Miguel Serrano
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Latest Articles
How File Systems Store and Retrieve Your Data
Reading Time: 3 minutesFile systems are the foundation of how computers organize, store, and retrieve data on physical storage devices like hard drives and SSDs. From saving a document to launching an application, file systems silently handle it all. In this article, we explore how they work behind the scenes. 1. What Is a File System? A file […]
What Happens in the Boot Process of a Computer
Reading Time: 6 minutesWhen you press the power button on a computer, a lot of things happen before you see the desktop or login screen. This sequence is known as the boot process. It involves firmware, bootloaders, kernels, drivers, and system services working together to bring the machine from a powered-off state to a usable operating system. This […]
Understanding the Memory Hierarchy (Registers → Cache → RAM → Disk)
Reading Time: 7 minutesModern CPUs are extremely fast, but they rarely run at their full potential. Most of the time, they are waiting for data. The main reason is that memory is much slower than the processor. To reduce this gap, computers use a layered memory hierarchy: small but very fast storage close to the CPU, and larger […]
Inside the Machine: How Instructions Are Executed
Reading Time: 4 minutesEvery program you write—no matter how high-level—eventually becomes a sequence of simple instructions that the CPU executes billions of times per second. Understanding how these instructions are processed gives developers deeper insight into performance, bottlenecks, optimizations, and the true nature of modern computing. This article takes you inside the machine to see how instructions travel […]
What Is Multithreading and Why Does It Matter?
Reading Time: 6 minutesModern applications are expected to be fast, responsive, and capable of doing many things at once. Web servers handle thousands of requests, games update physics and graphics in parallel, and desktop apps keep user interfaces smooth while running background tasks. One of the key techniques that makes this possible is multithreading. Understanding what multithreading is […]
How an Operating System Manages Processes
Reading Time: 6 minutesEvery modern operating system is constantly juggling dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of running programs. Web browsers, databases, background services, and system daemons all compete for CPU time, memory, and I/O. At the center of this orchestration is one key concept: the process. In this article, we’ll explore how an operating system (OS) manages processes: […]
RAM vs ROM: What’s the Real Difference?
Reading Time: 3 minutesDespite being among the most commonly used hardware terms, RAM and ROM are still frequently misunderstood. Many users assume that ROM is simply “phone storage,” or believe that increasing RAM will magically speed up every device. This confusion isn’t surprising — modern electronics blur the lines between different types of memory. In this guide, you’ll […]
How a CPU Actually Works: A Simple Explanation
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhat Is a CPU, Really? The CPU is often called the “brain” of the computer, but a better analogy is a very fast, very obedient instruction follower. It does not think; it simply: Reads an instruction from memory. Figures out what the instruction means. Performs the required operation. Moves on to the next instruction. These […]