How do computers actually work? From electrons to the web.

Follow me on 𝕏: https://x.com/tejaskumar_Dive into the fascinating world of computing with our podcast episode titled "How do computers actually work? From electrons to hardware to the web." We unravel the mystery starting from the fundamental building blocks of technology—electrons, and how they power datacenters, to the intricacies of hardware and firmware. Journey through the critical layers of computing, including the OS kernel, CPU operations, memory management, and storage solutions. Security gets its due with an exploration of TPM, setting the stage for a deep dive into software architecture. We break down frontend technologies and backend infrastructure, covering everything from HTML and CSS to cloud computing and network protocols. The episode culminates with a discussion on CI/CD pipelines and the decision-making process in tech development. It's a comprehensive guide for anyone curious about the inner workings of computers and the internet.Chapters00:00 - Intro01:17 - Sponsor02:47 - Everything is a Stack, with Layers on Layers04:55 - The Lowest Layer: Subatomic Particles09:21 - Types of Current: AC and DC (Alternating and Direct Current)12:36 - How Datacenters use Electricity15:45 - The Next Layer: Hardware19:07 - The Next Layer: Firmware21:46 - The Next Layer: The OS Kernel24:21 - Diving Deeper: Motherboard27:59 - The OS Kernel29:43 - CPU, Threading, Multithreading, Hyperthreading, Clock Speed36:53 - Memory/RAM, Volatile Memory, Virtual Memory39:43 - Storage, Hard Drives, Solid State Drives41:33 - TPM (Trusted Platform Module)42:59 - The Next Layer: Software43:46 - Software Architecture47:08 - Frontend Deep Dive: HTML, HTMX, CSS, TailwindCSS, JavaScript, Accessibility, and Network59:53 - What happens when data fetching: TCP/IP stack, HTTP and SSL encryption, how data flows over the network and internet01:12:05 - Receiving a Network Request on the Backend, DNS, Firewalls, Load Balancing, SSL Termination, Reverse Proxies01:20:38 - Backend Architecture: Caches, Queues, Distributed Systems, Control Plane vs. Data Plane01:25:44 - Cloud Computing: Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), Subnets, NATs01:28:30 - Adjusting Expectations for Frontend and Backend01:29:34 - CI/CD Pipelines, Webhooks, git-based deploys01:30:21 - Build it or buy it?01:31:18 - Conclusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.