Updated to include all the recent developments to the PC and complete with a CD-ROM, the third edition of How Computers Work is like a cool science museum in a book. But make no mistake--this is not a book for children. How Computers Work aims to teach readers about all the intricacies held within the machine, and it's a daunting task. The author, Ron White, doesn't dumb down his material; instead he provides thorough and substantive definitions. The pages of fun and colorful graphics ease the tension, though, and bring the abstract concepts--the difference between RAM and ROM, for example--into real life.

The book has incredible depth, explaining everything you could want to know about your computer, with each piece of hardware being given full treatment over two to five pages. (Macintosh and UNIX users should be aware, though, that the book's model is the "Wintel," a Windows PC with an Intel microprocessor.) The book is well-structured and can easily be used as a reference resource beyond the first reading.


From Book News, Inc.
The now venerable guide, not to using a computer, but to how the various components work and work together to accomplish--or not--the task the computer is set. With a background in both computers and art, White keeps up with the blur of technological change while keeping the treatment visually appealing and easy to access.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Description
How Computers Work, 7th Edition has been one of the best-selling computer books for the last 10 years. This four-color visual book is a must-have for any computer user, from novice to expert. The rich graphics and intricate details about the inner workings of computers have been admired for years by consumers, instructors, professionals, and readers of all ages. To celebrate this milestone, this edition is the 10th Anniversary Edition and it has a new lower price of $29.99. The 10th Anniversary Edition has been completely updated with new coverage of: Wi-Fi, Viruses, Security, Photo Printers, Centrio notebooks, and many updates to existing technologies. A fresh cover and interior provide the reader with superior usability and it is the most aesthetically-pleasing edition yet!


Book Info
Discusses the inner workings of today's home and business computers including Pentium III and MMX processors, fingerprint and voice recognition, Notebook and palm computers, and how virtual reality equipment adds a third dimension to PC worlds. Softcover. CD-ROM included.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
If you￯﾿ﾽre even slightly curious about how your computer (and the networks it￯﾿ﾽs connected to) actually work, How Computers Work, 7th Edition will show you -- in grand style.

Author Ron White and illustrator Timothy Edward Downs take you under the hood of virtually every contemporary computer technology, explaining it all in plain English. Oh, heck, that￯﾿ﾽs wrong. Not ￯﾿ﾽplain￯﾿ﾽ English. Splendidly written, fun-to-read English.

Yes, we know: The first time you open this book, it￯﾿ﾽs the splendid full-color imagery that￯﾿ﾽll strike you. As it should. Illustrator Timothy Edward Downs has developed a strikingly powerful style for simplifying and visually explaining even the most complicated technology. This book has hundreds of his images, many of them large enough to dominate their two-page ￯﾿ﾽspreads.￯﾿ﾽ

But please don￯﾿ﾽt scant the text. The marvelous chapter introductions, which give you the context you need to make sense of all this stuff. Or the image callouts, which explain what￯﾿ﾽs going on about as concisely as humanly possible.

How Computers Work, 7th Edition illuminates processors and memory; disks (including compression and defragging); software and programming languages (even compilers). You￯﾿ﾽll go inside your DVD-ROM, your joystick, your mouse or touchpad. You￯﾿ﾽll learn how the Web, email, and streaming media work; ditto for LANs, PDAs, color printers, scanners and OCR, speech recognition, uninterruptible power supplies...we could go on.

Plenty has happened since this book￯﾿ﾽs previous edition. And the PC stuff that people wonder about has changed a lot, too. (More wondering about the Internet. Less about the mysteries of 5￯﾿ﾽ￯﾿ﾽ floppy diskettes.) Accordingly, White and Downs have overhauled their book thoroughly. You￯﾿ﾽll find more than 50 new or heavily revised two-page spreads (as well as a new, even friendlier layout.)

If you￯﾿ﾽve ever wondered exactly what people were talking about when they threw around the term ￯﾿ﾽbandwidth,￯﾿ﾽ How Computers Work, Seventh Edition will tell you.

Want to know how your digital camera works -- and how your photo printer creates such nifty prints? Curious how nodes on your network (or the Internet) connect with each other? How chat rooms and instant messaging bring people together? All that￯﾿ﾽs in here.

Wi-Fi wireless networks are covered in new detail. Intel Centrino notebooks are discussed for the first time (how did they extend battery life and squeeze even more weight out of those notebooks)?

There￯﾿ﾽs also completely new coverage of Internet security. How hackers attack your computer. How spyware steals your secrets. How viruses hitchhike inside your email...and how firewalls and other Internet security software fights back on your behalf. Oh, and our favorite: how digital signatures prove you￯﾿ﾽre you.

Also new, the price: It￯﾿ﾽs lower than the 2001 edition.

Maybe you want to learn about the innards of your PC. Or maybe you have to -- say, for a course or certification. Either way, technology￯﾿ﾽs rarely been this painless. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

How Computers Work, 7th Edition, has been one of the bestselling computer books for the last 10 years. This four-color visual tutorial is a must-have for any computer user, from novice to expert. The rich graphics and intricate details about the inner workings of computers have been admired for years by consumers, instructors, professionals, and readers of all ages. To celebrate its 10th Anniversary Edition milestone, this latest release has a new lower price of $29.99. The 10th Anniversary Edition has also been completely updated with new coverage of: Wi-Fi, Viruses, Security, Photo Printers, Centrio notebooks, and many updates to existing technologies. A fresh cover and interior provide the reader with superior usability and it is the most aesthetically-pleasing edition yet!

SYNOPSIS