A good complement: Code by Petzold

[ybakos]

This has been mentioned in a few other forum comments, but I wanted an 'official' post to recommend the use of Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold as a complementary text for TECS.

Code chapters 1 - 17 complement TECS chapters 1 - 4 surprisingly well.

I'm using both texts in parallel for my TECS class that starts next week.

[Jeff Solin]

Hello there. I was wondering if you had any exam materials you'd be willing to share.  If not, maybe it would be a good thing to start a category / area to use as a content repository.  

Thanks,
Jeff

[ybakos]

Hi Jeff,
At this time, rather than an exam I'm having students:

- write short answers to multiple (3/week) quizzes on concepts and fundamentals
- present their implementations in class, explaining their process and their chosen implementation
- conduct a final presentation in which they must effectively explain how a modern computer works, and what we didn't cover in class (optimizations, some depth)

I might have a midterm and final, but only if the students are having difficulty with concepts (so far they're doing great!)

My class Web site is here.

[Jeff Solin]

Ok, thanks for the information.  I am thinking about bringing presentations into play more with the class.  So far they are doing great.  I have a short oral assessment that give each student after each project, and that has helped a lot too.  I'm teaching the course at a gifted high school so that changes some issues with timing and pace.

Thanks again,
Jeff

[GregTomkins]

In my ever so humble opinion, 'Code' is one of the best computer books ever written. I feel bad for Charles Petzold that it is so relatively obscure. Every time I think about this I mean to go buy his Turing book !

[Marty Billingsley]

Ooooh, thanks for the recommendation! I really like "Code" and will go get "The Annotated Turing". Code is one of the few really readable CS books for the layman.

My other favorite overall CS book is Eck's "The Most Complex Machine", but it's decidedly less readable.

[ybakos]

Thanks for sharing those other two titles. I'll have to read them some time.

[John Calande]

Code is an excellent book.

Another good book is "22 Microcomputer projects to build, use and learn" by Daniel Metzger... if you are interested in tinkering with real chips, an oscilloscope and a breadboard; Metzger's projects are based on the Motorola 6802 processor.  The book is out of print, but you can still find it for sale online.

[culchie]

re "22 Microcomputer projects to build, use and learn"
Sounds interesting.
Is it difficult to get the hold of the  hardware to make the projects, for instance the 6802 processor?

[John Calande]

They show up on ebay every now and then  (referring to the 6802 and the MC6847 video driver).  

[culchie]

I guess ebay would be the place to look alright