Computer System Architecture. 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 how the authors of this book think, and therefore 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 a detailed algorithm of specific steps necessary for its construction.

Thanks to the 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 the book is that all these topics are closely connected and clearly focused on the main goal: creating a modern computer system from scratch.

The textbook is completely self-sufficient: all the necessary knowledge for building the hardware and software systems described in it is inside.
Part I "Hardware" does not require prior knowledge, which makes projects 1-6 accessible to any student and self-taught person.
Part II "Software" and projects 7-12 require prior study of programming (in any high-level language).

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

"We wrote this book because we felt that many of those studying computer science do not see the forest for the trees. The typical student rushes through a series of courses in programming, theory, and engineering without stopping to appreciate the beauty of the whole picture. And the overall picture is that hardware, software, and application systems are closely connected, which is not obvious, hidden through a web of abstractions, interfaces, and contractual implementations." – Noam Nisan, Shimon Shoken