Journal Entry - Week 7 (CST 334)

  1. Identify the topics we covered in class -- you can start by listing them


This week, we covered condition variables, IO devices, hard drives, files and directories, and file systems pertaining to data and access.


  1. Explain what each of the topics were in your own terms -- take the identified topics and add a sentence or two describing them


Condition variables let threads pause and wait until another thread signals that a specific condition has been satisfied. IO devices are a fancy term for hardware peripherals such as the mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc that communicate with the CPU. These IO devices are managed by the OS using drivers. Hard drives are persistent (meaning data does not go away once power is off) storage devices that keep data without power. Files are sequences of bytes with names while directories are tables which map the names to the files. Finally, file systems are structures on a disk that manage how data is stored and accessed.


  1. Identify least-understood topics -- of these topics, which was the hardest for you to write the descriptions?


For me, the least understood topic and hardest one for me to write about was condition variables.


  1. Explain the nature of your confusion -- for these difficult topics, what pieces of them make sense and what pieces are difficult to describe?


Condition variables were the most difficult topic for me to write about as it pertained to threads which are more difficult in my opinion than the other topics in this week.


  1. Identify "aha" moments -- which topic did you find it easiest to write about, and why did it make sense?


The easiest topic for me to write about was IO devices because it was not abstract and I understood how it communicated with the CPU to be operable.


  1. Ask questions -- what do you think will come next?  Are there any gaps that don't seem to be explained yet?


Will we learn more in depth about device drivers? There do not seem to be any gaps at this time.


  1. What connections did you see to other classes and applications -- have you used/heard/thought about these topics before?


I made a connection to the time I built my own computer. When I built my own computer, I learned the basics of how IO devices worked and the importance of installing device drivers to ensure optimal performance.

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