This is a summary of CS concepts, explained for my simple commonplacing and your public consumption. Consult my method to see how I built it.

NOTE: As of May 4th, 2025, I am taking a severe hiatus from all writing projects. I’ve been utterly broken and humbled, and don’t consider any of these essays to be sufficiently right anymore. This may change, but consider everything here as an archive of someone’s efforts who no longer exists.

Legend

• * This thing is currently a work in process, so I’m trying to organize it. You can see where I’m at right now on it.
• XX It’s a “live” page, but in no way really done.

Architecture

• Hardware: What Parts Does A Computer Need?
• Logic Gates/ALU: What Makes Computers Compute?
• Memory: How Does a Computer Remember Stuff?
• * CPU: How Does a Computer Work Through Code?
• * Assembly Code: What’s the Closest Way to How Computers Think?
• Motherboard: How Do Parts Fit Together?
• Quantum Computers: How Do Atoms Compute?
• * Raspberry Pi/Arduino: What Can Cheap Computers Do?
• Biological Computers: Is Life a Computer?

Programming

• * Programming Summarized: What Makes a Computer Do Things?
• * Code Basics: How Do Coders Code?
• * Code Features: Why Are Some Languages Special?
• * Software Design: How Do You Think Out Programs?
• * Software Redesign: Why Does Making Programs Take So Much Rework?
• * Version Control: How Do Programmers Keep Track of Stuff?
• * Software Maintenance: How Do Programmers Maintain Programs?
• * IDE: What Do Programmers Use to Make Programs?
• * Programming Languages, Anecdotally

Advanced Programming/Implementations

• * Programming Habits: What Separates Code Monkeys From 1337 C0dRz?
• * Games: How Do People Make Games?
• * Graphics How Do You Get Computers to Draw Things?
• * Artificial Intelligence: How Can Computers Seem Human?

Math

• * Boolean Math: How Do You Logic Math?

Algorithms & Data Structures

• * Algorithms: How Do Computers Manage Information?
• Data: What is Data?
• * Data Structures/Architecture: How Can a Computer Store Data?
• * Database: How Do Computers Hold Lots of Data?

Operating Systems

• * Operating Systems: What’s An OS?
• * Booting: How Does a Computer Start?
• Files/Programs: What are Computer Files/Programs?
• UX/UI: How Do People Make Computers Usable?
• * Consoles/Terminals: Why Do Some Computers Only Show Text?
• * Windows: How Does Windows Work?
• * Unix-Likes: How Does GNU/Linux Work?
• * Windows vs. Unix-Likes: What’s The Difference?

Networking

• * Networks: How Do Computers Connect With Each Other?
• * Protocols/Standards: How Do Computers Talk to Each Other?
• * Web Development: How Does the Internet Show Stuff?

Peripherals

• Input – Keyboard: How Does a Computer Understand What I Type?
• Input – Mouse: How Does a Computer Understand a Wiggling Hand?
• Input – Handwriting/OCR: How Does a Computer See Words?
• Input – Camera: How Does a Computer “See”?
• * Output – Screen: How Does a Computer Show Images & Words?
• Output – Printer: How Does a Computer Make Paper Images & Words?
• Output – 3D Printer: How Does a Computer Make Things in 3D?
• I/O – Radio: How Do We Send Information Through the Air?
• * I/O – Speakers/Microphone: How Does a Computer Receive and Send Sound?
• * I/O – GPS: How Do Computers Know Where You Are?
• I/O – VR/AR: How Do VR Headsets Work?
• I/O – Robotics: How Do Robots Do Things?
• I/O – Autonomous Vehicles: How Can Cars Self-Drive?

Distributed Systems

• * P2P: How Do Illegal Things STILL Get Downloaded?
• * Blockchain: So What’s Bitcoin, Anyway?

Cybersecurity

• * Hacking: What’s Hacking?
• * TL;DR Cybersecurity: How Do I Stay COMPLETELY Safe with Computers?
• * Data/App/Host Security: How Do You Protect Computers?
• * Malware: How Can Software Be Malicious?
• * Network Security/PenTesting: How Do Hackers Get Into Stuff?

CS Jobs

• When to Quit: How Do You Know Your Job Sucks?
• Image-Crafting: How Does a CS Résumé Look?
• Job-Hunting/Training/Researching: How Do Tech People Job Search?

Odd Specifics

• FAANG: What’s Up with Big Tech?
• FAANG: How to Fight Back
• * FLOSS Software: How Do You Give Away Software?
• Practical Insanity
• Geeky Jokes

Tech Wisdom

• * Gleaned Axioms
• Understand Primitives
• Not Understanding Is Good
• Tech Trends Suck
• How to Fix Technology
• How to Be Fast at Computers

Specific Technical Trivia

• Tech Esoterica
  • CLI Esoterica
  • Markdown Esoterica
  • Networking Esoterica
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Office Suite Keyboard Shortcuts
• Straightforward Hacks

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About

* Why This Site?

Who are you, anyway?

• I’m Dave Stucky.
• You might like other things I made.
• Follow my updates here.

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