ICS Chapter1

Chapter 1 : Welcome Aboard

1.1 What We Will Try to Do

There is no magic to computer, and it's really a deterministic system, having no mind of its own. Computer is a structure built up step by step, layers and layers. The book introduces it from bottom.

1.2 How We Will Get There

Chapter2: Computer is a piece of electronic equipment. Absence or presence of voilt represents 1 or 0. All infomation is encoded as 1s & 0s.

Chapter3: Transistors make up today's microprocessors. They are combined into larger structures.

Chapter4: Structures further combine to Von Neumann machine.

Chapter5: Begin to work with LC-3.

Chapter6: Program LC-3 with its own language.

Chapter7: Program LC-3 with assembly language.

Chapter8: Get infomation into (input) & out of (output) LC-3.

Chapter9: TRAPs & subroutines.

Chapter10: Stacks & data conversion. An Example program -- a handled calculator.

Chapter11~19: C programming language.

1.3 Two Recurring Themes

One: The notion of abstraction. We need abstraction AS WELL AS deconstruction.

Two: The importance of not separating the notions of hardware & software.

1.4 Computer Ststem

Computer -- a mechanism that does 2 things: directs the processing of information (which task should be get carried out next?) & performs the actual processing of information (both in response to a computer program).

A more precise term for the mechanism -- CPU/processor. That means CPU/processor is what really performs as a COMPUTER.

But the word "computer" usually refers to "computer system", which usually includes, processor, keyboard & mouse, monitor & printer, memory & disks & CD-ROMs. Addtional items are useful in helping the compurt user do his/her work.

1.5 Two Very Important Ideas

One: All computers are capable of computing exactly the same things if they are given enough time & memory.

Two: Problems are solved by electrons inside the computer, so it's necessary to transform computation problems from the language of humans to the voltages that influence the flow of electrons.

1.6 Computers as Universal Computational Devices.

Computer is a UNIVERSAL computational device. And taht's why CS students learn computers first while mechanical engineering students begin with physics. Alan Turing do the outstanding work about Turing thesis & Turing machine, etc.

1.7 How Do We Get the Electrons to Do the Work?

Problems -> Algorithms -> Language -> ISA -> Microarchitecture -> Circuits -> Devices.

It's also how the book is organised.