Best CS Fundamentals & Systems courses
The 166 CS Fundamentals & Systems courses programmers recommend to each other on Hacker News, ranked by how many people recommended each one, how strongly, in how many separate threads and over how many years (473 recommendations, 2006 to October 2026). 104 of them are free. How ranking works.
The Elements of Computing Systems (Nand2Tetris)
nand2tetris.org · intermediate · free
Commenters call it a fantastic, practical way to understand how computers work from first principles, with one saying it is probably the best course they have taken.
CS50: Introduction to Computer Science
Harvard University · beginner · free
Commenters repeatedly call it an excellent, high-production-value intro that builds a strong foundation, with David Malan's lecturing singled out as a major strength.
Human Behavioral Biology (Robert Sapolsky)
Stanford University · beginner · free
Commenters call it accessible, engaging, and deep, and several say it changed how they think about behavior, aggression, and depression.
6.824 Distributed Systems
MIT OpenCourseWare · advanced · free
Commenters call it an excellent, hands-on introduction to distributed systems, valuable because the labs force you to implement and debug real designs.
15-213 Introduction to Computer Systems
Carnegie Mellon University · intermediate · free
Commenters call it one of the best-taught courses they've taken, praise its labs and online lecture presentation, and recommend it as a foundation in systems programming and x86 assembly.
6.004 Computation Structures
MIT OpenCourseWare · intermediate · free
Commenters call it an excellent, clear walk through abstraction layers from 1s and 0s up to a CPU, and say it shaped their careers in systems work.
6.828 Operating System Engineering
MIT OpenCourseWare · advanced · free
Commenters call it one of the best OS courses and say the labs are very hard and very rewarding, with the xv6 codebase praised as small enough to understand fully.
CS106A Programming Methodology
Stanford University · beginner · free
Commenters call it a fun, well-structured introduction to programming and computer science, with a lecturer who is easy to learn from and assignments that give quick, rewarding results.
6.002x Circuits and Electronics
edX · beginner · free
Commenters call it one of the best online courses they've taken, praising the lectures, the interactive exercises, and how well it explains how electronics and computers work.
The Missing Semester of Your CS Education
MIT CSAIL · beginner · free
Commenters call it a godsend and highly recommend it regardless of level, for filling the gap of practical tooling that classes don't teach.
CS101 Introduction to Computer Science
Coursera · beginner · free
Most commenters name Udacity's CS101 as the best free intro to CS for beginners, so this Coursera entry is mainly a pointer to a similar course; only one comment directly recommends the Coursera version.
CS 61C Great Ideas in Computer Architecture
UC Berkeley · beginner · free
Commenters call it a transformative foundation for understanding how computers actually work, and recommend it especially for learning C and C++ and machine-level behavior.
Build a Computer
Coursera · beginner · free
Commenters call it a gentle, very hands-on introduction to how computers work from first principles, and say the layered approach is valuable even for software people.
Computer Networks
Coursera · beginner · free
Commenters call it an excellent, well-rounded networking course and say it is good even as an introductory class.
6.033 Computer System Engineering
MIT OpenCourseWare · intermediate · free
Commenters call it a principled introduction to core systems concepts and a good prerequisite for operating systems work, and one says it drove their career into systems development.
Embedded Systems - Shape the World
edX · beginner · freemium
Commenters call it an excellent, high-quality hands-on introduction to embedded programming that works on real hardware.
Software Debugging
Udacity · mixed · free
Commenters call it excellent and say it goes beyond debugger commands to the underlying methods for finding bugs and automating debugging.
Feynman Lectures on Computation
Caltech · advanced
Commenters recommend it for its still-relevant treatment of computing and its habit of tying computation back to physics.
15-122 Principles of Imperative Computation
Carnegie Mellon University · beginner · free
Commenters call it mind-blowing for teaching them how to reason about their programs, and praise the course notes as excellent.
Introduction to Computer Networking
Stanford Lagunita · intermediate · free
Commenters call it the best free networking course out there, citing its undiluted Stanford-level content and the added labs that balance theory with practice.
Distributed Systems (Martin Kleppmann)
YouTube · intermediate · free
Commenters call it excellent and say Martin is a great teacher, with the lecture notes and videos praised as high quality and concise.
