ABSTRACT

Recent advances in microelectronic technology have made computers an integral

part of our society. Each step in our everyday lives is influenced by computer

technology: we awake to a digital alarm clock’s beaming of preselected music at the

right time, drive to work in a digital processor-controlled automobile, work in an

extensively automated office, shop for computer-coded grocery items, and return to

rest in the computer-regulated heating and cooling environment of our homes. It

may not be necessary to understand the detailed operating principles of a jet plane

or an automobile to use and enjoy the benefits of these technical marvels. Computer

systems technology has also reached the level of sophistication wherein an average

user need not be familiar with all the intricate technical details of an operation to

use them efficiently. Computer scientists, engineers, and application developers,

however, require a fair understanding of the operating principles, capabilities, and

limitations of digital computers to enable development of complex yet efficient

and user-friendly systems. This book is designed to give such an understanding of

the operating principles of digital computers. This chapter begins by describing the

organization of a general-purpose digital computer system and briefly traces the

evolution of computers.