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expiredphoinix | Staff posted Dec 5, 2025 8:37 AM

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (2nd Edition)

$4.00

$38

89% off
(Kindle Edition)at Amazon
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Deal Details
Amazon has Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (2nd Edition, Kindle Edition) by Charles Petzold on sale for $3.99.

Thanks to Deal Hunter phoinix for sharing this deal.
  • Note: Eligible Prime members may apply earned No-Rush Shipping credits to this purchase (check balance).
Details:
  • Computers are everywhere, most obviously in our laptops and smartphones, but also our cars, televisions, microwave ovens, alarm clocks, robot vacuum cleaners, and other smart appliances. Have you ever wondered what goes on inside these devices to make our lives easier but occasionally more infuriating?
  • For more than 20 years, readers have delighted in Charles Petzold's illuminating story of the secret inner life of computers, and now he has revised it for this new age of computing. Cleverly illustrated and easy to understand, this is the book that cracks the mystery. You'll discover what flashlights, black cats, seesaws, and the ride of Paul Revere can teach you about computing, and how human ingenuity and our compulsion to communicate have shaped every electronic device we use.
  • This new expanded edition explores more deeply the bit-by-bit and gate-by-gate construction of the heart of every smart device, the central processing unit that combines the simplest of basic operations to perform the most complex of feats. Petzold's companion website, CodeHiddenLanguage.com, uses animated graphics of key circuits in the book to make computers even easier to comprehend.
  • In addition to substantially revised and updated content, new chapters include:
    • Chapter 18: Let's Build a Clock!
    • Chapter 21: The Arithmetic Logic Unit
    • Chapter 22: Registers and Busses
    • Chapter 23: CPU Control Signals
    • Chapter 24: Jumps, Loops, and Calls
    • Chapter 28: The World Brain
  • From the simple ticking of clocks to the worldwide hum of the internet, Code reveals the essence of the digital revolution.

Editor's Notes

Written by SaltyOne | Staff

Original Post

Written by phoinix | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Amazon has Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (2nd Edition, Kindle Edition) by Charles Petzold on sale for $3.99.

Thanks to Deal Hunter phoinix for sharing this deal.
  • Note: Eligible Prime members may apply earned No-Rush Shipping credits to this purchase (check balance).
Details:
  • Computers are everywhere, most obviously in our laptops and smartphones, but also our cars, televisions, microwave ovens, alarm clocks, robot vacuum cleaners, and other smart appliances. Have you ever wondered what goes on inside these devices to make our lives easier but occasionally more infuriating?
  • For more than 20 years, readers have delighted in Charles Petzold's illuminating story of the secret inner life of computers, and now he has revised it for this new age of computing. Cleverly illustrated and easy to understand, this is the book that cracks the mystery. You'll discover what flashlights, black cats, seesaws, and the ride of Paul Revere can teach you about computing, and how human ingenuity and our compulsion to communicate have shaped every electronic device we use.
  • This new expanded edition explores more deeply the bit-by-bit and gate-by-gate construction of the heart of every smart device, the central processing unit that combines the simplest of basic operations to perform the most complex of feats. Petzold's companion website, CodeHiddenLanguage.com, uses animated graphics of key circuits in the book to make computers even easier to comprehend.
  • In addition to substantially revised and updated content, new chapters include:
    • Chapter 18: Let's Build a Clock!
    • Chapter 21: The Arithmetic Logic Unit
    • Chapter 22: Registers and Busses
    • Chapter 23: CPU Control Signals
    • Chapter 24: Jumps, Loops, and Calls
    • Chapter 28: The World Brain
  • From the simple ticking of clocks to the worldwide hum of the internet, Code reveals the essence of the digital revolution.

Editor's Notes

Written by SaltyOne | Staff

Original Post

Written by phoinix | Staff

Community Voting

Deal Score
+63
Good Deal
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Top Comments

theboogeyman
865 Posts
116 Reputation
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15 Comments

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Dec 5, 2025 9:21 AM
36 Comments
Joined Dec 2023
PurpleRaccoon178Dec 5, 2025 9:21 AM
36 Posts
Thanks
Dec 5, 2025 10:43 AM
753 Comments
Joined Jul 2017
L3XANDR0Dec 5, 2025 10:43 AM
753 Posts
Pretty much sums up the computer engineering degree. One of my all time favorite books.
Dec 5, 2025 2:37 PM
865 Comments
Joined Jun 2006
theboogeymanDec 5, 2025 2:37 PM
865 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank theboogeyman