CS10 The Beauty and Joy of Computing
UC Berkeley · beginner
Commenters describe it as a good intro to thinking like a programmer and a sensible step before the CS61 series.
The Hardware/Software Interface
Coursera · advanced · free
Commenters call it their favorite online course and praise its assignments, and one notes it is a great companion to the CS:APP book.
Performance Aware Programming
computerenhance.com · intermediate · paid
Commenters call it a great course for experienced programmers who want to understand how to measure and write high-performance code, and praise its hands-on look at how instructions are encoded.
CS 140 Operating Systems
Stanford University · intermediate · free
Commenters point to its Pintos projects as a deeply instructive way to learn operating systems by building one, and describe it as a famously demanding course.
Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science
MIT OpenCourseWare · intermediate · free
Commenters point to it as a rigorous, mathematically grounded overview of theoretical CS, with Scott Aaronson's lecture notes singled out as worth reading.
15-440 Distributed Systems
Carnegie Mellon University · intermediate · free
Commenters point to the course's lecture notes as a solid grounding in distributed systems, one saying it gave them a really good foundation and another calling it a great course.
Digital Design and Computer Architecture (Onur Mutlu)
YouTube · intermediate · free
Commenters call it an amazing computer architecture course and a favorite, one recommended as a standout among free CS materials.
CS191x Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computation
edX · intermediate · free
Commenters highly recommend it as a way to learn how quantum computation actually works.
CS107 Computer Organization & Systems
Stanford University · intermediate · free
Commenters point to it as a solid way to learn C and the memory-level details that higher-level languages hide, with one saying it is a good alternative to skipping C in a CS degree.
Crash Course Computer Science
YouTube · beginner · free
Commenters point to it as a well-made, watchable high-level introduction to CS history and core concepts, suitable for teens and homeschoolers.
Operating Systems (Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau)
University of Wisconsin-Madison · intermediate · free
Commenters praise the course's approachable materials and the instructor, calling him the best professor they had and the OSTEP text really good and approachable.
Heterogeneous Parallel Programming
Coursera · intermediate · free
Commenters point to it as a strong option for learning GPU programming, with one calling it an excellent class taught by Wen Mei Hwu.
Introduction to Linux
edX · beginner · free
Commenters say it fills in Linux background that self-taught learners often miss, and that it is free despite the Linux Foundation's paid training normally costing thousands.
Crash Course Electronics and PCB Design
Udemy · beginner · paid
Commenters praise the instructor's teaching, saying he emphasizes natural experimentation and makes sure students understand what is going on, and call the content very high quality for the price.
Compilers
Stanford via edX · intermediate · free
Commenters call Alex Aiken's compiler course excellent and point to it as a good option for anyone wanting to learn compilers, such as when building a transpiler.
6.0001 Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python
MIT OCW · beginner · free
Commenters recommend it as a solid Python-based introduction to programming and algorithms, though one commenter prefers Harvard's CS50 as a starting point.
CCNA
Udemy · beginner · paid
Commenters point to Chris Bryant's Udemy CCNA course as high quality and a cheaper alternative to official Cisco training, with one suggesting skipping the Cisco-specific parts for general networking basics.
Introduction to Kubernetes
edX · beginner · free
Commenters recommend it as a free starting point for someone fresh to Kubernetes, noting it gives a solid introduction and useful notes.
Cloud Computing
Coursera · beginner
Commenters call it a great introduction to distributed computing and coordination algorithms, and recommend it as a starting point before reading papers like Paxos.
CS 194-24 Advanced Operating Systems
UC Berkeley · advanced · free
Commenters point to it as a well-regarded advanced OS course, with one calling Prof. Kubi's course "very good" and another calling it "pretty cool."
6.035 Computer Language Engineering
MIT OpenCourseWare · intermediate · free
Commenters point to it as a companion to the Dragon Book for learning compilers, with useful notes even though the official OCW page lacks videos.
Cloud Computing Concepts
Coursera · intermediate · free
Commenters find the topic extremely interesting and point to it as a way into distributed systems concepts like fault tolerance and consensus.
15-410 Operating System Design and Implementation
Carnegie Mellon University · advanced
Commenters call it a great course, with one saying anyone at CMU should take it if they have a high pain tolerance, and describe the hands-on kernel project as an intense but valuable experience.
