book

The Secret Life of Programs

by Jonathan E. Steinhart

July 2019

Beginner

504 pages

14h 35m

English

No Starch Press

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Why Good Programming is ImportantLearning to Code is Only a Starting PlaceImportance of Low-Level KnowledgeWho Should Read This Book?What Are Computers?What Is Computer Programming?Coding, Programming, Engineering, and Computer ScienceThe LandscapeWhat’s in This Book
What Is Language?Written LanguageThe BitLogic OperationsRepresenting Integers Using BitsRepresenting Real NumbersBinary-Coded Decimal SystemEasier Ways to Work with Binary NumbersNaming Groups of BitsRepresenting TextUsing Characters to Represent NumbersRepresenting ColorsSummary
The Case for Digital ComputersA Short Primer on ElectricityBuilding Hardware for BitsLogic GatesBuilding More Complicated CircuitsSummary
Representing TimeMemory Organization and AddressingBlock DevicesFlash Memory and Solid State DisksError Detection and CorrectionHardware vs. SoftwareSummary
MemoryInput and OutputThe Central Processing UnitInstruction SetThe Final DesignRISC vs. CISC Instruction SetsGraphics Processing UnitsSummary
Basic Architectural ElementsProcedures, Subroutines, and FunctionsStacksInterruptsRelative AddressingMemory Management UnitsVirtual MemorySystem and User SpaceMemory Hierarchy and PerformanceCoprocessorsArranging Data in MemoryRunning ProgramsMemory PowerSummary
Low-Level I/ONetworkingAnalog in the Digital WorldHuman Interface DevicesSummary
Primitive Data TypesArraysBitmapsStringsCompound Data TypesSingly Linked ListsDynamic Memory AllocationMore Efficient Memory AllocationGarbage CollectionDoubly Linked ListsHierarchical Data StructuresStorage for the MassesDatabasesIndicesMoving Data AroundVectored I/OObject-Oriented PitfallsSortingMaking a Hash of ThingsEfficiency vs. PerformanceSummary
Assembly LanguageHigh-Level LanguagesStructured ProgrammingLexical AnalysisFrom Words to SentencesThe Language-of-the-Day ClubParse TreesInterpretersCompilersOptimizationBe Careful with HardwareSummary
Markup LanguagesUniform Resource LocatorsHTML DocumentsThe Document Object ModelCascading Style SheetsXML and FriendsJavaScriptjQuerySVGHTML5JSONSummary
Guess the Animal Version 1: HTML and JavaScriptGuess the Animal Version 2: CSummary
Table LookupInteger MethodsRecursive SubdivisionMore Math AvoidanceSomewhat Random ThingsSummary
What Is a Race Condition?Shared ResourcesProcesses and ThreadsLocksBrowser JavaScriptAsynchronous Functions and PromisesSummary
Overview of Security and PrivacyCryptographySoftware HygieneSummary
OverviewMachine LearningArtificial IntelligenceBig DataSummary
The Value PropositionHow We Got HereThe Programming EnvironmentDevelopment MethodologiesProject DesignProject DevelopmentBe StylishFix, Don’t Re-createSummary

Overview

Computer programming is not abstract and programs run on a machine. Knowing how computers work and how programs run on them is essential to becoming a better programmer, and understanding underlying technologies can help you develop a sense of what can go wrong.

The Secret Life of Programs (formerly Foundations of Computer Programming) fills in the gaps in computer education by giving readers a look under the hood of programming, at the machine. Readers learn how software behaves when running on hardware; how programs manipulate data in memory; how computers process languages; and how web browsers work. They'll also learn how to write efficient programs, computer security basics, and real-world considerations to have in mind when writing code.