Students majoring in computer science at the United States Military Academy (USMA) must take a course in operating systems. In this course the students complete a series of laboratory projects to learn the basic concepts of modern computer operating systems. During the last three semesters, our operating system laboratory scheme evolved (1) from having the students master a series of separate, unconnected projects (2) to modifying an existing operating system simulation (3) to finally having them completely build an operating system. This article will discuss each approach, its strengths and weaknesses and the rationale for changing to our current program.
/lp/association-for-computing-machinery/an-examination-of-operating-systems-laboratory-techniques-JkpjYneASa