Intro to Operating Systems
Udacity · beginner · free
One commenter used it to learn everything needed for a WGU operating systems test, and another is working through it alongside the OS Concepts textbook.
CS61: Systems Programming and Machine Organization
Harvard University · intermediate
Commenters call it one of the outstanding CS courses in the Harvard sequence, though terse in style, and recommend it as a next step after CS50.
Real-Time Bluetooth Networks - Shape the World
edX · advanced
Commenters praise the excellent quality of the predecessor embedded systems course, which runs on real hardware, and say it raises expectations for this follow-up on RTOS and Bluetooth.
Pattern-Oriented Software Architectures for Concurrent and Networked Software
Coursera · advanced · free
One commenter says they are very pleased with its material and presentation, calling it very informative and comparing it favorably to another Coursera course they are taking.
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python
edX · beginner · free
Commenters say they never tire of recommending it as a starting point for learning computer science with Python.
Parallel Computing
Aalto University · intermediate · free
Commenters describe it as a challenging online course with a lot of depth, going beyond fill-in-the-blank exercises.
The Elements of Computing Systems (Nand2Tetris) Part II
Coursera · intermediate · freemium
Commenters who completed both parts describe enjoying the course, though one notes the teachyourselfcs.com writers only recommend the first part, so fit depends on the reader's approach.
Pico-based Microcontroller Course
YouTube · free
One commenter highly recommends it as a course on the Pico-based microcontroller, though the comment gives no further detail on why it works well.
Harvard Extension course (Tom Hayes)
Harvard Extension School · beginner
One commenter says it was a course they loved that set them on the path to becoming an embedded engineer, and they suggest it to anyone in the Boston area.
Computer Science Immersion
Bradfield School of Computer Science · intermediate · paid
Commenters strongly recommend it for the driven, knowledge-focused peers you work alongside, and point to the school's free teachyourselfcs.com material as a related resource.
Modern Robotics: Mechanics, Planning, and Control Specialization
Coursera · beginner · freemium
Commenters call it a great high-level starting point for getting into robotics.
Computer Graphics (Ken Joy)
YouTube · beginner · free
Commenters call it the best introduction to 3D graphics programming and say it covers key concepts and math better than courses from MIT, Berkeley, and CMU.
CPSC 110 Computation and Programming
University of British Columbia · beginner · free
Commenters call it the best course they've taken and note it can be completed for free, with no background requirements.
Fun to Imagine (Richard Feynman)
YouTube · beginner · free
Commenters recommend it as an accessible, fun introduction to physics for people who don't enjoy the equations, with Feynman talking through everyday questions in his own relaxed style.
The Science of the Solar System
Coursera · beginner · free
Commenters call it excellent and highly recommended, and note that it is free.
Theory of Computation (TU Delft)
YouTube · intermediate · free
One commenter says they highly recommend it, saying the videos made regular expressions obvious and they use that understanding almost daily.
Intro to Electronics
Analog Devices · beginner · free
One commenter calls it an excellent free introduction and says Analog's courses are comparable to university-level material minus TA support.
Introduction to Distributed Systems (Linsey Kuper)
YouTube · beginner · free
Commenters call it high-quality introductory material on distributed systems, at about 26 hours of content.
CS 4410 Operating Systems
Northeastern University · intermediate · free
A commenter calls it "really really good" and highly recommends it alongside a similar video-based course.
Circuits
Khan Academy · beginner · free
One commenter recommends it as a basic starting point for learning how electricity works, alongside the related charge and electrical engineering units.
CS 3210 Design of Operating Systems
Georgia Tech · intermediate
One commenter calls it among their favorite undergrad courses and says they learned more general concepts there than in almost anything else, despite finding it frustrating.
CS 6210 Advanced Operating Systems
Georgia Tech · advanced
One commenter calls CS 3210 and 6210 their favorite undergrad courses and says they learned more general concepts there than anywhere else.
Kubernetes course (Nigel Poulton)
Pluralsight · paid
Commenters recommend it highly as a Kubernetes course from a well-regarded instructor on Pluralsight.
