Prentice Hall
Information Technology
ISBN-10: 0789736136
ISBN-13: 9780789736130
Publisher: Que Publishing
Copyright: 2008
Format: Paper; 464 pp
Published: 11/14/2007
Suggested retail price: $34.99
Buy from myPearsonStore
Having sold more than 2 million copies over its lifetime, How Computers Work is the definitive illustrated guide to the world of PCs and technology. In this new edition, you’ll find detailed information not just about every last component of hardware found inside your PC, but also in-depth explanations about home networking, the Internet, PC security, and even how cell phone networks operate. Whether you’re interested in how the latest graphics cards power today’s most demanding games or how a digital camera turns light into data, you’ll find your answers right here.
Ron White is a former executive editor and columnist for PC Computing, where he developed the visual concept behind How Computers Work. Founder of one of the
earliest PC user groups, he has been writing about computers for 25 years and is known for building wildly extreme computers.
Timothy Edward Downs is an award-winning magazine designer, illustrator, and photographer. He has directed and designed several national consumer, business, technology, and
lifestyle magazines, always infusing a sense of “how it works” into every project.
A full-color, illustrated adventure into the wonders of TECHNOLOOGY
This full-color, fully illustrated guide to the world of technology assumes nothing and explains everything. Only the accomplished Ron White and award-winning Tim Downs have the unique ability to meld descriptive text with one-of-a-kind visuals to fully explain how the electronic gear we depend on every day is made possible. In addition to all the content you’ve come to expect from prior editions, this newly revised edition includes all-new coverage of topics such as:
• How tablet PCs put the power of a PC quite literally in your hands
• How Windows Vista makes your Windows desktop translucent and makes your PC more secure
• How advances in optical disc technology such as dual-layer DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray discs continue to push the envelope
• How Apple’s new iPhone is revolutionizing what cell phones can do
• How BitTorrent technology enables anyone to share information with everyone
For a decade, How Computers Work has helped newbies understand new technology, while at the same time hackers and IT pros have treasured it for the depth of knowledge it contains. This is the perfect book about computing to capture your imagination, delight your eyes, and expand your mind, no matter what your technical level!
Category: General Computing
Covers: PCs/Hardware
User Level: Beginning–Intermediate
The best illustrated look at the world of personal computing is back -- newly revised and updated
- Written by Ron White and illustrated by Tim Downs - an unrivaled pairing of industry heavyweights
- 8x10, glossy pages show in full color - up-close and personal - how everything in, on, and around a PC works
- Continues to be the only book of its kind
Introduction.....xii
Part 1: Boot-Up Process.....2
Chapter 1 Getting to Know the Hardware.....10
Chapter 2 How Circuits Juggle Data.....20
Chapter 3 How a PC Comes Alive.....30
Chapter 4 How an Operating System Controls Hardware.....36
Part 2: How Microchips are the PC’s Brain.....46
Chapter 5 How Transistors Manipulate Data.....52
Chapter 6 How a Microprocessor Works.....62
Part 3: How Software Works.....80
Chapter 7 How Programming Languages Work.....94
Chapter 8 How Windows Works.....104
Chapter 9 How Software Applications Do Your Work.....118
Part 4: Data Storage.....146
Chapter 10 How a Computer’s Long-Term Memory Works.....154
Chapter 11 How Disk Drives Save Information.....166
Chapter 12 How Little Things Make Drives Faster and Bigger.....176
Chapter 13 How PCs Use Light to Remember Data.....184
Part 5: Input/Output Devices.....194
Chapter 14 How Data Gets Into Your PC.....202
Chapter 15 How Scanners Capture Words and Images.....212
Chapter 16 How Computers Use Power.....220
Chapter 17 How Serial Ports Triumph.....228
Chapter 18 How a Computer Display Works.....242
Chapter 19 How Digital Photography Works.....252
Part 6: Games and Multimedia.....260
Chapter 20 How Multimedia Sound Works.....266
Chapter 21 How Multimedia Video Works.....278
Chapter 22 How Game Hardware Puts You In the Action.....286
Chapter 23 How Games Create 3D Worlds.....296
Part 7: How the Internet Works.....306
Chapter 24 How Local Area Networks Work.....314
Chapter 25 How PCs Connect to the Internet.....324
Chapter 26 How the Internet Moves Data.....332
Chapter 27 How We Reach Each Other Through the Net.....338
Chapter 28 How Wireless Sets PCs Free.....350
Chapter 29 How the Net Provides Video and Audio on Demand.....360
Chapter 30 How the World Wide Web Works.....366
Chapter 31 How Internet Security Fights Off PC Invaders.....378
Part 8: How Printers Work.....398
Chapter 32 How Black-and-White Printing Works.....404
Chapter 33 How Color Printing Works.....414
Index.....426
About the Author
RON WHITE is the former executive editor of PC Computing magazine, where he developed the popular How It Works illustration to explain the new technologies that were emerging in computing at a prodigious rate. He is also the author of the best-selling How Digital Photography Works, and books on software, MP3, and digital cameras. His writing and photography have appeared in some of the leading magazines in the nation. He can be reached at ron@ronwhite.com.
