This course surveys research literature relating to the design and implementation of operating systems. By the time you finish the class, you should have a good understanding of the problems that have faced OS designers over about the past 50 years, how they solve them, and how these systems relate to OS and system design issues today.
In addition to the body of readings around operating systems, the course will place a strong emphasis on your ability to critically read a paper, summarize your impressions of that paper in writing, and discuss what you have written with a group of your peers. The class will simulate a conference program committee: you will read and review papers as if you were deciding whether they should be accepted for publication, and will argue in favor of your decision in class.