CS 4290/6290 High-Performance Computer Architecture
Georgia Tech · advanced
The commenter, a former student, highly recommends it for the depth of material and says it builds on the earlier systems course CS 2200.
CS168: Internet Architecture
UC Berkeley · intermediate
One commenter highly recommends it, calling it among the three courses most influential on their undergraduate experience, and specifically suggests taking it with Scott Shenker.
CSEP 552 Distributed Systems
University of Washington · advanced · free
Commenters say the recorded lectures by Prof. Steve Gribble are extremely informative and fun to listen to, and one commenter couldn't recommend them more.
Computer Systems (Warford)
Pepperdine University · beginner · free
Commenters call it an absolutely wonderful series of lectures on computer systems, CPU architecture, and assembly.
15-411 Compiler Design
Carnegie Mellon University · advanced
Commenters say the build-a-whole-compiler-early approach gives the full picture within the first weeks, and that everyone they knew who finished it highly recommended it.
CS 2110
Georgia Tech · intermediate
Commenters describe it as a solid combination of the material from ECE 2030 and the C content of CS 2130, and one says it was the course that led to their current job.
CS244 Advanced Topics in Networking
Stanford University · advanced
One commenter calls it probably their favorite class at Stanford, recalling that under McKeown it had students build essentially the entire internet over the quarter.
Computer Science (Richard Buckland)
YouTube · beginner · free
Commenters call it a compelling starting point that covers the fundamentals in a way they say usually only a classroom provides.
Computation Structures Part 1: Digital Circuits
edX · intermediate · free
Commenters describe it as a great introduction for software people who want to understand how CPUs are built, with hands-on lab work in a simulator.
Computation Structures Part 2: Computer Architecture
edX · intermediate · free
Commenters present it as the follow-on to Part 1 that takes you from a working ALU to a full processor, and one who took it says it is worth the time.
Reliable Distributed Algorithms
edX · advanced · free
Commenters point to it as a good route into distributed systems, with one calling Parts I and II great.
Delta-Sigma Modulators (Richard Schreier lectures)
Unspecified · advanced
Commenters point to Richard Schreier's lectures as a deeper dive after introductory material on sigma-delta conversion.
Build Your Own Drone Tracking Radar
YouTube · intermediate · free
Commenters point to it as a practical starting point for hands-on passive radar, supplying receiver data and a route into the underlying theory.
Concurrency Course (Jenkov)
YouTube · intermediate · free
One commenter suggests it as the course to watch first for anyone seriously interested in concurrency, pointing to it as a grounding resource.
Real Analog
Real Analog · beginner · free
Commenters suggest it as a nice entry point into electronics and embedded systems when paired with a Digilent Analog Discovery kit and an Arduino board.
Introduction to Computer Science
Khan Academy · beginner · free
One commenter credits the Khan Academy CS tutorials as the way they got started as a kid, and praises the responsive community that comments on learners' programs.
CS 8803 O21: GPU Hardware and Software
Georgia Tech · advanced
One commenter suggests it as the deeper follow-up after an introductory CUDA course, positioning it as the step beyond basics.
xv6 Operating System
YouTube · intermediate · free
A commenter says the playlist looks very good as a substitute when MIT's own lecture recordings could not be found.
Digital Design and Computer Architecture
ETH Zürich · intermediate · free
One commenter recommends it as a way to understand computers at a lower level, alongside From Nand to Tetris.
Computer Architecture 2015 (Onur Mutlu)
Carnegie Mellon University · advanced · free
One commenter recommends the GPU portion of the CMU lecture series as a more rigorous treatment of how GPU cores compare to CPU cores, calling it "quite great" while noting it strays into alternatives rather than focusing on shipped designs.
Introduction to Computer Science
YouTube · beginner · free
A commenter calls it a very good free course on computer science and suggests it as an alternative to books for understanding how computers work.
Introduction to Computer Science (Harry Porter)
YouTube · beginner · free
Commenters suggest it as an easy on-ramp into computer science before moving on to harder material.
Quantum Gravity lectures (Leonard Susskind)
YouTube · intermediate · free
Commenters point to Susskind's lectures as approachable physics content that rewards repeated viewing, and one suggests them for viewers with a basic calculus and vectors background.