About the Illustrator
TIMOTHY EDWARD DOWNS is the national award-winning illustrator of How Computers Work and How Digital Photography Works. Tim has been involved in all facets of graphic design in his illustrious career. From illustrator to creative director, Tim has led teams of artists and designers in advertising agencies, marketing communications firms, and consumer magazines to better tell their stories through illustration, photography, typography, and design. “Our job doesn’t start when the writer hits Save. In order to effectively communicate the tone or the concept of the piece, we need to know and understand the story from the original brainstorm all the way through final execution,” reminds Tim. Examples of Tim’s design, illustration, and photographic work can be seen at http://www.timothyedwarddowns.com.
Having sold more than 2 million copies over its lifetime, How Computers Work is the definitive illustrated guide to the world of PCs and technology. In this new edition, you’ll find detailed information not just about every last component of hardware found inside your PC, but also in-depth explanations about home networking, the Internet, PC security, and even how cell phone networks operate. Whether you’re interested in how the latest graphics cards power today’s most demanding games or how a digital camera turns light into data, you’ll find your answers right here.
Ron White is a former executive editor and columnist for PC Computing, where he developed the visual concept behind How Computers Work. Founder of one of the
earliest PC user groups, he has been writing about computers for 25 years and is known for building wildly extreme computers.
Timothy Edward Downs is an award-winning magazine designer, illustrator, and photographer. He has directed and designed several national consumer, business, technology, and
lifestyle magazines, always infusing a sense of “how it works” into every project.
A full-color, illustrated adventure into the wonders of TECHNOLOOGY
This full-color, fully illustrated guide to the world of technology assumes nothing and explains everything. Only the accomplished Ron White and award-winning Tim Downs have the unique ability to meld descriptive text with one-of-a-kind visuals to fully explain how the electronic gear we depend on every day is made possible. In addition to all the content you’ve come to expect from prior editions, this newly revised edition includes all-new coverage of topics such as:
• How tablet PCs put the power of a PC quite literally in your hands
• How Windows Vista makes your Windows desktop translucent and makes your PC more secure
• How advances in optical disc technology such as dual-layer DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray discs continue to push the envelope
• How Apple’s new iPhone is revolutionizing what cell phones can do
• How BitTorrent technology enables anyone to share information with everyone
For a decade, How Computers Work has helped newbies understand new technology, while at the same time hackers and IT pros have treasured it for the depth of knowledge it contains. This is the perfect book about computing to capture your imagination, delight your eyes, and expand your mind, no matter what your technical level!
Category: General Computing
Covers: PCs/Hardware
User Level: Beginning–Intermediate
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Grauer
© 1999 | Prentice Hall | On-line Supplement | Estimated Availability: 01/01/2000
ISBN-10: 0130865400 | ISBN-13: 9780130865403
Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students, contact your Pearson Higher Education representative for pricing and ordering information.
This title is a member of the How It Works, which also contains the titles below . You can also visit the How It Works page.
How Computers Work, 9/E
White & Downs
© 2008 | Que Publishing | Paper; 464 pages | Instock
ISBN-10: 0789736136 | ISBN-13: 9780789736130
Buy from myPearsonStore
How Digital Photography Works, 2/E
White & Downs
© 2007 | Que Publishing | Paper; 240 pages | Instock
ISBN-10: 0789736306 | ISBN-13: 9780789736307
Buy from myPearsonStore
How Macs Work, Millennium Edition
Rizzo & Clark
© 2000 | Que Publishing | Paper; 256 pages | Out of Stock
ISBN-10: 0789724286 | ISBN-13: 9780789724281
Brief Description
How the Internet Works, 7/E
Gralla
© 2004 | Que Publishing | Paper; 368 pages | Out of Stock
ISBN-10: 0789729733 | ISBN-13: 9780789729736
Brief Description
How the Internet Works, Single Chapter Download, 7/E
Gralla
© 2004 | Que Publishing | Electronic Supplement | Estimated Availability: 09/12/2003
ISBN-10: 0768667569 | ISBN-13: 9780768667561
PLEASE PROVIDE COURSE INFORMATION
PLEASE PROVIDE
Appropriate for all introductory-to-intermediate courses on the Internet and/or World Wide Web, or as a supplement to computer literacy courses covering the Internet.
Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest Internet technologies and trends, How the Internet Works, Seventh Edition is the industrys leading full-color, visual guide to the Internet. Using large, full-color diagrams, leading author and newspaper columnist Preston Gralla explains every facet of the Internet. Students will first discover how the Internet fits together, and how individual computers can be connected to it. Next, they'll learn how every key Internet application works -- from email to chat, instant messaging to Internet telephony. Gralla shows how Web pages, sites, and servers work; how Web sites work with databases; how scripting works; and much more. He presents extensive, up-to-date coverage of high-profile applications such as music sharing, as well as detailed coverage of Internet security -- from spyware and viruses to cryptography and parental controls. This edition's extensive new coverage ranges from grid computing to Microsoft .NET. How the Internet Works, Seventh Edition will be equally appreciated by students who plan further study on Internet technologies and by those who simply intend to use the Internet.
Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students, browse our available packages below, or contact your Pearson Higher Education representative to create your own package.
- Package ISBN-10: 0137155352 | ISBN-13: 9780137155354
©2009 | Instock | Suggested retail price: $105.73 | Buy from myPearsonStore
This package contains: - How Computers Work, 9/E
White & Downs | ©2008 | Que Publishing | Paper; 464 pages - Starting Out with Python, 1/E
Gaddis | ©2009 | Addison-Wesley | Paper Bound w/CD-ROM; 504 pages