[ryanklee]

"This second edition has been extensively revised. It has been restructured into two distinct parts—part I, Hardware, and part II, Software—with six projects in each part. All chapters and projects have been rewritten, with an emphasis on separating abstraction from implementation, and many new sections, figures, and examples have been added. Substantial new appendixes offer focused presentation on technical and theoretical topics." From the blurb

[abecedarius]

Wasn't the first edition also in two parts (hardware then software) and with an emphasis on separating abstraction from implementation? That's how I remember it.

[DubiousPusher]

Yes on the first account. Kind of on the second. Each project had you finish in a way that would allow you to put it in a box and take it as an abstraction into the next one. That part worked well.

The part that was hard for me was that the book's language often muddled concept and implementation in the description of the project. This wasn't too much of a problem for myself as I went through this book several years after school. I had been working as a professional programmer for some time then and was used to disambiguating concepts and detail.

I know a lot of people work through this book as an undegrad but I must admit I doubt I would have enjoyed as much had I less experience. I can't speak to how much they've improved this aspect obviously and otherwise I found the book's language unusually clear for a textbook.