Hey everyone! I'm eager to get my hands dirty with low-level programming to understand the inner workings of computers better. I've been thinking about starting with C to dive deeper. My professor suggested creating an operating system for devices like the ESP32, but I'm unsure about that as a starting point. I'd love to hear your project ideas or any learning materials you recommend. I want to grasp the concepts myself instead of just replicating existing work.
5 Answers
Honestly, the ESP32 might not be the best choice for building an OS. It’s quite limited. But working with Arduino and similar devices can really help you grasp low-level concepts. I’ve managed to write some neat C++ code on devices with just 1K of SRAM!
Check out 'Code: The Hidden Language' and 'From Nand to Tetris'. Both are fantastic resources, and they'll deepen your understanding of how computers function at a fundamental level.
Don't skip on studying computer architecture! Learning how software interacts with the kernel, memory allocation, and race conditions can offer deep insights and make your programming much more effective. It's fascinating stuff!
Have you thought about creating a software rasterizer or a ray tracer? They’re not strictly low-level, but they can be a lot of fun! These projects were a highlight for me in college and give a great mix of coding and creativity.
Absolutely! Delving into low-level machine learning can be super rewarding too. Understanding data processing at the hardware level really enhances your skills.
Building an interpreter or compiler could be a great project to explore low-level programming. You'll get to see how programming languages are processed from the ground up!
Couldn’t agree more! I keep copies of 'Code' on hand to share with anyone interested in programming.