CS6200 Graduate Introduction to Operating Systems
Georgia Tech · advanced
Commenters list it among the other top-rated OMSCS courses, calling it really good.
Performance Modeling
Carnegie Mellon University · intermediate
Commenters say people who took the course at CMU speak very well of the class and the professor.
FreeBSD Kernel Internals
Kirk McKusick · advanced · paid
One commenter, who was pointed to it while preparing for a Google SRE interview, calls it excellent, though they note it is expensive.
CPU and Instruction Set Design Lectures (Ivan Godard)
YouTube · advanced · free
Commenters recommend watching the entire series to anyone interested in CPU and instruction set design, and warn it may make them unhappy with current mainstream architectures.
ECE 3056 Architecture, Concurrency and Energy of Computation
Georgia Tech · intermediate · free
One commenter suggests it to software engineers wanting to understand the hardware side of computing, pointing to the lots of public material available online.
Build a 6502 Computer (Ben Eater)
YouTube · intermediate · free
A commenter suggests it as a way to start with physical hardware and build a first computer, pointing to Eater's 6502 videos and parts kits.
Raspberry Pi: Write Your Own Operating System
Udemy · intermediate · paid
One commenter points to it as a follow-up for ARM kernel writing, citing a good experience with the same authors' x86 course, while noting it is paid.
CKAD course
Udemy · intermediate · paid
One commenter says friends have heard good things about it and calls it a good option alongside other cloud certification prep.
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
Udemy · intermediate · paid
A commenter calls it an excellent course for ramping up on Kubernetes and includes sandbox hands-on exercises.
The Complete Network Fundamentals
Cisco · beginner
Commenters describe it as a good way to build a solid networking base, with CCNA as the natural first step for someone new to the subject.
Introduction to the Internet of Things and Embedded Systems
edX · beginner · free
Commenters call it a great, very low-level introduction that teaches circuitry basics and gets you building with Arduino, with browser-based circuit simulation.
StarCode Galaxy
Molly Rocket · intermediate · paid
One commenter lists it among concrete next steps for a developer who only builds CRUD apps, alongside CS50 and Nand2Tetris.
CS631 Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment
Stevens Institute of Technology · advanced · free
Commenters single it out for its graduated progression of exercises, which they say is hard to find elsewhere.
Networking Course
Udemy · beginner · paid
A senior developer suggests it as the easy route for junior devs to pick up the general networking knowledge employers expect, saying you don't have to be an expert, just take a networking course on Udemy.
CS106X Programming Abstractions
Stanford University · intermediate · free
One commenter calls the course reader "really good" and recommends it as a step after beginner programming for someone heading toward data engineering.
CS140e Experimental Operating Systems
Stanford University · advanced
Commenters describe it as a hands-on way to build an operating system from scratch on real hardware, while warning that it is demanding and not an easy option.
Electronics Course (Andre Lamothe)
Udemy · beginner · paid
One commenter calls it an incredible course for learning high-level electronics, recommending it as a way in for someone who is not yet familiar with the field.
CS294 Virtual Machines
UC Berkeley · advanced · free
Commenters point to it as an in-depth introduction to virtual machines with video lectures and hands-on exercises that works well for self-paced study.
Code in Place
Stanford University · beginner · free
One commenter describes the experience as rewarding, especially for volunteers who lead small sections as TAs.
CS144 Computer Networking
Stanford University · advanced · free
Commenters point to its lab assignments, which they describe as the way they worked through networking in practice.
Logical Foundations of Cyber-Physical Systems
Symbolaris · advanced · free
The commenter suggests it as a follow-on for programmers who want to program drones, robots, or self-driving cars, noting that it heavily uses differential invariants and that all lectures are open.
CS152 Computer Architecture and Engineering
UC Berkeley · advanced
One commenter lists the CS152 slide decks among Berkeley EECS course materials they regularly go through, calling the Berkeley classes great.
Computer Architecture
Princeton University · intermediate
One commenter calls Princeton's Computer Architecture course great in a thread asking for Coursera course recommendations.
Cloud Computing 2
Coursera · intermediate
A commenter recommends it as one of two UIUC Coursera courses useful for learning distributed systems design.
