PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Foreword

My job is to persuade you to buy this book or make you feel
you've made the right choice if
you've already bought it.

That's easy because there's not
another book like this, and if you do much with computers you need a
good reference work on hardware. Of course there are massively larger
books on the subject, but that's just the point:
most of the time you're not looking for a long essay
on the subject, you need information, and reliable judgment, both of
which Robert Bruce Thompson is highlyI am tempted to say
uniquelyqualified to give.

I can say this with some authority. I've never
actually met Robert Bruce Thompson face to face, but
we've been friends for years. Such is the way with
the modern Internet. I first "met"
him in the dark days after BYTE Magazine was suddenly and
unexpectedly folded, and I continued my column on my web site
(Shameless self-promotion:
www.jerrypournelle.com.) One of the features of
both the web site and the column was reader mail, and there soon
appeared a corps of regulars, all experts in one or another field,
all articulate, and all very generous with their time and effort.
Robert Thompson stood out among these, and it was soon clear to me
that he knew far more about computer hardware than I did. That was
surprising: I've been in this business since 1978,
and while no one can know everything, I thought I knew a good bit
about nearly everything. I do, too, but Thompson knows more, both in
depth and breadth, and that's astonishing.

He's pretty careful, too. Over the years I have
found I agree with most of his conclusions, and when we disagree I
have to rethink my position, because he's been right
at least as often as I have been.

So. You have here a well written book by someone who understands the
subject. It's about computer hardware and nearly
everyone needs a good opinionated reference work on that subject,
provided the opinions are sound, which in Thompson's
case they certainly are. It's published by
O'Reilly, which means it's well
edited by editors who resist the temptation to become unacknowledged
collaborators. It's really the best book
you'll find on this subject. And if that
doesn't persuade you to buy this book, I doubt
anything else I can say would.

Jerry Pournelle

Chaos Manor

July 2003