In addition to being a good introduction to the idea of codes, morse is also useful because it is binary. The book starts off by going straight to the heart of the title – explaining “what is code.” Not, initially, a series of steps describing operations that you’d like a computer to perform, but rather the very simplest codes like morse code - a system for transferring information between people and/or machines. In “ Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software,” Petzold takes us from morse code to the early microprocessors of the 70’s and 80’s, providing a deep and satisfying explanation of exactly how computers function. The answer, according to Charles Petzold, is to go back in history to build an understanding of the foundational concepts, slowly moving from the telegraph equipment of the 19th century to the graphical user interfaces of the 1980s. Because computers are so complicated these days, it can be hard to figure out where to start. Whether you want to become a software engineer, or just better understand the technologies that power our world, there’s real value in learning how computers actually work.
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