Prerequisites for operating systems and compiler design

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the prerequisites necessary for taking courses in operating systems and compiler design. Participants share their experiences and suggest foundational topics that may be beneficial before delving into these subjects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, BiP, inquires about the necessity of understanding computer architecture before studying operating systems and compiler design, given their background in C programming and digital circuit design.
  • Another participant suggests checking university websites for listed prerequisites, implying that these can vary by institution.
  • A participant mentions that their university requires knowledge of data structures and an introduction to computer architecture for compiler courses, indicating these subjects are commonly seen as foundational.
  • Another participant confirms that a programming class and a data structures class were prerequisites for their compiler courses, suggesting a similar requirement may exist elsewhere.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that certain foundational topics, such as data structures and computer architecture, are important for studying operating systems and compiler design. However, there is no consensus on a definitive list of prerequisites, as experiences and requirements vary among different institutions.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference varying prerequisites based on their respective universities, indicating that the requirements may depend on specific course structures and institutional guidelines.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering courses in operating systems or compiler design, educators developing course curricula, and individuals interested in understanding the foundational knowledge required for these subjects.

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What would be the prerequisites for an operating systems course or for a compiler course? I am well-versed in C programming and digital circuit design but have very little knowledge of computer architecture. Would I be recommended to go through a text on comp arch before starting a text on OS/compiler design? Opinions?

Thanks!

BiP
 
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You might try checking out a few university web sites to see what they list for prerequisites. For example, this one:

http://www.cse.sc.edu/class
 
Thanks jt!

BiP
 
For compilers: my university requires data structures and (our introduction to) computer architecture. Computational theory also gets used (automata, properties of grammars).
 
Yeah, a programming class and the data structures class were my prerequisites for those classes.
 

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