My notes and explications from the book "How computers really work", by Matthew Justice.
This book is for anyone who wants to understand how computers work. You don't need to have any prior knowledge of the topics covered. On the other hand, if you already have a background in programming or eletronics, this book can you help expand your knowledge in other areas. The book is written for the self-motivated learner, someone who is comfortable with basic math and science, and who is already familier with using computers and smartphones, but who still has questions about how they work.
"Matthew Justice is a software engineer. He spent 17 years at Microsoft where he took on various roles, including debugging the Windows kernel, developing automated fixes, and leading a team of engineers responsible for building diagnostic tools and services. He has worked on low-level software (the operating system) and on software far removed from the underlying hardware (such as web applications).". This description is from his own book.
To show your appreciation for the author, you can purchase the book here:
When you use a hammer, it's not necessary to think hard about how and why it works. The tool is pretty simple: the long handle acts as a lever, amplifying the user's effort, while the mass of the hammerhead and the speed of the swing generate momentum. This momentum is then focused onto a small area, making the hammer effective for driving nails, breaking objects, or shaping materials.
Once we have tools that use electric processes to work, we are dealing with more complex tools. Understanding how they work is harder and more laborious. Many "developers" are just emerging these days, but only a few of them are interested in knowing how their tools work; they are merely using them.
It's crucial to know how computers work to be at least one step away from being a mediocre developer. It doesn't matter which segment you're following in the computer science world (backend, frontend, DevOps, etc.); you should know how and why our computers work. To learn that, you'll need to learn physics and then electronics.
