CSCI 0300: Fundamentals of Computer Systems

CSCI 0300 covers fundamental concepts, principles, and abstractions that underlie the design and engineering of computer systems. You will learn how a computer works, how to write safe and performant systems software, and what systems abstractions support today's complex, high-performance systems developed in industry. Specific topics include machine organization, systems programming and performance, key concepts of operating systems, isolation, security, virtualization, concurrent programming, and the basics of distributed systems.

The course format is a combination of lectures, labs, and several hands-on projects involving programming exercises in C/C++.

This is an introductory computer systems course, designed to expose students to a broad set of fundamental concepts in computer systems and their practical applications. It is best suited for students who have completed the intro sequence, and to those who may want to deepen their understanding of systems concepts. Programming languages used in assignments include C and C++.

The goal of CSCI 0300/CS 300 is to teach the fundamentals behind the "magic" of computer systems from the hardware level to the global internet. We'll cover the ideas, principles and abstractions that unify computer systems design – from how your laptop runs multiple programs at the same time, to how companies like Instagram, Airbnb, and Google operate large websites, to how easy it is to exploit security vulnerabilities on badly designed systems. This is a great class for students who are interested in learning what systems programming is, how systems work, and why these systems are so critical to modern technology.

CSCI 0300 highlights

• Learn how a computer really works: we'll look into what happens when a program runs, from the basics to high-level concepts!
• Use industry-strength tools: CSCI 0300 teaches you modern C/C++ programming with the tools that professional software engineers use!
• Two programming languages for the price of one: learn C and C++, two widely-used systems programming languages for high-performance software!
• Real-world inspired projects: in CSCI 0300's projects, you'll implement the core of your own operating system, and learn to build scalable infrastructure such as a distributed data store and a multi-threaded server similar to those companies use to run web services you use every day!