisan, Shimon Shoken