This book is intended for use in a first-level course on “computer organization” in computer science and electrical engineering curricula. The book is selfcontained, assuming only that the reader has a basic knowledge of computer programming in a high-level language. Many students who study computer organization will have had an introductory course on digital logic circuits. Therefore, this subject is not covered in the main body of the book. However, we have provided an extensive appendix on logic circuits for those students who need it.
Our resolve to write a book stems from our experience in teaching computer organization to three distinct types of undergraduates: computer science specialists, electrical engineering undergraduates, and engineering science undergraduates. We have always approached the teaching of courses in this area from as practical a point of view as possible. Thus, a major choice in shaping the contents of the book was to illustrate the principles of computer organization by using a number of extensive examples drawn from commercially available computers.
Second, we feel that it is important to recognize that digital system design is not a straightforward process of applying “optimal design” algorithms. Many design decisions are based largely on heuristic judgment and tend to be a compromise between extreme alternatives. Thus it is our goal to convey these notions to the reader.
Third, we have endeavoured to provide sufficient details to force the student to dig beyond the surface when dealing with ideas that seem to be intuitively obvious. We believe that this is best accomplished by giving real examples that are adequately documented. Block diagrams are a powerful means of describing organizational features of a computer. However, they can easily lead to an oversimplified view of the problems involved. Hence, they must be accompanied by the details of implementation alternatives. ...