On Sun, May 25, 2008 at 9:52 PM, William Case <billlinux@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Thanks for your comments Peter; > > Particularly, thank you for the http://www.osdev.org/phpBB2/ URL given > to me by you in your follow-up post. I have been browsing there all > morning. > > On Sun, 2008-05-25 at 15:51 +0800, Peter Teoh wrote: >> i can see that there are not many specific questions here....just >> asking "why".....and speaking of concepts... >> >> personally...i think knowing WHY things are done the way it is done is >> more impt than knowing the details of HOW....but then it is chicken >> and egg...until u know how they are done....then u began to ask >> WHY....once u understood that.....design your own ideas based on new >> understanding... >> > Now for the Off Topic part: > > In my experience, people learn things in one of three basic ways. They > are not restricted to any one way, but one of each way is easier for > them and predominates their learning and thinking. > > 1) Some people are "Task Oriented". That is they understand things > better if it accomplishes something they are interested in. In computer > terms, they are the ones that ask "Which button do I push". They are > not primarily interested in why it works or how it works, just that it > works. > > I am not belittling this style of learning. People who do this usually > have a strong ability to memorize and build their knowledge by > memorizing task after task and slowly integrating each piece into a > comprehensive whole. As I remember, way back, from high school days, > these where usually the girls who sat at the front of the class and got > all 'A's. > > 2) Other people, usually those who find themselves in the scientific or > technological world, are "Object Oriented". That is they understand > things better if they view the world as made up of objects i.e. with set > properties that they can manipulate and counted on to remain consistent. > They ask "How to". > > Object Oriented people like to memorize a few basic principles, axioms, > or assumptions and then retain "knowledge" of what logically or > predictably flows from those principles. To them, learning a few major > building blocks gives them mental access to large blocks of certain > knowledge. > > 3) The third type of learning is done by individuals who are "People > Oriented". That is not to say they have a soft and gooey world view, > but it is to say, they find it easier to retain information if they > understand why things are done the way they are. It is easier for them > to resolve problems by asking themselves "What am I trying to > accomplish", and/or, "Why is it done this way". > > For me, if I don't have a human context, it is all memorization. But the > minute I can see people solving real problems, facts slip into a > category of just "knowing" something, which for me is much easier to > mentally access. > > >> but life is a game of probability.....so probabilistically...i think u >> will gain more and contribute more if u trying understanding HOW AND >> WHY things are done concurrently....while at the same fallback on >> design your own ideas once in a while..... >> > Learning things is more complex than an iterative process. Just using > the three examples of learning orientation I gave above, it is more like > a game of paper, scissors and rock -- with one mode of learning being > the fallback position. Real life is far more complex than even that. > >> i can summarize a few key FEATURES or PROBLEMS u must have / solved, >> in multiprocessor/multi-users/multiprocess user/process management >> system (as for the current design....i really wish u or someone else >> will overhaul the entire design of UNIX.....): >> >> a. u don't want them to step on each other's memory.....which is one >> of the hidden reason for separation of memory space during forking... >> >> b. after forking...different process is will be protected via INTEL >> CPU HARDWARE feature.....there are many....and u have to design the OS >> to follow all these hardware features...(one of them is MMU, then task >> register, context switching, memory page attributes protection etc) >> >> c. efficiency of execution....minimization of resources >> (copy-on-write design)...performance tradeoff between harddisk storage >> vs memory storage....(swapping).... >> > > I am aware of the complexities you have outlined, Peter. I am on my > second (perhaps third iteration of understanding). This is the point > where one tends to say "Hey wait a minute, that doesn't make sense". > > Just as guidance, when someone asks fundamental questions, it does not > usually mean they are at the beginning of understanding a process but > rather that they are coming around for the second or third time. > >> Generally the field is huge....and endless argument ....and I have to >> stop here.... >> > > At the risk of appearing terribly arrogant, I don't anticipate that > understanding Operating Systems will be that difficult as long as at > crucial systems design points, I can put myself in the shoes of the > original designers (given the hardware they had to deal with) and say > here is my problem and how am I going to solve it. Once you have an > understanding how and why they choose a particular solution, hundreds, > thousands or even millions of consequences just naturally flow with > little or no memorization required. > >> PS: Get hold of "The Magic Garden Explained".....my all-time >> favorite on OS design.. >> > > PS: I do not believe that the above polemic is just theory. I have > made a very good living over the years as a consultant in non-IT areas > analyzing Business Plans, Communication Strategies and Public Policy. > The key has always been to dig down to the most fundamental driving > forces (human and physical) and then re-build, checking that ever > element made sense. > > I have taken the liberty of it being a slow Sunday morning to say an > awful lot of things that have nothing to do with the Linux Kernel. I > hope you will indulge me. > > -- > Regards Bill > > I enjoyed reading your thoughts.....please keep asking more questions....it really makes life worth living... -- Regards, Peter Teoh -- To unsubscribe from this list: send an email with "unsubscribe kernelnewbies" to ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxx Please read the FAQ at http://kernelnewbies.org/FAQ
