References and Recommended Texts

• Reference: Specification of the PeANUt Computer
  2005, Department of Computer Science FEIT ANU. Distributed to COMP2300 students.
  (The 2007 reading brick is exactly the same as the 2006 brick.)

• Textbook: The choice of textbooks will be further discussed in the first lecture. Basically:
  • C Programming: If you have no experience in C, then we would strongly recommend that you purchase a textbook on C as your first priority. The recommended text by Afzal is a good basic introduction, although you could also use other C text books. If you have some C experience then you can "survive" by using C reference materials that are available on line - although even then it is sometimes more convenient to have a textbook at hand. In the long term, a textbook on C programming may be useful.
  • Computer Systems: Bryant and O'Hallaron is the recommended text for computer systems and architectures, for the stronger and more motivated students. As its sub-title suggests, it is particularly strong on viewing computer systems from the programmer's perspective (it covers systems programming, and relevant C / x86 Linux internals very well). Null and Lobur is a more concise and readable book, but, as the title suggests, is more hardware oriented. Instead of PeANUt, it has a simpler (too much so!) illustrative computer called MARIE.

    You do not HAVE to buy a book on Computer Systems, in the sense that we will not directly be working from any of them. However, we will make references to them and possibly direct you to read parts of this them in your assignments. To get an understanding of computer systems, it is necessary to do some substantial reading. Certainly, to get a Distinction or better grade, this will be the case. However, you may be able to get by from borrowing the books from the library from time to time.

• Recommended texts
  • The Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture
    by Linda Null and Julia Lobur, 2nd edn, 2006, Jones and Bartlett, ISBN 0-7637-3769-0.
    Available from Coop Bookshop and ANU Library.

  • Computer Systems: A Programmers Perspective
    by Randal E Bryant and David O'Hallaron, 2003, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-178456-0.
    Available from Coop Bookshop and ANU Library.

  • C Programming: A Modern Approach
    by K.N. King, W.W. Norton, 1996. ISBN 0-393-96945-2. You can download the programs from the book from its web site (where, strangely enough, you can also find plenty of positive reviews). Available from Coop Bookshop (expected week 1).

• Possible alternative texts
  • Structured Computer Organization
    by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, 2006 (5th edition), Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-148521-0.
    (a more architecture-oriented alternative to Bryant & O'Hallaron; supports most course topics)

  • Computer Systems
    by J Stanley Word, 2003 (third edition), ISBN 0-7637-3239-7
    (a slightly more readable alternative to Null & Lobor; also matches the approach of COMP2300 better but using C++/PEP8 instead of C/PeANUt)

  • Computer Organization
    by Carl Hamacher, Zvonko Vranesic and Safwat Zaky, 2002 (5th edition), McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-112218-14.
    (fairly advanced and architecture oriented)

  • Computer Organization and Architecture: Designing for Performance
    by William Stallings, 2006 (7th edition), Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-185644-8.
    (even more so!)

  • Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach
    by John L. Hennessey and David A. Patterson, 2003 (3rd edition), Morgan Kaufmann, ISBN 1-55860-724-2.
    (ditto. The most authoritative book in the field)

  • Pure C Programming
    by Amir Afzal, 1999, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-130840703-7.
    Available from ANU Library, a few in Coop Bookshop if you are quick. This used to be our prescribed text