New Ebooks

The Computer Comes of Age: The People, the Hardware, and the Software (History of Computing) / René Moreau

Computer Hardware in Plain English / Lee Sachi LeFever

Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface- Text Only / David A. Patterson, John L. Hennessy

Hardware and Computer Organization (Embedded Technology) / Arnold S. Berger

I had to use this textbook for my college principles of computer hardware class, but I found myself reading it when I didn't even have to by the end of the semester. Some complex ideas are discussed in here, but the authors lay it out to the reader in a friendly and easy-to-grasp manner. br / br /On the downside, as the other reviewer mentioned, there are quite a few errors in the logic diagrams, Karnaugh maps, and truth tables presented in the book. Also, the chapter order can be somewhat unintuitive, although that may be a matter of personal preference. br / br /If you have to get this book for a class, consider yourself lucky-- and if you are just looking to learn by yourself about computer hardware from the ground up, this book is a great way to go.

Great explanations and diagrams packed into a relatively short book. I was able to read most of this in a couple evenings, yet I felt I learned quite a bit, for example the difference between a controller and adapter and why the IDE hard drive standard was considered an advance over ESDI and ST506. A relief from the plethora of 1500 pg "upgrade" books on the market, with their scholarly compendia of Intel chip specs and pinouts, and the superficial beginners books that are so broad-brush that you wonder if you've learned anything.pOne drawback is that the book is a few years old. Almost all the material is still useful, but some recent topics (Pentium III/IV, wireless, Windows 2K/XP, USB 2.0) aren't covered.

This book is very well-orgranized. It is a must-read before anyone plans to explore more advanced concepts in Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by the same authors.

Seems to be very nice
I really like the green card they put inside that tells you all about the MIPS architecture. Everything seems to be explained well.

Older version but still good
The third edition was used for only 2 years before the fourth edition came out. The information used in the 3rd edition is very similar (order and information) with only slight modifications but all the essentials are exactly the same. The book does a decent job of explaining everything but I found that the order it explains things in can be annoying at times. Overall a good book to buy for the course even though my course didn't require it.

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software / Charles Petzold

I do not consider myself a beginner to PCs, but I still found this to be a great book. The chapter on printers, a very under represented technology in books, makes it worth the price. It is really easy to read, but not so easy as to be talking down to you. This would be a good book to read if you are interested in how that box on your desk works or if, for once, you'd like to know what that techie at work is talking about. Good read!

First off, the book is a great read. The shipping was rather slow though. It roughly took about two weeks to get the book, and after ordering from best bargain books I wish I would have paid a little more money. The web site said it was in "great condition". Almost, except the fact that the last 10 pages of the index and back cover was bent. The price was okay but I was expecting a little faster delivery. So pay the extra few bucks if you want to see your book soon. Cause otherwise you will be waiting. Have fun.