As someone who is a bit of a perfectionist, I really appreciate the effort that not only went into the illustrations, but the overall style and design of the book. I read this book very early on in my dev career (when I was bad) and I believe it heavily shaped my future growth. TL DR: If you're not a great programmer I recommend this book even more. Thus, beginning and intermediate readers are encouraged to read the chapters in order, because each chapter assumes a familiarity with the concepts and processor designs introduced in the chapters prior to it. The book’s comparative approach, described below, introduces new design features by comparing them with earlier features intended to solve the same problem(s). Should they so choose, such readers would then be well equipped to tackle more advanced works like the aforementioned classics, either on their own or as part of formal curriculum. Readers with some experience using computers and with even the most minimal scripting or programming experience should finish Inside the Machine with a thorough and advanced understanding of the high-level organization of modern computers. Patterson’s popular textbooks, and the growing mass of works that are simply too basic for motivated non-specialist readers. Inside the Machine is an introduction to computers that is intended to fill the gap that exists between classic but more challenging introductions to computer architecture, like John L. Inside the Machine, does what every great instructional book should do, cater to the reader. It's also incredibly consistent and uses a few base analogies to explain almost every concept. The information is presented with the minimum amount of fluff to make it digestible. By the end, you will be learning and understanding incredibly complex microprocessor design and architecture.įun Fact: Inside the Machine is written by Jon Stokes, founder of Ars Technica and briefly editor of Wired! Why This Book? It's Straightforward The book starts, by introducing you to incredibly primitive constructs of micro-processors, such as an ALU. Inside the Machine covers nearly the entire spectrum of the software/hardware relationship. As someone who is allergic to 'textbooks', this book is an oasis in a sea of poorly worded, misguided attempts at explaining hardware to software developers. One of the best choices I ever made as a software developer was to read 'Inside the Machine', a book that's almost entirely about hardware. If it's between reading the book and reading my post, read the book. I was able to determine that the book is now open sourced, here is a pdf available online.

Inside the Machine by Jon Stokes