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Kirill2018-07-08 02:32:29
Computers
Kirill, 2018-07-08 02:32:29

A book that explains how PCs work from the atomic level?

Decided to become a programmer, but it's a bit frustrating to code without understanding what's going on under the hood.
How does the PC understand what it is doing at all?
How does the processor know what to do?
I have many children's questions, but he who does not want to learn is stupid.
In short, recommend books that explain to me what PC is and how all these mechanisms work.
Just like the computer understands what the operating system tells it, and so on.

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5 answer(s)
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Maxim Fedorov, 2018-07-08
@TeslaGogol

Decided to become a programmer, but it's a bit frustrating to code without understanding what's going on under the hood.

Relax and strain in your business by reading on Habré:
The duty of knowledge

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Anton Spirin, 2018-07-08
@rockon404

E. Tanenbaum T. Austin Computer architecture
E. Tanenbaum H. Bos Modern operating systems

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Stalker_RED, 2018-07-08
@Stalker_RED

Books have already been advised, but you can immediately close some of your children's questions.

How does the PC understand what it is doing at all?
He does not "understand" in any way, he just follows the instructions.
How does the processor know what to do?
He doesn't "know", he follows instructions.
Watch these two videos about barrel organ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5g-zySVO18
https://youtu.be/HjBhO9iqEc0
The same can be done not from mechanical parts, but based on electronics.
And these things don't "know" or "understand" what they need to play and how. They have a tape with instructions, and they work on it without understanding anything.
Now imagine a more complicated machine, which has a lot of these tapes. And if the user presses a button on the keyboard - the tape changes. Or an instruction is written directly on the tape that the machine should start another tape. Sometimes control commands can come over the network.
This is how your computers work. They contain programs that work when the power is turned on, when you press the buttons, when you receive data from the Internet, on a timer, and so on. And programmers write these programs.
Right now you are reading these lines because some time ago your computer received an instruction from the Internet "display a page with such and such a background color, such and such fonts, and with such and such text."

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GavriKos, 2018-07-08
@GavriKos

The desire is commendable, but in general - meaningless. A computer is too complex a device for 1 person to fully understand the whole process in detail. Enough base and basics. It is better to have a deeper knowledge of your specific subject areas (for example, for the web - network theory, and for games - computer graphics and all its internal geometry).
You only need an accurate understanding of the processes in the hardware when you will be writing at a very low level - drivers, OS, assembler. Everything else is wrapped in high-level languages ​​and libraries specifically for ease and speed.

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