Who is this book for?

Anyone who wants to know how a computer works: the fundamentals of computer systems and the foundations of computer science.

What’s special about it?

Rather than simply reading about how a computer works, you’ll build a simple one yourself in software, and then program it using machine code and assembly language.

The programming is easy, even for beginners, and it’s not tied to any particular programming language: you can use Go, Rust, or whatever language you prefer. The book guides you through this fun project step by step, with complete solutions to each challenge along the way.

You don’t need any prior knowledge about CPUs or machine language, as we’ll develop everything necessary from scratch. Once you’ve made a working model of a CPU in software, and written your own programs for it, you’ll not only be a more confident programmer; you’ll also have a deep understanding of what’s going on at the machine level.

What will I learn?

• Computer science fundamentals: computer architecture, binary arithmetic, logical operations, data, stacks, and memory.
• CPU architecture: instruction sets, opcodes, flags, registers, buses, vectors, and traps.
• Assembly language: data manipulation, control flow, instruction and operand encoding, machine language, and the fundamentals of assemblers.
• Systems engineering: the internals of the CPU, memory, and other devices, and how they work together in computer systems.
• Virtual machines and emulation: a key technology in modern programming languages and computer systems, including cloud computing and cryptocurrency.

And when you’re ready, you can take the next step by learning with me in person, through my Mastery mentoring.

What do I get?

This is the early access edition, so you’ll be following the book project in real time, getting each new chapter as I publish it. You can update to the latest version for free at any time, including the final release version.

• PDF and ePub included
• Works on computers, tablets, phones, and ebook readers
• Free lifetime updates

Can I try it risk-free?

If you don’t love the book after 30 days, just contact me for a full, no-quibble refund.