# Computation Structures by Ward and Halstead

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Computation Structures by Ward and Halstead and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a classic introduction to digital design and computer architecture, explaining how CPUs are built from basic gates and microprogramming from the ground up.

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [RISC-V System-on-Chip Design by Harris and Harris](https://hackerapproved.com/p/risc-v-system-on-chip-design.md): 6 recommend
- [Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by Hennessy and Patterson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/computer-architecture-a-quantitative-approach.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Computation+Structures+by+Ward+and+Halstead&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Computation Structures by Ward and Halstead", https://hackerapproved.com/p/computation-structures/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).