Recently, a book that has been updated for 10 years has finally been published. It is called software Debugging Volume 2: Hardware Fundamentals. This book can be called the “encyclopedia” of software debugging. He is a software engineer’s handbook, a must-have book on the desk. The first edition of this book got 8.8 points on Douban.
In September 2011, three years after the first edition of Software Debugging was published, author Zhang Yinkui began to plan and write the second edition. But it lasted only a year before it stopped. And then I started writing, and it was slow. It wasn’t until the end of 2016, after more than a decade of work at Intel, that the author returned to work.
The past decade has seen many significant changes in the field of computing. To accommodate these changes, the new version needs to add a lot of content. In a nutshell, volume 1, version 2 adds the following.
1. Added the relevant content of ARM processor about CPU.
2. Added the ARM processor related content about CPU.
3. Added GCC related content about compiler.
4. Added GDB information about debuggers.
5. Added new GPU content.
If it were bound into a book, it would be thicker than a brick. After repeated thinking and adjustment, the plan of publishing in separate volumes was finally determined. Volume 1 covers basic contents such as processors. Volume 2 and Volume 3 introduce debugging of Windows and Linux operating systems respectively.
Having decided on the new volume structure, the author forced himself to devote more time to writing and moved forward quickly. Finally, I sent the draft of volume 1 to the publisher in June 2018.
Today we have the honor to reprint the author Zhang Yinkui teacher’s article “By all means, why to read?” I hope you found something. Here is the full text:
The development of information technology has made information reproduction extremely cheap. The development of the Internet makes it extremely easy to transfer information. As a result, almost every modern person is surrounded by information, all kinds of information pushed through all kinds of media, no charge to you, not by your refusal.
In an age when information is free, why read books?
The high development of information technology has changed the traditional printing, printing becomes fast and easy; With the development of the Internet, information is readily available, and writing books has become very fast. As a result, the era of “treasure calligraphy and paper” is more and more distant, printed matter piled up mountains, filled with warehouses.
In the center of the magic capital, there is a road called Fuzhou Road. Although today this road still has the title of “cultural street”, compared with its glorious past, it is far from heaven and earth. The road’s greatest glory was in the first half of the last century. At that time, the road had a simpler name — Simalu Road. In a way, this road is the cultural center of modern China. On this road, there were many newspapers, producing the new media of the time — newspapers. On this road, there were also large and small book shops and translation libraries. Because of this, here gathered a lot of first-class brains in China at that time, there are writers, translators, and industrialists…… Among them is Li Shutong, who publishes articles and advertisements under many pseudonyms; There is Zheng Zhenduo, he likes to live in the “old zheng Xing” still in today, there must be Lu Xun, there is Yu Dafu……
In August 1934, Lao She, aged 35, braved the sweltering heat and came to Shanghai. He came from Jinan and had just left his job at Qilu University to look for opportunities in Shanghai. In a later essay, he said of his trip to Shanghai, “I didn’t go window-shopping, but to see if I could stop teaching and earn my living by writing.”
After living in Shanghai for more than ten days, Lao She came to a conclusion: “You can’t eat if you devote yourself to writing.” So he returned to Shandong and continued to teach and write. A few years later, he decided to quit teaching and become a professional writer. His first full-time work was the famous Camel Xiangzi.
Today’s four roads, no longer has the important position of the past, but can also trace a lot of former impressions. Some of the buildings are still there, some of the names are still there. More importantly, in the entity bookstore is increasingly rare today, in Fuzhou road, there are still some real entity bookstore. To some extent, fuzhou Road may rank first in China in terms of the density of physical bookstores.
Because of this, I often go to Fuzhou Road. Sometimes it’s for nostalgia, sometimes it’s for rest, sometimes it’s to watch Peking Opera at the Tian Chan Yifu stage on that road.
Fuzhou road on the bookstore, at least there are 20 or so, my favorite is ancient books bookstore. Occasionally, I will accompany my daughter to the Nearby Shanghai Book City. I do not know from when, the ancient books bookstore on the third floor, specializing in sales of discounted books, attracted a lot of people like scouring books love books. Among the discounted books, there are a lot of books THAT I like very much, such as the collection of Zhu Xi in ten large volumes.
I often think about my books and wonder, “How can my books sell so many when they are so good?”
My first book came out in 2008, and it went on and on for many years. Finally, one day, the publisher decided not to print any more. I think it’s normal. It’s been selling for so long, it’s good enough.
After a while, I got some messages asking where I could buy my book. I have to say, the publishing house is out of print.
Some time later, I was told that some people were pirating your book. I have indeed seen copies bought by my peers, which are of poor quality.
Then a friend said someone was selling a used copy of your book, and it was expensive. When I think of all the good books on sale in the antique bookstore, I don’t think they cost more than the original price. The result friend say, than original price return high.
One day, a colleague in an office bought a second-hand copy of Software Debugging at a high price, and I did believe it.
The development of information technology has made information reproduction extremely cheap. The development of the Internet makes it extremely easy to transfer information. As a result, almost every modern person is surrounded by information, all kinds of information pushed through all kinds of media, no charge to you, not by your refusal.
But cheap information is often shoddy and fragmented. Not only does this information waste valuable time, it also traps us, drowning us in bad information and denying us the opportunity to seek out good information.
The high development of information technology has changed the traditional printing, printing becomes fast and easy; With the development of the Internet, information is readily available, and writing books has become very fast. As a result, the era of “treasure calligraphy and paper” is more and more distant, printed matter piled up mountains, filled with warehouses.
But good books are still in short supply. The quality of books varies greatly. A good book can stand the test of readers and time.
In the era of continuous development, each era has the characteristics of each era, in such an era of information explosion, if you write a book, then first of all to think about how to compete with the overwhelming web information. If the content and organization of the book are similar to the web page presented by the search engine, then don’t compete with the computer.
The era is constantly developing, and each era has its own challenges. In such an era of information explosion, if you still have the heart to read, then think about how to get more nutrition than reading the web. If what you’re reading is the same as flipping through the pages of a search engine, then why bother reading.
I am grateful that, in an age of over-abundance, my book will have a chance to be republished ten years later. It’s not just about the book, it’s about making me believe what I already believe, what I already believe.
Software Debugging (2nd edition) : Volume 1: Hardware Fundamentals
Author: Zhang Yinkui
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I am grateful that, in an age of over-abundance, my book will have a chance to be republished ten years later. It’s not just about the book, it’s about making me believe what I already believe, what I already believe.