The Elements of Computing Systems, second edition

Title: The Elements of Computing Systems, Second Edition Authors: Noam Nisan, Shimon Schocken

Overview

"The Elements of Computing Systems, Second Edition" is a comprehensive textbook designed to help learners understand the fundamental principles of computing systems by building a modern computer from scratch. This approach, known as "Nand to Tetris," starts with the most elementary logic gate (NAND) and gradually builds up to a general-purpose computer system capable of running Tetris and other programs.

Key Themes

1. Constructive Approach: The book uses a hands-on, constructive approach to teach computer science concepts. Learners are guided through twelve chapters and projects that build the hardware platform and software hierarchy for a simple but powerful computer system.

2. Hardware and Software: The book is structured into two distinct parts: Part I focuses on hardware, covering topics like logic gates, adders, ALUs, memory, and CPUs. Part II focuses on software, including assembler development, stack-based virtual machines, and compilers for higher-level languages.

3. Abstraction and Implementation: The second edition emphasizes separating abstraction from implementation. This means that learners are encouraged to understand the theoretical concepts and then implement them in practice, rather than just memorizing formulas and code snippets.

4. Technical and Theoretical Topics: The book includes substantial new appendixes that provide focused presentations on technical and theoretical topics, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and advanced learners.

Plot Summary

The book is not a narrative but a structured educational guide. Here is a brief outline of the journey:

1. Starting with NAND Gates: The journey begins with the most elementary logic gate, NAND, and progresses through simple logic gates, adders, and Arithmetic Logic Units (ALUs).

2. Building Hardware Components: Learners build memory, a CPU, and other essential hardware components using a simple hardware description language and a Java simulator.

3. Developing Assembler and Virtual Machine: After building the hardware, learners write an assembler for their machine language and develop a simple stack-based virtual machine.

4. Compiling Higher-Level Languages: Finally, learners compile a higher-level language targeting their virtual machine and develop an operating system/standard library providing basic services like drawing circles on the screen.

Critical Reception

• Approachability: The book is praised for its approachability. It is not a book that you read passively but one that you engage with actively. The hints provided in each chapter help learners understand the high-level idea of the solution but do not give away the exact steps, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Elegance and Conciseness: The book is described as elegant and concise, with each chapter providing a clear structure and minimal redundancy. The extensive testing of the course material over the years has refined its content, making it highly effective for learning.

• User Reviews: The second edition has received high praise from users. On Indigo, it has an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars based on two reviews. The book is recommended for its ability to synthesize key theoretical and applied techniques into one constructive framework, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and advanced learners.

In summary, "The Elements of Computing Systems, Second Edition" by Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken is a highly regarded textbook that provides a comprehensive and hands-on approach to understanding computing systems. Its constructive methodology, emphasis on abstraction and implementation, and inclusion of technical and theoretical topics make it an invaluable resource for anyone interested in computer science.