The Architecture of Computer Hardware, Systems Software, & Networking: An Information Technology Approach, 5th Edition

PREFACE

The modern world offers a lot of readily available online resources for learning. Wikipedia, Google, news sources, millions of Web sites and blogs, even YouTube, offer access to information in nearly any subject that triggers your curiosity and interest. Nonetheless, I continue to believe that for deep understanding of something, nothing beats the integrated approach and focus of an old-fashioned printed-on-paper textbook. Well—maybe the e-book equivalent, but, still, a textbook.

When I open a new book, in any subject, the first thing I want to know is what the book has to offer that makes it worth my while to read it. I would like to try to help you answer that question for the book that you're holding in your hand or on your tablet.

The information systems and technology fields are wonderfully exciting places to be! It seems as though every day brings new developments that alter the ways we create and work with information. Of course, with this excitement comes a challenge. To be a successful player in IS or IT, we have to be adaptable and flexible.

Much of the change occurs around computer system technology. The computer is, after all, at the foundation of information systems. A deep understanding of computer systems is, therefore, an essential element of success. We must be able to understand each new development, assess its value, and place it in the context of our knowledge of computer systems.

The subject of this book is the architecture of computer systems. Computer ...