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This book (known as CS:APP) is for computer scientists, computer engineers, and others who want to be able to write better programs by learning what is going on "under the hood'" of.a computer systefn.
Our aim'is to explain the enduring concepts underlying all computer systenls, and to show you the cohcrete ways that these ideas affect the correctn'ess;perfSr- mance,'lmd utility of your application programs.'Mlmy systems bobks are1\vritten from a builder's perspective, describing how to implement the hardware or th'e sys- tems software, inC!uding the operating system, compiler, and network·iiltefface. Thisbook is wrihen from"a progr'dmme""' pefspective,'describing how application programmers can use their knowledge of a system to write better programs.'Of course, learning what a system i§ supposed to do provide&.a good first step in learn- ing how to build one,'so this book also serves as a· valuable introduction to those who go on to iinplemeht systems hardware and soffware. Most systems books also tend to focus on just one aspect of the system, for example, the•hardware archi- tecture: the operating system, the compiler, or the "network. Tiiis book" spans all of·these aspects,' with !lie unifying theme of aprogranfmer's perspective.
If you·study ancl-learh>.the-concepts-in-this-!:mok~you-.wiU1:le"on·yoni-wzj>'tcr--- becoming the 'rare power progranimer'who knows how things work'and how io
fix them when tbey'bteak. You will·be able to write programs that·make•better
use of the'caP,abiij(ies provided by theloperating systeni'and systellis software,
that operate 'correctly across'1i wicte' range of operating conditibhs and run'.-t:llne parameters,' that run faster, and that avoid the flaws that make·ptogramS vu!Iler-
able t'6 cybefatt'ack-. You will be prepared to delve deeper into 'advanced topics
sucn as conipilers;'c6mputer architecture, 'operating sy~tems, embedded systems, networking, and cybersecurity.
