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But How Do It Know?: The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone Paperback – 4 July 2009

by J Clark Scott (Author)

257 ratings

in Computer Hardware

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Finally, this brand new book exposes the secrets of computers for everyone to see. Its humorous title begins with the punch line of a classic joke about someone who is baffled by technology.It was written by a 40-year computer veteran who wants to take the mystery out of computers and allow everyone to gain a true understanding of exactly what computers are, and also what they are not.Years of writing, diagramming, piloting and editing have culminated in one easy to read volume that contains all of the basic principles of computers written so that everyone can understand them.There used to be only two types of book that delved into the insides of computers. The simple ones point out the major parts and describe their functions in broad general terms. Computer Science textbooks eventually tell the whole story, but along the way, they include every detail that an engineer could conceivably ever need to know.Like Baby Bear's porridge, But How Do It Know? is just right, but it is much more than just a happy medium. For the first time, this book thoroughly demonstrates each of the basic principles that have been used in every computer ever built, while at the same time showing the integral role that codes play in everything that computers are able to do.It cuts through all of the electronics and mathematics, and gets right to practical matters. Here is a simple part, see what it does. Connect a few of these together and you get a new part that does another simple thing. After just a few iterations of connecting up simple parts - voilà! - it's a computer. And it is much simpler than anyone ever imagined.But How Do It Know? really explains how computers work. They are far simpler than anyone has ever permitted you to believe. It contains everything you need to know, and nothing you don't need to know. No technical background of any kind is required.The basic principles of computers have not changed one iota since they were invented in the mid 20th century. "Since the day I learned how computers work, it always felt like I knew a giant secret, but couldn't tell anyone," says the author. Now he's taken the time to explain it in such a manner that anyone can have that same moment of enlightenment and thereafter see computers in an entirely new light.

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Product details

Language: : English
Paperback : 222 pages
ISBN-10 : 0615303765
ISBN-13 : 978-0615303765

Best Sellers Rank: 599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 2 in Computer Hardware
- 2 in Electrical & Electronics
- 6 in Computer Science

Customer reviews:
257 ratings

Product description

About the Author

J. Clark Scott has had a long and diverse career in the computer industry, starting at large companies such as IBM and Intel, and eventually becoming the author of four successful consumer software packages. Early in his career, he noticed how confused some of his friends were about computers and gave them lectures to teach them how simple the basics really were. It was at that time that the idea for this book was born. This is his first book, but one that has been in the works for decades.

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Amazon.com: 151 reviews

Ryan

It really is for Everyone

1 October 2016 - Published on Amazon.com

Verified Purchase

I am currently a 2nd year Electrical Engineering student and I am enrolled in a Digital Logic course. I found this subject to be very interesting and decided to research further into how computers use simple gates to do such complex functions. That is when I came across this book. Even with the little previous knowledge I had, this book broke everything down - from the simplicity of a register, to the building blocks of the RAM and CPU. It was enlightening to easily read more in depth on an otherwise extremely complex subject and finish the book with the knowledge of how most computers work. I highly recommend this book to my fellow Electrical and Computer engineering colleagues.

But don't think that just because engineering students find use of this book, that it is too complicated for those out of the discipline. The author does a great job of breaking down every little necessary nuance of each building block and thoroughly describes how each block works together to make a computer work; all wrapped up in a short ~200 page book. It is written without complex, technical jargon which avoids confusion wherever possible, and is readable by most who have a strong desire to learn more about how computers work.

This was such an interesting and informative read. Again, I highly recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest curiosity about how a computer works.

43 people found this helpful

Katie Howland

This book is a masterpiece!

21 May 2017 - Published on Amazon.com

Verified Purchase

It's very easy to understand, you could read it even if all you've ever done on a computer is check your email and play minesweeper. I'm a computer engineering major and this book has given me a better background understanding of hardware than any of my classes (and I'm going to one of the top 10 schools in the USA in the field, so that's saying something). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is going into the computer field, or to anyone who just wants to understand more about the magic grey box under their desk.

Even good teachers seem to have trouble not explaining things as if you already know them. This author has mastered the art of explaining from the ground up. He assumes you know nothing, and gives you no more and no less than what you need to know to understand the current topic. It's not even boring if you already know a lot about computers, because he explains it so concisely and clearly that even if you already know it, it's fast to read it, and probably the simplest and most straightforward explanation you've ever gotten.

17 people found this helpful

Jasem Mutlaq

Beautifully written

4 October 2017 - Published on Amazon.com

Verified Purchase

I graduated from computer engineering over 10 years ago. And while I took CPU architecture in college, I really never understood all the pieces until I read this book. It's beautiful written and quite easy to understand and follow. The diagrams make it very clear what is going on. While not part of the book, the online CPU simulator provided on the authors page is a piece of art and you can literally see all the action in each clock cycle. Highly recommended!

10 people found this helpful

NYSailorScout

There is such a thing as oversimplification

30 December 2019 - Published on Amazon.com

Verified Purchase

Teaching complex topics needs to be balanced between simplicity and complexity. Sadly, this book does not strike the right balance. People who would be interested in "But How Do It Know" do not want the extreme complexity of an official computer engineering manual. They want something explained in a clear and simple manner. That is not what this book provides! The book uses tons of extra fluff words are and fundamental concepts of a computer are only vaguely alluded to with "friendly" language. Not helpful.

Having a medium-level textbook would be EASIER to understand that this book because the lack of concrete examples just makes things more confusing, rather than less intimidating. When the topic is dumbed down too much, you end up fooling yourself that you understand the material.

If the author wanted to make things easier to understand, there was a better way to go about it. For example, he could have just broken down the steps of POST (Power On Self Test) to a greater degree, rather than having a long-winded conversation that is only tangentially related to how a computer works. Once you get to reading about the real thing, you are woefully under-prepared. It is like going from Level 0 to Level 1 to Level 6. No good.

A concept can be so abstracted that it no longer has any relationship to what it was originally supposed to represent. That is what happened in this book.

Save your money! Look for a mid-level "how computers work" book instead.

One person found this helpful

M. Kane

Fascinating and approachable book

8 July 2019 - Published on Amazon.com

Verified Purchase

I earned a degree in Computer Science in the early 2000's, so I had been exposed to many of the concepts in this book already, but it had been a while! I found this book very approachable, and I liked the step-by-step build-up of concepts. I certainly had some brushing up to do, and I found myself sketching out different things in a notebook as I followed along. This book is very complete - I learned quite a few new things about how specific parts work and the details of some techniques that I had only heard of before. I was able to get through the first half of the book quite quickly, but I found I had to slow down some in the second half to really make sure things sunk in. I think those that have never been exposed to any of these concepts may need to take it slow from the beginning.

3 people found this helpful

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