But How Do It Know? – The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone
Product Description
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… More >>
But How Do It Know? – The Basic Principles of Computers for Everyone
I thought that only an engineer could understand computers, but this book lays out their principles so simply that even I was able to get it.
I have been struggling with my computer for years, I thought I must be some kind of dummy, but now I can see who the real idiot is – it’s the computer!
This book is so well written, and the chapters are just the right-sized baby steps, that before I knew it, I had understood every part inside of a computer. There is only one extremely simple part that everything is made out of – who knew! Now words like RAM, ALU and CPU make total sense to me.
I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that it would take years to learn about computers. I especially recommend this book to my grand-children, who are going to be working with computers one way or another for the rest of their lives. Knowing these basics could be one of the foundations of their future success.
Rating: 5 / 5
I have been using a computer for only 5 years, but have gotten very good at it. However, I have always wondered how in the world it worked. I knew “there wasn’t a little man in there” making it work and was quite mystified when looking inside one. So I got this book and even before I finished the book things began making sense. It explains exactly what the author says it covers which is more than I needed to know but all of it was helpful. I now have a good foundation in understanding computers and if I should get more interested in learning more it will go easily. Thanks to the author for simplifying a subject that I am sure has baffled many people. Mark Greisen
Rating: 5 / 5
I have been a software developer and software architect for over 40 years, starting at a time when you worked “so close to the computer” that you naturally knew how they worked. Over the years, I have seen that knowledge more and more absent from each new generation of developers that came along that I have led and mentored. It seems that the fundamentals simply aren’t taught any more.
My standard approach has been to give informal seminars to my developers to get them this vital information. But I have been looking far and wide for a book that describes exactly how a computer operates that could be understood by anyone. After all this time, I finally found it. (As Archimedes would have said, “Eureka!”)
This book builds up gradually from first principles until without realizing it, the reader suddenly finds he or she knows all about how computers work.
Mr. Scott defines every technical word the first time he uses it so you are never left wondering what it all means. Nothing I have seen even comes close to this book. It must have taken a lot of painstaking effort to work out and refine how to present every detail in a way that would not lose anybody along the way, no matter what their level of knowledge at the beginning.
Once the first copy arrived and I went through it in detail, I realized that this was what I had been looking for to provide the fundamentals that junior developers needed but had never been taught. So I bought 20 more copies and made the book the first step in the required curriculum to train my whole company — but not just the “computer guys”, everyone who uses a computer for any purpose.
The beauty is that this is not just a book for people who want to be or become computer professionals, it is a great textbook for all ages — schools, homeschooling, college and anyone who is just curious about how computers work.
The book is so well written. It is informal, easy to understand and definitely complete.
There is a lady in my company who works with computers but had know idea how they really work. With the book, there was no stopping her. I found a simple, free computer program on the web (called LogicSim) that allowed her to actually build circuits (by drag-and-drop) and then click switches and see the results. She can easily apply what she learns right there and is very excited about what she has learned and how simple it all is. She has a new-found confidence in her work that is observable. Many others have expressed how easy it is to read and understand.
If you want to drive a car effectively, it is a pretty good idea to know the basics of how a car works. In the same way, having the knowledge you get from this book helps you with everything you do with computers.
In my opinion, Mr. Scott’s book should be the standard first textbook on computers for everyone from now on … at least until such time as some brand new technology arrives that completely changes the way our computers are built and work, which probably won’t be in the foreseeable future.
Rating: 5 / 5
I was never big into computers, but that was mostly because I didn’t understand them. I never knew basic facts or even how they worked. Reading this book gave me an understanding of how computers work and why. The gradient approach and the pictures really helped too. Words are defined throughout the book which makes it easy to understand for someone who knows nothing about computers. But this book is not just for beginners, I read it with a couple of friends who are very computer literate (a programmer and graphic designer) and they were just as interested as me. Not to mention there were a few things that they learned as well!
I highly recommend this book and definitely could see it being part of a school program for children and adults alike!
Thanks, Sandra
Rating: 5 / 5
I started using computers when I was hired by a major oil company in 1965. I worked as a research engineer in their Dallas lab. Since then I have used many mainframes and PCs. I had a basic understanding of the way the computers worked but until I read this book I did not really know, or worry about, how simple binary devices could be combined to do such complex operations.
I strongly recommend this book by J. Clark Scott for anyone who would like to understand how computers can do so many things. Scott’s approach is ideal for everyone.
Glenn D. Roe, PhD
Rating: 5 / 5