[tmccrmck]

> Later when I did read SICP, I didn't like it. Maybe that was like reading the book after seeing the movie. Dunno, but I didn't like it.

Which introductory CS books did you enjoy? I still love my copy of Patterson and Hennessy but it is dry compared to SICP. To someone who had only ever programmed in C++ before 61A, SICP felt like an adventure.

> As an aside, there was a whole subculture of students who read nothing but just did the HW and worked past tests and sets. They did amazingly well.

Yep. Sadly this has only become more common with the rapid growth of the major. Most of my friends were brilliant but they didn't love EECS. If they had been 10 years older they probably would have majored in math or physics but they felt pressured to study something that would get them a job. They were able to do well just by studying old tests.

We would only get old tests from HKN but many students were somehow able to illegally obtain them. Cheating has only become more rampant and more sophisticated -- the department is going to have to address it at some point instead of sticking their head in the sand.

[CalChris]

I strongly prefer Patterson and Hennessy Computer Organization and Design to their Computer Architecture which I really don't like; if I do look something up in CA, it's in an old edition. The Dragon Book 2nd ed is awesome. We didn't have a book for 61B. I didn't like the OS book whatever it was. Norvig + Russell is pretty darned good. The notes for CS 70 are awesome as are the CS 161 notes.

If Kubi is teaching just take the course.