Thousands of prices just dropped across Thryft
Our price drop is now live! Find lowered prices on thousands of one-of-a-kind finds across Thryft
Free delivery on all orders above $30
Get 10% off all year round! Join Thryft Club
Get 10% off all year round and $10 off your next order! Join Thryft Club

Your cart

Your cart is empty

Check out these collections!

Bestselling Fiction
Bestselling Nonfiction
Bestselling Books for Children
Vintage and Rare Books
Vinyl Records
Women's Clothing
Men's Clothing

Find more of what you love

Get thoughtful picks from Thryft’s ever-changing collection of pre-loved books, vinyl and CDs—plus occasional sales and events.

By signing up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Thryft. You can unsubscribe at any time.

This item is sold out

Get an email when a matching copy is available again.

The Pattern on the Stone : The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work

William Daniel Hillis

Which copies would you like?
Condition and budgetAny condition · No price limit

Excludes delivery. This filters future availability alerts; it is not a price-drop alert.

We check inventory once a day. We’ll email you once when we find a matching copy. Copies aren’t reserved. This does not sign you up for marketing emails.
Sale

The Pattern on the Stone : The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work

by William Daniel Hillis
Save up to 40%
Compare to estimated retail price: S$19.86  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

The Pattern on the Stone : The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work - Thryft
The Pattern on the Stone : The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work - Thryft

The simple ideas behind computers' complex operations.

The Pattern on the Stone provides readers with a straightforward explanation of how computers work, breaking down seemingly complex operations into easy-to-understand parts that perform simple procedures. This book would be a good read for anyone who wants to learn how computers operate without getting bogged down in technobabble or discussions of advanced hardware. Hillis's lucid explanations and colorful anecdotes make this book an enjoyable and informative read. The most unique feature of this book is its ability to demystify the workings of computers so anyone can understand them.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Sale

The Pattern on the Stone : The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work

by William Daniel Hillis
Save up to 40%
Compare to estimated retail price: S$19.86  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

Find out more about our process here.

ISBN: 9780465025961
Author: William Daniel Hillis
Publisher: Basic Books
Date of Publication: 1999-10-08
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Science
Related Topics: Computers, Popular Science, Mathematics
Goodreads rating: 4.06
(rated by 760 readers)

Description

Most people are baffled by how computers work and assume that they will never understand them. What they don't realize—and what Daniel Hillis's short book brilliantly demonstrates—is that computers' seemingly complex operations can be broken down into a few simple parts that perform the same simple procedures over and over again.Computer wizard Hillis offers an easy-to-follow explanation of how data is processed that makes the operations of a computer seem as straightforward as those of a bicycle. Avoiding technobabble or discussions of advanced hardware, the lucid explanations and colorful anecdotes in The Pattern on the Stone go straight to the heart of what computers really do.Hillis proceeds from an outline of basic logic to clear descriptions of programming languages, algorithms, and memory. He then takes readers in simple steps up to the most exciting developments in computing today—quantum computing, parallel computing, neural networks, and self-organizing systems.Written clearly and succinctly by one of the world's leading computer scientists, The Pattern on the Stone is an indispensable guide to understanding the workings of that most ubiquitous and important of machines: the computer.
 

The simple ideas behind computers' complex operations.

The Pattern on the Stone provides readers with a straightforward explanation of how computers work, breaking down seemingly complex operations into easy-to-understand parts that perform simple procedures. This book would be a good read for anyone who wants to learn how computers operate without getting bogged down in technobabble or discussions of advanced hardware. Hillis's lucid explanations and colorful anecdotes make this book an enjoyable and informative read. The most unique feature of this book is its ability to demystify the workings of computers so anyone can understand them.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

You might enjoy this if…

View book details