-*- text -*-
-* The p1-4.c testcase needs significant tuning. Currently it takes
- too long (especially when SHOW_PROGRESS is turned on) and doesn't
- show significant improvement.
+* The tests in tests/ don't apply the grading patches.
-* The semantics of the join system call should change so that it only
- returns the exit code once.
+* We need better example programs.
-* mmap/munmap should use segment IDs like Nachos. Too hard otherwise.
+ - Need an mmap example program as a replacement for the crappy mmap FAQ
+ question.
-* Some confusion--do we really get overlapping ro/rw segment in normal
- link? Student example seemed to show that we don't.
+* Threads:
-* Finish writing the tour.
+ - join-invalid doesn't compile if tid_t is not scalar type.
-* Come up with a way for us to release some of the tests.
+ - mlfqs tests suck. They aren't even correct, e.g. the amarv
+ submission from win0405 is graded incorrectly.
-* userprog project should mark read-only pages as actually read-only
- in the page table
+* Userprog project:
-* Add src/testcases/vm, src/testcases/filesys and make it clear to use
- them?
+ - Don't emphasize that stuff needs to be copied from user space to
+ kernel space. Instead, emphasize validation and suggest that
+ copying is a common solution and that it will be necessary in
+ project 3 and in real OSes. Also revise the grading criteria to
+ match.
-* Speed up disk routines: filling an 8 MB disk takes a long time.
+ - Move `join' implementation here, from `threads' project, to help
+ normalize the project difficulties.
-* Not sure that raw arc4 should really be used so much in the tests.
- Any reason not to use random_bytes()?
+ - The semantics of the join system call should change so that it
+ only returns the exit code once.
+
+ - Mark read-only pages as actually read-only in the page table. Or,
+ since this was consistently rated as the easiest project by the
+ students, require them to do it.
+
+ - Don't provide per-process pagedir implementation but only
+ single-process implementation and require students to implement
+ the separation? This project was rated as the easiest after all.
+ Alternately we could just remove the synchronization on pid
+ selection and check that students fix it.
+
+* VM project:
+
+ - Discuss the perils of mixing dirty bits between kernel and user virtual
+ memory.
+
+ - Sample solution.
+
+* Filesys project:
+
+ - Increase maximum disk size from 8 MB to something that actually
+ requires doubly indirect nodes. There is a negative pressure here
+ from the bitmap object--perhaps we need a specialized bitmap that
+ doesn't have to be all in-memory at once.
+
+ Alternatively, shrink the inode size.
+
+ - Add mkdir and ls example user programs.
+
+ - Add option to disable buffer cache.
+
+ - Get rid of "dump" commands--they're not really useful.
+
+ - Sample solution.
+
+* Documentation:
+
+ - Finish writing tour.
+
+ - Add "Digging Deeper" sections that describe the nitty-gritty x86
+ details for the benefit of those interested.
+
+ - Add explanations of what "real" OSes do to give students some
+ perspective.
+
+* Assignments:
+
+ - Add extra credit:
+
+ . Low-level x86 stuff, like paged page tables.
+
+ . Specifics on how to implement sbrk, malloc.
+
+ . Other good ideas.
+
+ - Add src/testcases/vm, src/testcases/filesys and make it clear to use
+ them?
+
+* Tests:
+
+ - Release some of them.
+
+ - The threads, userprog, vm test source files could use
+ factorization and cleanup along the lines of fslib in the filesys
+ tests.
+
+ - The p1-4.c testcase needs significant tuning. Currently it takes
+ too long (especially when SHOW_PROGRESS is turned on) and doesn't
+ show significant improvement.
-* Grading script patches needed anymore?
projects / pintos-anon / blobdiff