Inspired by From the Transistor
a lot of tutorials are hard to follow, and it's hard to understand software 2.0 from first principles
| Discipline | Description | Suggested Learning Stack | Practical Tools/Libraries | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Logic Design | Basic building blocks of computer hardware | Logic Gates, Boolean Algebra, Karnaugh Maps | Logisim, Digital Works, CircuitSim | 200 |
| Embedded Systems | Basics of embedded system design | Microcontrollers, Real-time Operating Systems | Arduino, Raspberry Pi, FreeRTOS | 200 |
| Processor Design | Design and implementation of the CPU | ALU, Control Units, Pipelining | Verilog, VHDL, ModelSim, Synopsys | 200 |
| Memory Hierarchy | Organization and management of memory | Cache, RAM, Virtual Memory | Cachegrind, DRAMSim, Gem5 | 200 |
| Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) | Interface between software and hardware | RISC, CISC, ARM, x86 | QEMU, Simplescalar, ARM DS-5 | 200 |
| Lexical Analysis | Converts source code into tokens | Regular Expressions, Lexers, Flex | Flex, ANTLR | 300 |
| Syntax Analysis | Constructs syntax trees from tokens | Context-Free Grammars, Parsers, Yacc/Bison | Yacc, Bison, ANTLR | 300 |
| Semantic Analysis | Ensures syntactic structures have valid meaning | Symbol Tables, Type Checking | LLVM, Clang | 300 |
| Intermediate Code Generation | Translates syntax tree to intermediate code | Three-Address Code, Intermediate Representations | LLVM, Clang | 300 |
| Optimization | Improves intermediate code for performance | Control Flow Analysis, Data Flow Analysis | LLVM Optimizations, GCC | 300 |
| Code Generation | Converts intermediate code to machine code | Assembly Language, Target Machine Architectures | LLVM, GCC, Clang | 300 |
| Code Optimization | Enhances generated machine code | Loop Optimization, Inlining, Vectorization | LLVM, GCC Optimizations | 300 |
| Runtime Environment | Manages code execution at runtime | Memory Management, Garbage Collection | JVM (Java), .NET CLR | 300 |
| Error Handling and Reporting | Detects and reports errors in source code | Error Recovery, Debugging | GDB, Valgrind | 300 |
| Compiler Tools | Software and libraries aiding in compiler construction | LLVM, GCC, Clang | LLVM, GCC, Clang, ANTLR | 300 |
| Parallel Processing | Techniques to increase processing speed | SIMD, MIMD, Multithreading | OpenMP, MPI, CUDA, OpenCL | 500 |
| Input/Output Systems | Management of data input and output | I/O Devices, Buses, DMA | SystemVerilog, UVM, Synopsys Design Compiler | 500 |
| Microarchitecture | Detailed design of processor components | Superscalar, Out-of-Order Execution | Gem5, Simics, RTL simulation tools | 500 |
| Performance Evaluation | Measuring and improving system performance | Benchmarks, Profiling, Amdahl's Law | SPEC CPU, Perf, Valgrind | 500 |
| Power Efficiency | Reducing power consumption of computer systems | Dynamic Voltage Scaling, Low-Power Design | Cadence Voltus, Synopsys PrimeTime | 500 |
| Emerging Technologies | New advancements in computer architecture | Quantum Computing, Neuromorphic Computing | IBM Qiskit, Intel Loihi, BrainScaleS | 500 |
| Embedded System Design | Design and implementation of embedded systems | Sensors, Actuators, Communication Protocols | Arduino, Raspberry Pi, FreeRTOS | 1,000 |
| Compiler Implementation | Building a compiler from scratch | Full Compiler Design, Testing, Optimization | LLVM, GCC, Clang | 1,000 |
| Real-Time Systems | Designing systems that respond to events within strict timing constraints | Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS), Scheduling | FreeRTOS, VxWorks, QNX | 500 |
| Embedded Linux | Using Linux in embedded systems | Kernel Development, Device Drivers | Yocto, Buildroot, U-Boot | 500 |
| Security in Embedded Systems | Ensuring security in embedded hardware and software | Encryption, Secure Boot, Trusted Execution Environment | OpenSSL, TPM, ARM TrustZone | 500 |
| Wireless Communication | Implementing wireless communication protocols | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, LoRa | RF modules, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) | 500 |
| Advanced Microcontrollers | Working with advanced microcontrollers | ARM Cortex, PIC, AVR | ARM Keil, MPLAB, Atmel Studio | 500 |
| FPGA Design | Designing with Field-Programmable Gate Arrays | FPGA Architecture, HDL | Xilinx Vivado, Altera Quartus | 500 |
| Hardware Testing and Debugging | Techniques for testing and debugging hardware | JTAG, Logic Analyzers, Oscilloscopes | OpenOCD, Saleae Logic, Tektronix Oscilloscope | 500 |
| Advanced Power Management | Techniques for managing power consumption in embedded systems | Dynamic Power Management, Low Power Modes | PowerPlay, Power Analyzer Tools | 500 |