How computers work

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OK.. I've long been shamed by my lack of knowledge of the inner workings of a PC, so this new topic will fill in the gaps...

Are you a prospective computer scientist and bursting to spill your secrets on how computers are programmed, how they make decisions and function as machines ?!?

Probably not, but..any comments would be appreciated

I'm a computer scientist (a student). But it'd take me too long to explain the way they work so i'm gonna point you to http://howstuffworks.com

A simple introduction wouldn't tell you anything immediately useful. And the field that computation creates is so vast I could never explain all of it in an encylopedia, let along a single post.

If you have specific questions, though, ......













feel free to ask.

The best book I've read on the subject is Code: The Hidden Language by Charles Petzold. You could also try The Pattern on the Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work by W. Daniel Hillis for something a bit lighter (164 pages instead of 400).

Actually, there are two wikipedia articles I forgot to recommend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer

Both are just summaries but have many links to other articles that go further in depth in the theory.

Be careful though - I find I tend to go on overload and try to read every wikipedia article each article links to .. and so on and so on ... which is a suprisingly good way to learn about a topic quickly.[/url]

Ok I will check out those links in due course but I have a couple of Q's

This may sound to generalised again...but how do you go about programming a computer? Some of my friends are doing further maths A level and I have read into stuff like linear programming and algorithms and thought they might apply. But is programming just laying on instructions as to programs and sequences or is there another level to it? Is it more creative? Is it like learning a new language?

Follow the pointers you asked for and were given.

Linear programming and higher level algorithms are far more complicated. It is going to be very difficult for a beginner to learn, understand, and use these techniques (though it is doable if you are patient enough with yourself). Though they can be very helpful, proficency in programming does not require an understanding of these theories. If you want to know more about them, the wikipedian links should be able to take you to an article about them.

To get started in just programming (aka hobbist programming) I recommed you download a free programming language (Python, Ruby, Lua, C compilers such as lcc or gcc though C isn't really a beginner friendly language) as well as some good documentation. Start reading and start coding.

Computers work?

Don't believe the hype. Computers take Marmalade in one end and produce numbers out the other. Wonderous machines, they are.

If your computer isn't working properly then you probably need to re-fill the Marmalade reservoir. Or maybe add some Strawberry Jam for CPU (Curd processing unit) intensive games.




If you believe that, then you may also be interested in an Air Guitar I have for sale on ebay.