Write Great Code Vol 1: Understanding the Machine
 

Wow... I don't visit here enough, but I think this is a sorely underused section (granted, it IS fairly new).

The book I'm reviewing, written by Randall Hyde, is one of the first books that allowed me to "get it." Although I am very much a novice programmer, my interests have turned away from all the abstractions of uber-high level, VM/runtime based languages such as C# or Java, and have taken a serious turn to the bare metal.

Yes, when you're actually trying to get something done, Java's great. But that's not why I enjoy programming. I want to know just what's going on behind my code. And this book has gotten me started down that path. It's certainly not a "how to" book; instead it serves as a catch all introduction to machine architecture, instruction sets, and the various methods of how data is represented inside a computer. It's not meant to be a complete reference, and as such includes a nice "For More Information" section at the end of each chapter for those interested in learning more.

Chapters:
Numeric Representation
Binary Arithmetic & Bit Operations
Floating Point Representation
Character Representation
Memory Organization & Access
Composite Data Types & Memory Objects
Boolean Logic & Digital Design
CPU Architecture
Instruction Set Architecture
Memory Architecture & Organization
Input/Output

A lot to cover? You bet. But as mentioned previously, the book is not intended to replace dedicated volumes to the above topics. The coverage of each item is just enough to whet your appetite and point you in the right direction, and it does it's job admirably. The text is a very easy read, even for a novice, although I have had to go back and re-read a section or two (especially the chapter on Boolean Logic).

Now, my one beef with the book is the insistence on using HLA. Yes, I know you invented the freaking language, Randall, but could we not just stick with plain old assembly? I dunno, maybe I doth protest too much.

Still, very much recommended if you've never had any exposure to machine architecture and would like a good place to get started. I'm certainly looking forward to the next book in the series, "Thinking Low Level, Writing High Level".