CS121: Introduction to Theory of Computation
Harvard University · intermediate
The commenter lists it among the courses they 'definitely recommend' for a CS-oriented online degree, alongside CS50 and CS124.
Introduction to Computer Science (Princeton)
Coursera · beginner · free
Commenters recommend it as the programming starting point in the Teach Yourself CS resource, noting it comes with videos and graded assignments.
Intro to Theoretical Computer Science
Udacity · beginner · free
Commenters recommend it as one of two free Udacity courses for learning advanced computer science fundamentals.
History of the Internet
Coursera · beginner
A commenter calls it a great course that covers the technology history alongside interviews with major players.
Information Theory
Khan Academy · beginner · free
One commenter calls the Khan Academy information theory material "really great" when asked for CS fundamentals resources.
Logic and Computational Thinking
edX · beginner
Commenters call it a good, unintimidating starting point for understanding how computers 'think', and say it helped a self-described weak-at-math student build the confidence to tackle numbers.
Theory of Computation
YouTube · intermediate · free
One commenter recommends pairing a classic theory book with Professor Porter's YouTube course on theory of computation as a way to get a footing in CS theory.
AWS CloudFormation
Udemy · paid
The commenter urges learning CloudFormation instead of creating resources manually and links this Udemy course, calling Udemy courses in general "really good, cheap, thorough."
Internet 101
Khan Academy · beginner · free
One commenter points a learner who wants to understand the internet toward the Khan Academy course as a starting point.
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming for Non-Programmers
MIT OpenCourseWare · beginner · free
The commenter calls it a good free intro to computer science and says many working developers lack the basics it covers.
Operating Systems (CS 416)
Rutgers University · intermediate · free
Commenters describe it as a quick, concise, pragmatic way to learn operating systems.
Quantum Computation (Umesh Vazirani)
UC Berkeley OpenCourseWare · beginner · free
A commenter points people to it as an accessible entry into quantum information science.
Software Debugging (Andreas Zeller)
Saarland University · free
Commenters call it excellent and note that few universities offer a full course on debugging.
15-112 Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University · beginner · free
Commenters call it an excellent launching pad for self-taught programmers, with free lectures and homework that can build a portfolio.
Computer Networking
Udacity · beginner · free
A commenter suggests it as a free option for anyone with time who wants to learn about the internet's protocols.
Learn TLA+
learntla.com · beginner
Commenters point to it as the way to get started with TLA+ for checking designs such as microservice architectures before writing code.
x86 Asm Foundations
Udemy · beginner · paid
One commenter calls it a fantastic, very thorough and practical assembly course that teaches the basics on Win32.
Bash Shell Scripting
Udemy · beginner · paid
Commenters recommend it as a practical starting point for colleagues new to Linux, especially for the gotchas that the docs don't make obvious.
CS 107 / Programming Methodology (Stanford lecture series by Phil Levis)
Stanford University · intermediate · free
Commenters say the lectures are great and the material is at a solid undergraduate level, suitable for someone with one to two years of CS background.
CS 343 Concurrency
University of Waterloo · advanced
Commenters describe the course notes as fantastic and point to them as a good way into coroutines and concurrent programming.
Distributed Systems (Murat Demirbas)
University at Buffalo · intermediate
One commenter who took the course at UB calls Murat an awesome professor and says they enjoyed his lectures.
Great Moments in Computing (COS 583)
Princeton University · advanced
Commenters describe it as a set of well-worth-reading papers that are accessible with some effort to anyone with an undergraduate CS degree.
Nanomanufacturing
Stanford University · intermediate · free
The commenter, who worked in the semiconductor industry, found it useful for seeing what chip manufacturing and packaging involve beyond the physics.
Intro to Physical Computing
Carnegie Mellon University · beginner · free
One commenter calls the CMU course materials an excellent jumping-off point for getting started with hardware development.
Docker Deep Dive
Pluralsight · paid
Commenters mention it as a course they plan to take, having liked Nigel Poulton's earlier Docker courses.
Quantum Computer Science: An Introduction (CS483)
Cornell University · beginner · free
Commenters point to it as a good introduction aimed at computer scientists who lack a physics background, with the lecture notes freely available online.
