Who Should Buy This Book?

This book is primarily for people who are interested in optimizing their computer systems for performance. Those faced with purchasing decisions will find a clear description of how various system components interact with each other, as well as pointers on what to watch for. People writing or tuning code will find a concise explanation of modern compiler options, as well as an appreciation for how the underlying operating system manages their runtime applications. Finally, those who are simply interested in learning more about how their computers work may find the explanations within these pages to be interesting.