CS Foundations

Data packets move,
schedules switch efficiently,
hard disk drive backed up

CS & System Fundamentals: Systems, Memory, and Metal

Introduction

Before diving into advanced topics like AI or cybersecurity, I wanted to build a solid foundation - not just theory, but actual system-level fluency.
This 8-week learning path focused on the 80/20 principle: learning the 20% of core concepts that unlock 80% of practical understanding in computer systems.
The goal?
To go from curious explorer to confident builder - someone who understands how machines think, not just how to command them.

Topics Covered

  • Week 1: What even is an Operating System?

    Processes, users, filesystems, and the grand illusion of multitasking

  • Week 2: What's inside the box?

    CPUs, RAM, buses, and how electrons become logic

  • Week 3: Memory and Thought

    RAM, caches, swap, and how computers "forget" efficiently

  • Week 4: CPU & Execution

    Clock cycles, the fetch-decode-execute cycle, and performance bottlenecks

  • Week 5: File Systems & Storage

    Inodes, fragmentation, how data actually lives on disk

  • Week 6: Networks & Protocols

    IP, DNS, pin, packets - and mapping the unseen paths of data

  • Week 7: System Scripting

    Automating tasks in Bash and Python, working with the CLI like a power user

  • Week 8: Process Scheduling & Simulation

    Simulated Round-Robin and SJF schedulers written in Python

Final Project: Eely OS Helper

I built a quirky command-line assistant named Eely OS Helper - a fully interactive Bash tool that:

  • Backs up files
  • Simulates CPU scheduling
  • Displays system stats
  • Cleans up your machine
  • Shows you love with colored terminal messages and optional eel ASCII art

Outcome

This learning path gave me the confidence to poke at the machine's internals, not just its UI.
I now script with ease, debug like a mini-sysadmin, and understand what happens under the hood of any app I write.
It was the beginning of building a real technical identity - and one eel of a good time.

Projects

Deep Dive

Topics to explore further after the initial 80/20 phase:

  • Device drivers, emulators, or process trees
  • Filesystem & Operating Systems
  • Cisco Packet Tracer
  • Operating Systems
  • Virtual memory, paging, and MMUs
  • Kernel modules and system calls
  • File system internals (ext4, NTFS, FAT32)
  • Low-level debugging tools (e.g. GDB)
  • Reverse engineering basics
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