15-418 Parallel Computer Architecture and Programming
Carnegie Mellon University · advanced · free
Commenters point to its publicly available lectures, such as the GPU architecture and CUDA programming lecture, as a free resource alongside CUDA introductions.
COS 126 Command Line
Princeton University · beginner · free
Commenters point to it as a good resource for learning the command line.
EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium
Stanford University · mixed · free
One commenter points to its lectures as a way to discover emerging technologies, noting that while it cannot be comprehensive, it tries to cover what will be important soon.
Fundamentals of Computer Science
Lynda.com · beginner
Commenters say some of the lectures are great and that they relied on them when their college CS instruction was weak.
6.045J Automata, Computability, and Complexity
MIT OpenCourseWare · intermediate · free
One commenter calls it a good introduction to how to think about theoretical computer science, valued more for its reasoning than as a pure math class.
Automata Theory
NC State University · intermediate
The one commenter calls the NC State instruction excellent for theory classes like Automata and says the online sections are run like in-person classes with no transcript notation.
Computer Architecture
Coursera · intermediate
One commenter recommends it as a sound way to learn how CPU pieces fit together, and suggests pairing it with hands-on VHDL or Verilog work.
CS259
Udacity
One commenter recommends it as a way to strengthen debugging skills, in the context of a thread about identifying bottlenecks.
Hardware Reverse Engineering
RPI · free
A commenter calls it a great class and points to its publicly available lecture slides, using the die photos in lecture 4 as an example of what components look like.
Introduction to Program Design
Coursera · beginner
One commenter calls it good, listing it among courses they found worthwhile alongside Grossman's and Van Hentenryck's.
Inside the Internet: How the Internet Works
Coursera · beginner
Commenters suggest it as a course-form alternative to books for anyone wanting to learn the history of technology.
Linux Kernel Development
Linux Foundation · intermediate · paid
Commenters describe it as a worthwhile deep dive into how the kernel works, which they say shapes userspace decisions, and say it is well worth the money despite the cost.
Programming Design
Coursera · beginner · free
One commenter calls it a wonderful class for someone starting out and a good outline for learning systematic design.
COMP 512 Advanced Compiler Construction
Rice University · advanced · free
One commenter points to its lecture materials as a relatively approachable set of resources on compiler internals like CFGs and SSA form.
CS 3214 Computing Systems
Virginia Tech · intermediate
The commenter calls it an excellent course that taught concepts and skills they had otherwise picked up in an ad-hoc way.
CS 798 Mathematical Foundations of Computer Networking
University of Waterloo · advanced
The commenter calls it a really great course with a broad set of topics, similar in structure to Stat 110.
CS 235 Advanced Operating Systems
UCLA · advanced
One commenter says they took it and learned a lot, and suggests it covers material similar to MIT's 6.828.
CS 537 Introduction to Operating Systems
University of Wisconsin-Madison · intermediate · free
A commenter calls the lecture notes excellent and free, and notes the lectures are not specific to xv6 even though the projects are.
15-251 Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University · beginner
One commenter says it looks like ideal material for getting a taste of computer science.
Physics of Sound and Music (Walter Lewin)
MIT · beginner · free
Commenters recommend it as secondary material for learning music theory because it is a serious physics lecture made accessible, with plenty of hands-on experiments.
Operating Systems and System Programming
iTunes U · intermediate · free
Commenters point to its free, high-quality university lectures as a solid way to build operating systems knowledge step by step.
Introduction to Computer Science
MIT OpenCourseWare · beginner · free
One commenter calls it very cool and easy to follow, and says it should cover gaps left by a missed undergraduate education.
Introduction to Robotics
iTunes U · beginner · free
Commenters suggest taking a couple of its lectures as a starting point for understanding robots like LittleDog.
CS 3 Symbolic Programming with Scheme
UC Berkeley · beginner
One commenter calls it an "awesome course" and contrasts it favorably with a lighter alternative intro course for non-majors.
CS 2110 Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures
Cornell University · intermediate
One commenter says it does a very good job of combining the relevant parts of ECE 2030 and the C material of CS 2130, making it a solid replacement for those concepts.
Introduction to Computer Science
Academic Earth · beginner · free
One commenter suggests it as a way for complete beginners to build basic computer knowledge before learning HTML.