[luau] ics412: operating systems

[Warren Togami]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Lockhart" <lockhart at jeans.ifa.hawaii.edu>
To: "luau" <luau at videl.ics.hawaii.edu>
Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2002 8:45 PM
Subject: [luau] ics412: operating systems



> From
> reading his email to the class it looks like the problems (excuses?)
> people had were that they weren't good enough C programmers, Linux isn't
> documented well enough, and os stuff is hard.  All of these answers kind
> of blow me away.

I've been watching the planning of this course from summertime.  I offered
my services before the semester to begin to prepare people in the class to
further understand the operating system, but only one person from 412 showed
up to my events.  After the semester began I became too busy to help.

Since then I've been talking the teaching assitant Sang periodically about
the progress of the class.  Earlier in the semester he and professor Gilbert
seemed unwilling to accept any advice in how to give organize better
resources and some tools that I began to show to them.  This past week they
finally asked me about User Mode Linux as possibly a way of making kernel
hacking quicker, but it seems like too little too late.  They had mentioned
last week that they have found Linux to be "too hard" and they possibly will
move back to their OS simulator next semester.

I was skeptical from the moment I heard about this class because Gilbert
himself is known to be an ardent Microsoft supporter.  Several of the older
ICS students warned me about him and things that he has said in past classes
putting down Linux.  I found it extremely ironic that he would be teaching a
class that hacks the Linux kernel.  He lectures only the theory, leaving
overworked Sang who only barely began on Linux himself last semester to
explain things to the students.  I almost think he doesn't care if Linux
fails in this class.

To be fair he isn't being paid for lecturing this semester of 412.  Not
exactly sure why, I suppose out of the kindness of his heart.  I also hear
he's a brilliant computer scientist.

IMHO, it isn't that Linux is too hard... they just put almost zero effort
into giving resources to the students in getting them acclimated.  Almost
zero of those students have signed up on LUAU or asked me for any advice.
Of course there will always be dropouts among a high level ICS class like
this, but this class ISN'T REQUIRED for graduation in the BA and BS degrees
(according to the teaching assistant, I need to check on that.)  For the
people who are serious about learning computer science, they better learn C
well and understand these concepts of a real operating system.  I haven't
seen it myself, but they themselves have described the OS simulator of
previous semesters to be not a real experience.

If the department decides to move away from an Open Source kernel back to a
simulator, I will be very disappointed.  I didn't have a chance of taking
this class yet.  I don't appreciate lowering standards just to allow people
to pass.  This isn't doing the students a favor.  They do not get a real
learning experience.

If our ICS students don't understand C well, then it is the fault of the
department for not focusing enough on C and systems concepts in earlier
classes.  I know several of the professors agree with this assertion, but
nothing appears to be happening in the department to remedy this.

Yes, "Linux is too hard" and "C is too hard" are just excuses.  They didn't
do enough to prepare the students to understand Linux, and the overall
department curriculum doesn't give them enough C experience.  Otherwise many
others dropped out (I know some of them) only because of the laziness.

(If they do decide to drop Linux, I only hope they don't move to the
Microsoft kernel instead of the OS simulator.  Microsoft now allows
Universities to study their source code under the Shared Source license,
which means "look but don't touch."  While this sounds nice, this would be a
SERIOUS PROBLEM for me because I would be legally poisoned, unable to
contribute code to similar Open Source projects like Linux kernel.  If a
class at UH ever requires me to read Shared Source code, I will sue the
University and perhaps transfer away.)

>
> This is a senior level computer science course, and none
> of the C programming for the projects is very difficult.  Shouldn't
> comp-sci grads be able to program?
>

If students can't handle the difficulty level, lower the standards! =)

Warren

p.s. I have great concerns about the overall direction of the UH ICS
department.  I've been meaning to speak to the department head about this
but I have too many things going on.  Any other UH ICS people here?  One of
these days lets put together our heads and draft a document of our position
to tell the department.  I already have several of the professors and staff
convinced, so they will support us.