An Assembly Language Introduction to Computer Architecture: Using the Intel Pentium (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The area of study referred to as computer science can be thought of as the study of the many pieces of computer science..." (more)
Key Phrases: Instruction Operands Notes, Computer Basics, Write Pentium (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great balance of the theoretical and practical material required for undergraduate students majoring in computer science."--Denis V. Popel, Baker University

Product Description

Introduces students to the fundamentals of computer architecture from a programmer's perspective by teaching them assembly language, the interface between hardware and software. Designed for students in computer science and engineering who have taken a high-level language programming course.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; illustrated edition edition (March 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019512376X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195123760
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,440,199 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How this book relates to systems programming., October 15, 2000

By	Greg (UK) - See all my reviews

The book's title implies that it has lots of specifics to the Intel Pentium, which it does, but it doesn't have much IBM-PC related details (BIOS etc).

It has good sections on abstract principals and maths, which is useful.

If you want to write systems-code (which is what I did) then this is not the book for you. I recommend the book by Peter Abel instead, or download the (free) Intel documentation. There are also plenty of online resources.

However, assembly language (in my opinion) is for doing system-level stuff - not serious coding and that is the only reason that (I think) most people would want to learn it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book describing computer architecture., April 24, 2001

By	Matthew Wood "skibum-spam" (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This book is an excellent resource on how computers work, and the theory behind their operation. The book describes, in detail, number representation, floating point operations, bitwise operations, binary mathematical operations, memory layout, cpu operations, registers, and more.

This book's primary focus is not assembly language. Assembly language (via an abstraction called SASM) is merely used in the book to illustrate computer architechture. Those looking for an assembly language refrence should look elsewhere; Those looking for a computer architecture book should purchase this title.