[2021-11-19]

How Computers Work is a compendium of all things related to computers and their peripherals. This places it into a very wide subject matter. It doesn’t cover everything that possesses a computer chip, but it does talk about things like Video Game Systems. It focuses more on how the component works rather than the history, but there are occasions where the history is all the component has. For example, the book might talk about ancient connection ports like the RS-232 port or pretty much anything before the USB port. The book discusses the underlying physics behind the computer components. In that vein, it talks about how magnetic fields are used, what electromagnetism is, how they produce semiconductors and so much more.

This book is ridiculously thorough; it even has descriptions of UPC and QR Codes and how the computer ‘reads’ them. The book combines descriptive imagery and text to great effect. It is difficult to summarize, so I will just say that if your Desktop, Laptop, or Smartphone has it, this book discusses it.

If you were curious about the history of Operating Systems, Computer Parts, the Internet, and other major components of computers then this book is a good place to start. ( )

A good guide for the novice. But technology books suffer from short shelf lives. This one is no exception. A 1993 computer is practically an antique in that ephemeral world. ( )

QA76 .W551993 (IP)