01010100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100010 01101111 01101111 01101011 00101110
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Dec 5, 2025 3:20 PM
130 Comments
Joined Apr 2015
darcxvyrusDec 5, 2025 3:20 PM
130 Posts
Looks like an interesting book. Bought and repped
Dec 5, 2025 6:45 PM
813 Comments
Joined Jul 2014
Khall187Dec 5, 2025 6:45 PM
813 Posts
Quote from theboogeyman :
01010100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100010 01101111 01101111 01101011 00101110
01001001 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110011 01101000 00100000 01001001 00100000 01100011 01101111 01110101 01101100 01100100 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01100100 00100000 01100010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001 00101100 00100000 01101111 01101000 00100000 01110111 01100101 01101100 01101100 00101110
2
Dec 5, 2025 7:35 PM
3 Comments
Joined Jun 2019
snehru_2019Dec 5, 2025 7:35 PM
3 Posts
Quote from Khall187 :
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1
Dec 6, 2025 3:12 AM
1.5K Comments
Joined Jun 2013
abstractedpuddingDec 6, 2025 3:12 AM
1,468 Posts
Quote from snehru_2019 :
48 65 20 73 61 69 64 3a 20 54 68 69 73 20 69 73 20 61 20 67 72 65 61 74 20 62 6f 6f 6b 2e
SW1hZ2luZSB0aGVzZSBndXlzIHRoaW5raW5nIHRoZXkgYXJlIGNvb2wgZG9pbmcgYmluYXJ5IGFuZCBoZXguICAoSSBhY3R1YWxseSBkaWQgdGhpcyBmaXJzdCBpbiB1dWVuY29kZSwgYWx0aG91Z2ggdGhhdCBpcyBhIHdlaXJkIHdheSB0byBlbmNvZGUgdGV4dCwgYnV0IHRoZW4gSSB0aG91Z2h0IGl0IHdvdWxkIGdldCBtYW5nbGVkIHNv IEkgd2VudCB3aXRoIGJhc2U2NCk=
1

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Dec 6, 2025 3:36 AM
36 Comments
Joined Dec 2023
PurpleRaccoon178Dec 6, 2025 3:36 AM
36 Posts
Hey Cursor, Make me a.... Now change this...
1
Dec 6, 2025 4:12 AM
7 Comments
Joined Feb 2010
timkingmanDec 6, 2025 4:12 AM
7 Posts
This is a great book, even if you've never stopped to wonder how flipping a power switch makes a computer go. The first chapter opens with a delightful story about two kids trying to communicate, and the learning curve is so smooth that before you know it you're building Ben Eater's 8-bit breadboard computer and coveting a minicomputer with a front panel covered in switches.
I don't own many books that I would recommend to my mother, my wife, and my 8-year-old, but I think they could all make it pretty far in this one. (I wouldn't ask any of them to read Petzold's Annotated Turing, but I really enjoyed that one too.)
Dec 6, 2025 4:35 AM
3 Comments
Joined Jun 2019
snehru_2019Dec 6, 2025 4:35 AM
3 Posts
Quote from abstractedpudding :
SW1hZ2luZSB0aGVzZSBndXlzIHRoaW5raW5nIHRoZXkgYXJlIGNvb2wgZG9pbmcgYmluYXJ5IGFuZCBoZXguICAoSSBhY3R1YWxseSBkaWQgdGhpcyBmaXJzdCBpbiB1dWVuY29kZSwgYWx0aG91Z2ggdGhhdCBpcyBhIHdlaXJkIHdheSB0byBlbmNvZGUgdGV4dCwgYnV0IHRoZW4gSSB0aG91Z2h0IGl0IHdvdWxkIGdldCBtYW5nbGVkIHNv IEkgd2VudCB3aXRoIGJhc2U2NCk=
TGV0IG1lIHNwZWFrIGluIHlvdXIgbGFuZ3VhZ2UuIEkgZGlkIGVuY29kZS9kZWNvZGUsIGVuZGlhbiBjb252ZXJzaW9ucyBYT1IgZW5jcnlwdGlvbnMgd2F5IGJhY2sgaW4gdGhlIGRheXMuIEkgYW0gZ3Vlc3NpbmcgYmFzZWQgb24gdGhlIHV1ZW5jb2RlIHVzYWdlIHlvdSBhcmUgNTArPw==
1
Dec 6, 2025 5:12 AM
1.5K Comments
Joined Jun 2013
abstractedpuddingDec 6, 2025 5:12 AM
1,468 Posts
Quote from snehru_2019 :
TGV0IG1lIHNwZWFrIGluIHlvdXIgbGFuZ3VhZ2UuIEkgZGlkIGVuY29kZS9kZWNvZGUsIGVuZGlhbiBjb252ZXJzaW9ucyBYT1IgZW5jcnlwdGlvbnMgd2F5IGJhY2sgaW4gdGhlIGRheXMuIEkgYW0gZ3Vlc3NpbmcgYmFzZWQgb24gdGhlIHV1ZW5jb2RlIHVzYWdlIHlvdSBhcmUgNTArPw==
Just north of that. There was a lot of grabbing stuff that was uuencoded off Usenet, but only when I was lucky enough to connect to one of the high speed 2400 modems in the bank.
1
Dec 6, 2025 6:08 AM
224 Comments
Joined Sep 2013
skinneralDec 6, 2025 6:08 AM
224 Posts
One of my favorite books, by far. So well written. It's not overly technical, and will not teach you how to program, but takes a more foundational approach. Lots of real world explanations, history, and their relations to computers. I recommend it to anyone who is even slightly interested, even non-IT folk.
Dec 6, 2025 9:58 AM
1.4K Comments
Joined Nov 2007
MingoDynastyDec 6, 2025 9:58 AM
1,377 Posts
Deal looks dead. Price is now $19.66.
Dec 6, 2025 11:47 AM
216 Comments
Joined Dec 2010
PabloZDec 6, 2025 11:47 AM
216 Posts
I'm seeing the full price too $30.39 (less after my credits).
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Dec 6, 2025 4:09 PM
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Joined Mar 2008
drdiabolocoDec 6, 2025 4:09 PM
4,708 Posts
Quote from MingoDynasty :
Deal looks dead. Price is now $19.66.
Even more dead now at $30.39. EEK!

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