The Pattern on the Stone
#1536 of 2,654 all-time
The Pattern on the Stone
Daniel Hillis
4 people recommended it in 4 threads, 2011–2023.
What people on Hacker News said
This book shocked me with the idea of a universal computer:-)
..there is really only one kind of computer .. all kinds of computers are alike in what they can and cannot do
.. any computing device, whether it’s built of transistors, sticks and strings, or neurons, can be simulated by a universal computer.
It's very clear and well written, is quite short but covers a lot and can be enjoyed cover to cover more like a novel than a textbook.
A good layman's guide for computer science is Danny "Connection Machine" Hillis' "The Pattern On The Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work".
He builds up from Boolean logic to Turing machines to quantum computing in fewer than 200 pages.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read? 2023 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager? 2020 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read? 2017 · 1 recommendation
- The Book That Every Programmer Should Read 2011 · 1 recommendation