Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective
Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Bryant and O'Hallaronby Bryant and O'Hallaron
Shares rank 15 of 28 computer science textbooks by recommenders
Readers recommend it for learning computer architecture and low-level code, and say it helps with binary hacking and kernel work.
Readers recommend it for learning computer architecture and low-level code, and say it helps with binary hacking and kernel work.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Useful for low-level code hacking
“I was self-studying computer architecture (Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective) and was able to turn what I learned around and hack our binary code”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” “Should be a good basis for kernel hacking.”
Comment from 12 Aug 2026 in “Ask HN: How should I progress in my hacking journey?” Readers enjoy reading it
“I'm really quite enjoying it.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” Owned in every edition
“This is the only book of which i have all three editions.”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore”
Other computer science textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other computer science textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programsby Abelson and Sussman | 55 | 5 | 92% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Art of Computer Programmingby Donald E. Knuth | 28 | 6 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programsby Abelson and Sussman | 12 | 0 | 100% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Quantum Computation and Quantum Informationby Nielsen and Chuang | 12 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspectiveby Bryant and O'HallaronThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Should be a good basis for kernel hacking.”
“I was self-studying computer architecture (Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective) and was able to turn what I learned around and hack our binary code”
“This is the only book of which i have all three editions.”
“I'm really quite enjoying it.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.