This new text makes the design and implementation of computer systems accessible and understandable for the beginning engineering or computer science student. The authors take a "No Mysteries" approach to computer systems. They interrelate three different viewpoints to provide a unique understanding of the subject:the perspective of the logic designer, the assembly language programmer, and the computer architect.

The text has up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest developments in microprocessors, including ALU, pipelining, memory hierarchy, networks and the Internet. And, rather than focusing on a single type of architecture, Heuring and Jordan examine both CISC and RISC models at the ISA level using the unambiguous language of RTN (Register Transfer Notation), allowing for a more in-depth appreciation of different machine structures and functions.