A comprehensive introduction to technical computer science: The first part of the book introduces machine-level programming. The second part describes the architecture of computers. A bottom-up design of a processor is outlined, and the construction of a desktop computer is explained. Pipelining and caching techniques are also covered. Special emphasis has been placed on a didactically refined presentation of the material. With its tutorial-like format, the book is suitable for accompanying lectures and for self-study. Each topic includes numerous exercises to practice the material.