Presents the fundamentals & design of microcoded systems, starting from simple state machines & using a progression of four built & tested circuits: a basic ROM-based state machine; a state machine with an ALU & registers; a simple CPU with an 8-bit data bus & a 16-bit address bus; a bit-slice based CPU that allows interrupts, bus sharing & asynchronous data transfers. All circuits are built using real devices with reference made to real data manuals, giving the text a more practical slant.

Foundations of Microprogramming: Architecture, Software, and Applications discusses the foundations and trends in microprogramming, focusing on the architectural, software, and application aspects of microprogramming. The book reviews microprocessors, microprogramming concepts, and characteristics, as well as the architectural features in microprogrammed computers. The text explains support software and the different hierarchies or levels of languages. These include assembler languages which are mnemonic or symbolic representation of machine commands; the procedure oriented machine-dependent; and the procedure oriented machine independent. A simulator is used to interpret programs written in machine or micro-language before the instructions in the program can be run. A simulator and translator (which change some steps from one program written in another language to another program) should interface with the design language of the computer for these components to operate even when a new machine is developed. The book cites four existing computers which have "simple" diagonal microinstructions such as the Hewlett-Packard HP21MX and the Microdata 3200. Horizontal types of microinstructions allow parallel execution of many micro-operations, such as the Cal Data family of computers, the Varian 73, and the NANODATA QM-1. Microprogramming is applied in emulation, program enhancement, operating systems, signal processing, and graphics. The text can benefit programmers, computer engineers, computer technicians, and computer instructors dealing with many aspects of computers such as programming, hardware interface, networking, engineering or design.

This textbook is a thorough, up-to-date introduction to the principles and techniques that guide the design and implementation of modern programming languages. The goal of the book is to provide the basis for a critical understanding of most modern programming languages. Thus, rather than focusing on a specific language, the book identifies the most important principles shared by large classes of languages. The notion of ‘abstract machine’ is a unifying concept that helps to maintain an accurate and elementary treatment. The book introduces, analyses in depth, and compares the imperative, object-oriented, functional, logic, concurrent, constraint-based, and service-oriented programming paradigms. All material coming from the first English edition has been updated and extended, clarifying some tricky points, and discussing newer programming languages. This second edition contains new chapters dedicated to constraint, concurrent, and service-oriented programming. Topics and features: Requires familiarity with one programming language is a prerequisite Provides a chapter on history offering context for most of the constructs in use today Presents an elementary account of semantical approaches and of computability Introduces new examples in modern programming languages like Python or Scala Offers a chapter that opens a perspective on applications in artificial intelligence Conceived as a university textbook, this unique volume will also be suitable for IT specialists who want to deepen their knowledge of the mechanisms behind the languages they use. The choice of themes and the presentation style are largely influenced by the experience of teaching the content as part of a bachelor's degree in computer science.

This book thoroughly explains how computers work. It starts by fully examining a NAND gate, then goes on to build every piece and part of a small, fully operational computer. The necessity and use of codes is presented in parallel with the apprioriate pieces of hardware. The book can be easily understood by anyone whether they have a technical background or not. It could be used as a textbook.

Discusses microprogramming theory, applications and methodology.