This course introduces the fundamentals of operating systems design and implementation. Topics include the following.
In addition to these scheduled office hours, you are welcome to drop by and see if I am in my office and free to talk, or you can make an appointment by calling me or sending me e-mail. If I am not in my office during scheduled office hours, I should be somewhere in the building (perhaps in one of the labs helping another student), and there will often be a note on my door saying where to find me.
Most course-related information (this syllabus, homework and reading assignments, etc.) will be made available via the Web. The course Web page is a starting point for Web-accessible course material; you can find it linked from my home page (http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~bmassing) or directly at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~bmassing/Classes/CS4320_2006fall/HTML.
Grades in this course will be determined by the results of two major exams (a midterm and a final), several homework assignments, and class participation, weighted as follows.
| Component | Maximum points |
|---|---|
| Midterm exam | 100 |
| Final exam | 200 |
| Homework | about 300 |
| Class participation | 20 |
Numeric grades will be calculated as a simple percentage, by dividing total points earned on the above components by total points possible. These numeric grades will then be converted to letter grades based on a curve, but in no case will the resulting letter grades be worse than students would receive based on the following scheme.
| Numeric grade | Letter grade |
|---|---|
| 90 - 100 | A |
| 80 - 89 | B |
| 70 - 79 | C |
| 60 - 69 | D |
| 0 - 59 | F |
Exams are comprehensive but will emphasize the most recent material. They are scheduled as follows. Please plan accordingly (i.e., avoid scheduling anything else for that time).
Several homework assignments will be required for successful completion of this course. Some will require programming; others will not. Detailed requirements will be provided as part of each assignment; due dates will be announced via the course Web page.
Regular class attendance is strongly encouraged; class participation grades will be based in part on attendance.
Course-related announcements will sometimes be made by sending e-mail to the Trinity e-mail addresses of all registered students. Students are strongly encouraged to read mail sent to their Trinity addresses frequently. Important announcements will be archived and made available via the course Web page.
Exams can be made up only in cases of documented conflict with a university-sponsored activity, documented medical emergency, or conflict with a religious holiday.
Unless otherwise stated for a particular assignment, homework will be accepted up to one class period late, but no more, at a penalty of 10 percent off per working day. This penalty may be waived or additional time allowed at the instructor's discretion in cases of illness or conflict with a university-sponsored activity or religious holiday.
If you have unusual circumstances (as we all sometimes do), please discuss these with the instructor as far in advance as possible.
Unless otherwise specified, all work submitted for a grade (homework assignments and exams) must represent the student's own individual effort. For students covered by the Academic Honor Code, unless otherwise stated all submitted work (homework and exams) will be considered pledged work. Discussion of homework assignments among students is encouraged, but not to the point where detailed answers are being written collectively. Graded papers and sample solutions from previous years (whether exams or homeworks) are off limits. Answers that are identical beyond coincidence (either to another student's work or to a sample solution from a previous year) will be considered to be in violation of Trinity's Academic Integrity Policy or Academic Honor Code, whichever applies, and will result in disciplinary action. You are responsible for the security of your work, both electronic and hard copy.