Course description

Course Title: Introduction to Low-Level Programming

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to low-level programming, empowering students with the skills and knowledge necessary to interact with computer hardware at a fundamental level. Low-level programming is the art of writing code that directly communicates with a computer's hardware, bypassing higher-level abstractions. The course covers key concepts, techniques, and tools essential for low-level programming in a variety of environments.

Prerequisites:

- Basic understanding of computer architecture

- Proficiency in at least one high-level programming language (e.g., C, C++, Python)

- Familiarity with data structures and algorithms

Course Outline:

Module 1: Introduction to Low-Level Programming

- Overview of low-level programming

- Importance and applications in system-level development

- Comparison with high-level programming languages

Module 2: Computer Architecture Fundamentals

- Understanding the CPU, memory, registers, and I/O devices

- Assembly language basics

- Memory hierarchy and addressing modes

 Module 3: Assembly Language Programming

- Introduction to x86 architecture

- Writing and understanding assembly language code

- Debugging and analyzing assembly code

 Module 4: System-Level Programming

- Interacting with the operating system

- System calls and interrupts

- Process and thread management

 Module 5: Memory Management

- Memory allocation and deallocation

- Pointers and dynamic memory

- Memory segmentation and paging

 Module 6: Input/Output Programming

- Communicating with peripheral devices

- File I/O operations

- Serial and parallel communication

 Module 7: Hardware Interfacing

- Interacting with hardware components

- Accessing I/O ports

- Interrupt handling and hardware communication

 Module 8: Low-Level Security

- Understanding vulnerabilities at the low level

- Buffer overflows and stack smashing

- Techniques for secure low-level programming

 Module 9: Embedded Systems Programming

- Introduction to embedded systems

- Writing firmware for microcontrollers

- Real-time operating systems (RTOS)

 Module 10: Advanced Topics

- Introduction to GPU programming

- SIMD and parallel programming

- Low-level optimization techniques

 Practical Projects and Assessments:

Students will be required to work on practical projects throughout the course to reinforce their understanding of low-level programming concepts. Assessments will include writing and debugging assembly code, implementing system-level programs, and optimizing code for performance.

 Final Project:

Students will undertake a final project that involves designing and implementing a low-level program or system. This project will allow them to apply the skills learned throughout the course in a real-world scenario.

By the end of this course, students will have a solid foundation in low-level programming, enabling them to tackle system-level challenges, optimize code for performance, and work on projects involving embedded systems and hardware interfacing.

What will i learn?