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Today’s post is a short review of a classic book about computer programming written by the foremost software engineer who has ever worked at Microsoft Corporation: Charles Petzold. Back in 1994, I read Charles Petzold’s book Programming Windows, which contained alot of great source code examples for applications that ran in Windows 95. Back then, I was working with Microsoft C and SDK Version 7 and the first version of Visual C had not yet been produced by Microsoft. I had to actually build my programs in C in a DOS editor, compile all related files in DOS and then run the Windows application from the DOS command prompt. Ah, the old days of programming! That book was a great read and it was fascinating to see how Microsoft Windows 95 really worked.

However, there is another book by Charles Petzold that surpasses Programming Windows, and that book is Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software. This book (published in 2000) is a must read for anyone who really wants to understand the fundamentals of binary code and how essential elements of the computer go to work for us, producing amazing interfaces and also behind the scenes capabilities for data processing. So, whether you are a computer geek or a simple guy trying to compete in the highly-competitive computer industry, I encourage you to get at least a used copy of this book and study it well. Charles will reveal all of the inner workings of computers and the thought processes that are at the heart of all modern computing. This book has twenty-five (25) chapters, and each one will take you toward another transformative level of computing insight:

Chapter 1: Best Friends
Chapter 2: Codes and Combinations
Chapter 3: Braille and Binary Code
Chapter 4: Anatomy and a Flashlight
Chapter 5: Seeing Around Corners
Chapter 6: Telegraphs and Relays
Chapter 7: Our Ten Digits
Chapter 8: Alternatives to Ten
Chapter 9: Bit by Bit by Bit
Chapter 10: Logic and Switches
Chapter 11: Gates (not Bill)
Chapter 12: A Binary Adding Machine
Chapter 13: But What About Subtraction?
Chapter 14: Feedback and Flip-Flops
Chapter 15: Bytes and Hex
Chapter 16: An Assemblage of Memory
Chapter 17: Automation
Chapter 18: From Abaci to Chips
Chapter 19: Two Classic Microprocessors
Chapter 20: ASCII and a Cast of Characters
Chapter 21: Get on the Bus
Chapter 22: The Operating System
Chapter 23: Fixed Point, Floating Point
Chapter 24: Languages High and Low
Chapter 25: The Graphical Revolution

Thank you, Charles Petzold, for a truly incredible book!