DOUG OUVERSON: Building a modern computer from first principles

ABOUT TALK

What I hear, I forget; What I see, I remember; What I do, I understand. —Confucius, 551-479 BC

Doug’s presentation is his personal account of taking the widely-acclaimed Nand2Tetris course by Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken (nand2tetris.org).

Once upon a time, every computer specialist had a gestalt understanding of how computers worked. The overall interactions among hardware, software, compilers, and the operating system were simple and transparent enough to produce a coherent picture of the computer’s operations. As modern computer technologies have become increasingly more complex, this clarity is all but lost: the most fundamental ideas and techniques in computer science — the very essence of the field — are now hidden under many layers of obscure interfaces and proprietary implementations. An inevitable consequence of this complexity has been specialization, leading to computer science curricula of many courses, each covering a single aspect of the field.
The typical student is marshaled through a series of courses in programming, theory, and engineering, without pausing to appreciate the beauty of the picture at large. And the picture at large is such that hardware and software systems are tightly interrelated through a hidden web of abstractions, interfaces, and contract-based implementations. Failure to see this intricate enterprise in the flesh leaves many students and professionals with an uneasy feeling that, well, they don’t fully understand what’s going on inside computers.
The best way to understand how computers work is to build one from scratch. And that’s exactly what you get to do in the Nand2Tetris course. Building a general-purpose computer from first principles is of course a huge undertaking. Doug will share with us his journey and hopes to get input from the audience on how he can improve his creation.

ABOUT SPEAKER

Doug has been working as a full-stack developer for the past 16 years. He was introduced to Python through the Nand2Tetris course.
Doug has been married for 37 years, has 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren. He likes being on the water, spending time with family, and reading.

NOTE The event will be co-hosted with PyLadies SWFL and hosted in hybrid format.

FOR IN-PERSON ATTENDEES

The event will be held on the FGCU campus, in Holmes Hall, Room 224.
Please reference the map for parking and building location: https://www.fgcu.edu/campusmap/
On-campus directions for parking:
1. Enter campus using FGCU Blvd.
2. At the stop sign, turn left.
3. Parking garage #4 is on the right-hand side.
4. Park anywhere in the garage.