The Elements of Computing Systems, second edition: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles

Good

I've just started reading the book and it is very easy to read and follow.

Together with the online course it is a wonderful experience. It really taught me what it promised: from the most elemental building block, a NAND gate, I was able to build a working, fully functioning, albeit heavily simplified computer (at least virtually). Furthermore, I managed to create a high-level compiler, and did some wonderful projects. Understanding every single detail of how computer programs run on chips and do their magic, to the last bit and the last wire, is truly a breathtaking journey. If you are interested even a little, I highly recommend this book, together with the online lecture.

A book for the laypersons and those self-taught individuals who have a strong curiousity on how the hardware and software of a computer work, but have never really ventured into those deeper waters. If you fit that description, then you'll be rewarded in this adventure of "Nand to Tetris" as you go through this book. For those in college that are getting into Computer Science, this book will serve you well for your upcoming classes. Note, like another review mentioned, you will need internet access and computer to download the accompanying material and also access the forums (you will need the forums if the material is new for you). Also, on Coursera, there are lectures that are helpful, I especially enjoyed the "Perspectives." As a layman, I bought the first edition quite some time ago and was only able to get to Chapter 4. It was a bit overwhelming and I didn't fully understand the material, so I wasn't able to build the computer. This edition and the accompanying lectures on Coursera have filled the gaps for me. They've updated the text and the lectures to make it more accessible to those who are not in the hardware or software industry. It is pretty concise and yet explanatory without being overly wordy. They try to use words and explanations to those unfamiliar with the terminology. That is one of the reasons that I really like this book, as I have read similar books, but they use unfamiliar terminology which make it difficult to follow for me. Think about it. You are setting out to virtually build, learn and understand a computer starting with a Boolean NAND gate to the Tetris game. This book more than any that I've seen can pull this off. It is written for those who do not yet understand this computing eco-system. They use a simpler and yet elegant, real world computing hardware and software architecture. You will spend a lot of time! I cannot stress this enough. For those who are new to hardware and software and are of average intelligence like me, you will spend a lot of time! But if you also wanted to understand the entire computing system, it will be very rewarding to you. It is helpful if you've had exposure to Boolean logic or binary numbers and counting, otherwise you will need to spend some time and work to get familiar with it. You will need to understand it because you will be using a simplified HDL code to build the different logic gates. You will build the components and eventually the ALU which makes up the heart of the CPU. Building the ALU is challenging, expect to spend some time there. Another challenging but rewarding aspect was in completing the build of the computer hardware because you will also learn Assembly language. This was a another great section, because you get to see registers in action. You will have to understand Assembly language and the usage of registers and the HDL code, but they've simplified as much as possible so it is attainable, but it could require a lot of time if these topics are new, it is worth the effort! The authors have made this very accessible in their updated 2nd edition and lectures I've found. What is incredible is the simplicity of the machine language, it is basically a bunch of simple operations and jumps, who new?! Yet from this simplicity rises all the amazing things that we do day in and day out on our computers and iPhones. The software is equally amazing. You will learn about compilers and translation, and also the idea and structure of the software stack. If you've ever gotten deeper into software, you will hear about this, but now you'll know more specifically about it! I would strongly recommend having some software programming exposure, preferably object-orientated, even just a little will be helpful. You may be able to get by without it, but it will be very helpful. If you go through the book, the Coursera lectures, the projects in the book and utilize the forum, and you have a strong interest in understanding the entire computer eco-system, then you will be rewarded and find yourself with a lot of 'aha' incredible moments! Furthermore, it is a great springboard into more complex and rich books that were previously inaccessible to you. It is quite a remarkable journey!

Excellent boom to learn how a computer works under the hood, and also a very fun journey

If you tried the Nand2Terris course, you know how good it is. Although the courses are free, it's still well worth getting the book.

El mejor libro sobre cómo funcionan los ordenadores que he leído. Ameno, sencillo de entender, didáctico, te guía desde una puerta NAND hasta un ordenador de propósito general. Se debería enseñar así en todas las titulaciones de informática, pero por desgracia no suele ser común, así que si te has quedado con las ganas de saber realmente cómo funcionan los ordenadores, te recomiendo que lo leas (o te apuntes a alguno de los cursos online gratuitos de los autores)