After watching an awe inspiring youtuber named Ben Eater, I instantly made the decision to devote myself to something I had always been curious about- How does a computer actually work, Beyond the Binary and Beyond the silicone and transistors? I'm familiar with the generality of it all, but that doesn't detract from the fact that I truly don't understand how electricity actually responds to my source code and/or vice versa.
While I am certain these topics are those covered within a Computer Science major, I myself am will not be going back to college anytime soon. I graduated many years ago as a Communications major. However, not being one to stop learning, and with an insatiable appetite for this stuff, I decided to teach myself Electronic Engineering in my free time so that I could finally put these mysteries to bed.
Behold! At the recommendation of Ben Eater, I had ordered a copy of Digital Computer Electronics, and after long last, received it. What makes me so excited about this book, is that it explains the fundamental circuitry that makes up a SAP-1 computer. SAP-1 stands for Simple As Possible.
Furthermore, the way the chapters are crafted you don't begin with building a computer. Instead, each chapter is dedicated to a singular concept, which enables you to only be concerned with the content being discussed. It's not until the very last few chapters that the SAP-1 comes into the picture. Sometimes the chapters build on previously learned content which is also great. It progresses your previous learnings.
While I am not even close to finishing this title, I can absolutely state this read has been extremely beneficial in my learnings already. I can't wait to begin showing you how I plan to apply these learnings in my upcoming postings.
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