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.