Essentials of computing systems

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2022

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Abstract

Essentials of Computing Systems provides a foundational overview of the core concepts, technologies, and principles that underpin modern computing systems. Designed for students, educators, and professionals, this book explores the essential components of computing, including hardware architecture, operating systems, networking, data storage, and software development. Through clear explanations and practical examples, the book bridges theoretical knowledge with real-world applications, highlighting the interplay between system components and their impact on performance, reliability, and scalability. It also addresses emerging trends such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, equipping readers with the tools to navigate the rapidly evolving computing landscape. This comprehensive resource serves as an accessible guide for anyone seeking to build a strong understanding of the fundamentals of computing systems, making it an indispensable reference for academic study and professional development.

Description

This book addresses a very fundamental aspect related to the Computing discipline which helps readers to have a relatively good knowledge about how to program a computer in a high-level programming language, like C. The book is structured in six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the different levels at which one can see a computer, representing each level as a distinct abstraction of the computer. This chapter also describes the von Neumann architecture, which is followed by all modern computers. Chapters 2 and 3 address cover the different forms of discrete data found in computers. Chapter 2 introduces the main concepts and techniques related to the representation of textual information, instructions, images, and audio. Chapter 3 explains how numbers are represented in computers. Chapter 4 discusses the details of the IA32 assembly language and it discusses how high-level programs (written in C) get compiled into this form of machine code. Chapter 5 presents the main principles of caches, namely the different mapping functions and replacement algorithms. Chapter 6 explores how to make programs run faster via several different types of program optimization.

Keywords

SOCIAL SCIENCES::Statistics, computer and systems science::Informatics, computer and systems science::Computer and systems science

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