I'm worried that it may just be my love for microcomputers, old mainframes, and just computers in general that is clouding my judgement but I think this would really improve the understanding of computational systems for anyone who was so inclined to participate in the course(s) required to teach this material. Much like the steriotipical sex-ed course where students are made to carry a baby I think college CS students should be made to "carry"* their example computer that they have worked so hare to maintain and program.
I feel that something like this would be rather easy to do, cost wise, as many fanatics (in an endering sense of the word) have constructed kits that replecate the functionality of these machiens. One such example is the PDP-8 kit. This would make it extremely affordable to build systems like these for may students to come. [0]
I'm not saying that this exact system should be used, I'm just a fan of DIGITAL and wish I could play with more of their gear (anyone in NJ with a PDP or other microcomputers my email is in my profile), but the stands.
- It's cheap to make
- They understand the "GOOD OLD DAYS" to better understand design choices made on old software they will be maintaining
- Due to the tough constraints of these machines they will likely cut corners. Corners we all have cut before. They will see the pain of doing that in a safe enviroment where millions of dollars or lives aren't on the line (like in the real world).
- They will know every portion of the computer inside and out.
- They'll get to friggen build things! Make things work! Really Program! (We all know the feeling of getting shit done and how addictive that is)
I agree. You have to learn from both directions: go read SICP, PLAI, TAPL, PAIP, Dragon, Algorithms, and whatever else so you have an understanding of the concepts.
Now build a Z80 or 6502-based computer (at the very least) and implement stuff on the bare metal so that you understand how the machine works, at least on a basic level.
But if you can't be bothered to actually build a computer yourself (which is completely understandable), and still want to get a feel for hardware, write some games for an old game console. I recommend the Gameboy: it's dirt cheap (~$20 for a GBA), you can buy a flashcart + reader/writer and/or SD cart from BennVenn for ~$80-$100 (although you may have to wait a bit until he restocks), it's well documented (the PanDoc and numerous tutorials can help you out), and the toolchain is widely available (actually, several toolchains are widely available: various forks of the now-dead RGBDS, and WLA-DX, which seems to be more lively, so it's what I'd reccomend).
IMHO it does not have to be a 9-12 year education. Just having a one year course of teaching assembly would suffice. Then the student could go on learning by himself/herself.
In order to write good programs, you already need years of work and self study. It's much like being a writer. The most important role of education is to guide people and teach properly, so they won't get lost and have courage to pursue knowledge.
The problem is that not all people are passionately interested in computing. Most people here on HN are, and would still be amazed if they did not have an access to computers and wrote hand-written assembly. But regular people, even the ones who have an interest in technology in general and most of my friends who are currently studying CS, do not feel the same way.
The current university education aims to supply specialized workers, not free tinkerers. In 4 years you can train someone to write working programs. But training someone to be good at programming requires a different mindset. In order to become better at programming one needs to enjoy programming and devote a certain piece of his/her life to it.
In short: programming is a lifelong pursuit. Like all skills you get better over time, if you stick to it. But guidance can really help in the process and opens many doors for the interested. That's why a path that covers the lowest level is important. There are not many resources and it can be quite frustrating for a beginner. I never had the chance to study CS in a formal setting, but I still remember everything from my computer classes in high school. I am grateful for every piece of theoretical knowledge I acquired at that time. I had a real hard time accepting that I could not study CS. It took me a while to realize that they do not teach the CS I want at the universities that my friends attended and I could still work with computers like I always did; by reading and tinkering.
I think books like this are extremely important for the unfortunate ones amongst us, who are really passionate about computers, but cannot pursue CS full-time in formal settings.
I feel that something like this would be rather easy to do, cost wise, as many fanatics (in an endering sense of the word) have constructed kits that replecate the functionality of these machiens. One such example is the PDP-8 kit. This would make it extremely affordable to build systems like these for may students to come. [0]
I'm not saying that this exact system should be used, I'm just a fan of DIGITAL and wish I could play with more of their gear (anyone in NJ with a PDP or other microcomputers my email is in my profile), but the stands.
* Not carry everywhere, just to class and home.[0] - http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardware/SBC6120-2.htm