Most introductory books about computers are either long, detailed technical books such as those used in a computer science course or tutorials that provide instructions on how to operate a computer with little description of what happens inside the machine. This book fits in the large gap between these two extremes. Only the most important things about computers are covered. The book is just 50 pages.
While intended primarily for people who do not know how computers work, it may also be of interest to people who have taken courses on computers and still don't understand how all the pieces work together. Even people who work in the computer field may be surprised to learn that the basic machine instructions can only do four things, and that this has not changed in the last 50 years.
There are four chapters that explain the fundamentals of hardware, software, the Internet and smartphones. The approach is step by step. The first chapter looks at a practical problem, filling out an income tax form, followed by an example of a small software program that calculates the tax and then how the software is translated to machine instructions that the hardware can run.
There is no math except some simple arithmetic. There is little instruction on how to use a computer. That is covered in many other books and tutorials. The only pre-requisite is knowing how to use a web browser.
The Appendix, for those who are interested, covers the history of the most important inventions and developments in the evolution of computers.
If you are the sort of person who just wants to know how to drive a car and are not interested in how the engine works, then this book is probably not for you. But if you are the type of person who would like to know what happens inside the carburetor and the internal combustion engine when you press on the accelerator, then this book might be for you.
While intended primarily for people who do not know how computers work, it may also be of interest to people who have taken courses on computers and still don't understand how all the pieces work together. Even people who work in the computer field may be surprised to learn that the basic machine instructions can only do four things, and that this has not changed in the last 50 years.
There are four chapters that explain the fundamentals of hardware, software, the Internet and smartphones. The approach is step by step. The first chapter looks at a practical problem, filling out an income tax form, followed by an example of a small software program that calculates the tax and then how the software is translated to machine instructions that the hardware can run.
There is no math except some simple arithmetic. There is little instruction on how to use a computer. That is covered in many other books and tutorials. The only pre-requisite is knowing how to use a web browser.
The Appendix, for those who are interested, covers the history of the most important inventions and developments in the evolution of computers.
If you are the sort of person who just wants to know how to drive a car and are not interested in how the engine works, then this book is probably not for you. But if you are the type of person who would like to know what happens inside the carburetor and the internal combustion engine when you press on the accelerator, then this book might be for you.
