John P. Hayes approaches the subject by looking at the computer from two distinct viewpoints: the programmer’s view (software/assembly interface) and the structural view (hardware organization). engineering.futureuniversity.com Evolution of Computers:
Pair your PDF with the free "RISC-V Reader" by Patterson & Waterman. When Hayes talks about “general-purpose registers,” you practice on an online RISC-V emulator (e.g., ripes.me ). John P