Reviewed By: Missy Grote
Date: October 10, 2004
Section: Book Reviews
Publisher: QUE
Authors: Tim Downs
Pages: 304
Retail Price: $20.99
Dot Journal Price: $20.99

You’ve become reliant on your computer and are quite knowledgeable on how to use it. You’re even comfortable tweaking it so that it runs smoothly, efficiently and even virus-free. Now the hard part: You have to try to answer your wandering 9-year-old’s curiosity about how exactly a computer performs addition or how an LCD screen is different than a SVGA monitor. Explaining, yet alone understanding, the inner workings of a computer can be daunting task. Correction: Unless you have the book, How Computers Work, Seventh Edition by Ron White, understanding the inner workings of a computer can e a daunting task….with the book it is a breeze!

As a parent, an educator, and a pretty savvy computer user, I LOVED the book! I found the book visually engaging with the ‘blown- up’ illustrations of various computer components. In the beginning of each chapter there is a timeline to give you a better idea of where we were and where we’re headed. Did you know that it is predicted that in 2005 typical desktop hard drives will hold 280Gig on 5 platters. (Enough to hold 1500 1 Gig vacation photos!) Ok, I’m impressed. I also appreciated the chapter overview with the key concepts if I needed a quick refresher.

How Computers Work is now in the Seventh edition and continues to explain to readers the newest of technology. While highlighting newer technology, DVDs, Windows XP, Ron White also discusses still-used older technology. With our rapidly changing technology, it is nice to know that Ron White is also keeping pace. Chapters in the book include: Boot Up, Microchips, How Software Works, Data Storage, I/O Devices, Multimedia, Internet, and Printers.

From my introduction, I didn’t mean to imply at all that this is a book for 9 year-olds, but instead a book that gives very clear explanations with illustrations to make understanding real. Here are just a few of the questions you’ll be more comfortable answering:

• When your computer is multi-tasking, what’s going on in the background?
• How do spreadsheets solve equations?
• What is so important about defragging, optimizing, compressing?
• What’s the difference between a parallel, serial, and USB cable?
• How is wireless connectivity possible?

If you’re like me and have a desire to know how technology works, and not just how to use it, How Computers Work, Seventh Edition is for you!

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