Tendolkar G. Behind The Interface. A conceptual guide...2023

Textbook in PDF format

Our daily lives are full of interactions with computers, their software applications, the internet, databases, and more recently, AI. However, most of us lack a deep conceptual understanding of their internal mechanisms. How does an inanimate machine, essentially a rock, understand our commands ? How do billions of such machines seamlessly communicate with each other ? And they are achieving human-like intelligence ? Their inner mysticism promotes fear and underconfidence - sometimes even in those with a formal computer science education. Fortunately, you don't require a multi-year degree to understand the fundamentals. This 280 page book, without jargon, details the inner workings of computers and their related technologies. Uncover the hardware that makes a computer, learn how programming languages function, demystify the internet and cloud, understand data storage, machine learning and more. With clear explanations and historical perspectives, this comprehensive guide empowers even non-technical readers to navigate the landscape of computer science confidently. It provides a conceptual foundation for anyone wanting to understand the internals of computers and related technologies that permeate our daily lives.
Acknowledgements.
Preface.
A Computer’s Architecture.
Computer Hardware.
Operating Systems.
Programming Languages.
The Internet.
World Wide Web.
Data Storage.
Machine Learning.
References & Further Reading