Well, I'm sold. I just ordered the book - would anyone be interested in forming a study group to work through the suggested course plan together? Might be more fun that way. Hit me up at the email address in my profile if you'd be interested.

I also wonder about the physics -> CS part. What about the quantum mechanical nature of the electromagnetic forces governing electronic components used to build computers, like transistors? That would really make this complete.

That would also make it a much, much bigger book.

i perused this in the library recently. it looked like it would make a nice freshman course, or material to help folks with a less formal education build up a nice base for their existing knowledge.

i don't think there is much in it to interest graduates of a decent CS program, though.

I am a self-taught programmer, and the course filled a lot of holes and gave me a much better understanding of how the different levels work together. For me it was an eye-opener on par with SICP.

I'm nearing graduation, and I want to work through this course because I want to make sure there are no glaring gaps in my knowledge. What better way to ensure this than to implement a complete computer from scratch?

I got my copy a few weeks ago and I must say that the book is well written and inspiring.

There is also a lecture on the same topic.

"From NAND to Tetris in 12 Steps": http://www.catonmat.net/blog/video-lecture-from-nand-to-tetr...

I watched the video associated with the course and it made me giddy. I love to be able to see the bigger picture and it sounds like this course could help me do that.