Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software, 2nd edition

Published by Microsoft Press (August 2, 2022) © 2023

  • Charles Petzold
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Computers are everywhere --- most obviously in our laptops and smartphones, but also our cars, televisions, microwave ovens, alarm clocks, robot vacuum cleaners, and other smart appliances. Have you ever wondered what goes on inside these devices to make our lives easier but occasionally more infuriating?

For more than 20 years, readers have delighted in Charles Petzold's illuminating story of the secret inner life of computers, and now he has revised it for this new age of computing. Cleverly illustrated and easy to understand, this is the book that cracks the mystery. You'll discover what fl ashlights, black cats, seesaws, and the ride of Paul Revere can teach you about computing --- and how human ingenuity and our compulsion to communicate have shaped every electronic device we use.

This new expanded edition explores more deeply the bit-by-bit, gate-by-gate construction of the heart of every smart device — the central processing unit that combines the simplest of basic operations to perform the most complex of feats. Along with new chapters, Petzold has created a new website, CodeHiddenLanguage.com, that uses animated interactive graphics to make computers even easier to comprehend.

From the simple ticking of clocks to the worldwide hum of the internet, Code reveals the essence of the digital revolution.

Preface to the Second Edition

Chapter One: Best Friends

Chapter Two: Codes and Combinations

Chapter Three: Braille and Binary Codes

Chapter Four: Anatomy of a Flashlight

Chapter Five: Communicating Around Corners

Chapter Six: Logic with Switches

Chapter Seven: Telegraphs and Relays

Chapter Eight: Relays and Gates

Chapter Nine: Our Ten Digits

Chapter Ten: Alternative 10s

Chapter Eleven: Bit by Bit by Bit

Chapter Twelve: Bytes and Hexadecimal

Chapter Thirteen: From ASCII to Unicode

Chapter Fourteen: Adding with Logic Gates

Chapter Fifteen: Is This for Real?

Chapter Sixteen: But What About Subtraction?

Chapter Seventeen: Feedback and Flip-Flops

Chapter Eighteen: Let's Build a Clock!

Chapter Nineteen: An Assemblage of Memory

Chapter Twenty: Automating Arithmetic

Chapter Twenty-One: The Arithmetic Logic Unit

Chapter Twenty-Two: Registers and Busses

Chapter Twenty-Three: CPU Control Signals

Chapter Twenty-Four: Loops, Jumps, and Calls

Chapter Twenty-Five: Peripherals

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Operating System

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Coding

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The World Brain

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