General Information

MIT catalog description

Topics on the engineering of computer software and hardware systems: techniques for controlling complexity; strong modularity using client-server design, virtual memory, and threads; networks; atomicity and coordination of parallel activities; recovery and reliability; privacy, security, and encryption; and impact of computer systems on society. Case studies of working systems and readings from the current literature provide comparisons and contrasts. Two design projects. Students engage in extensive written communication exercises. Enrollment may be limited. 4 Engineering Design Points.

Underground Reviews (require an MIT personal certificate): 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996

Announcements

For announcements and assignments, the Web is our authoritative form of communication. We expect students to check the 6.033 home page for both news and assignments regularly, every couple of days. If you hear a rumor, check it there. If you miss an announcement, it should be in the News Archive.

MIT Web Certificates

Access to a number of documents on the course web site is restricted to its students, using MIT Web Certificates. Protected documents include some of the reading materials with copyright restrictions, and the recitation/tutorial assignments.

Grading Policy

You will receive two grades: one from the writing program (your writing grade) and one from the 6.033 staff (your 6.033 grade), which are combined in a final grade as follows.

Your final grade is your 6.033 grade unless you received lower than a B for your writing grade. If you receive lower than a B, your final grade will be your 6.033 grade but dropped by one letter grade.

Your 6.033 grade is based on three components: section evaluation, design projects, and quizzes. They are weighted as follows:

Section Evaluation

The section part of your grade reflects your overall level of participation in recitation and tutorial as well as a series of weekly hands-on projects that support recitation. Section instructors will base at least half of the evaluation on your communication skills: oral communication skills as observed in recitation paper discussions in class and written communication skills as evaluated by your instructor and your teaching assistant. The remainder of your section grade is based on the quality and enthusiasm of your participation, your understanding of the papers, and on whether you handed in the assignments, since the exercises aid your ability to discuss the papers.

During most weeks, you will be expected to complete a hands-on experiment that requires a computer, usually an Athena workstation, and sometimes using the Web. The idea is to reinforce some of the abstract concepts from the lectures or papers that week and find out how things really work. These assignments generally do not require programming.

Design Projects

As in 2005, in 2006 the design projects will be given more emphasis than in years before. The final result of each will be an extended paper in which you describe a detailed system design to solve a real-world problem. There will be two design projects, each of which will extend over roughly half the semester. The first will be an individual project; the second will be done in teams of three students from the same recitation.

The first design paper will be forwarded to the Communication Program and graded on writing, as described in the section on writing requirements.

One of the teaching assistants' primary roles is to tie the design projects into the topics covered in lectures and recitations. On most Fridays, they will be teaching "tutorials" to explain the design projects' requirements and some of the tradeoffs inherent in the projects. Like lectures and recitations, these tutorials are mandatory. Students are also welcome to ask questions about the design projects during TA office hours.

A couple of weeks into each design project, you'll be asked to hand in a short design proposal. We'll evaluate this to make sure you're on the right track and to suggest writing improvements, but it will only count against the project grade if you fail to hand it in. We'll also discuss common mistakes during tutorial. Both design project proposals will be forwarded to the writing program, and be graded according to the description in the writing requirements section.

Quizzes

Two quizzes are held during the term. A third quiz (1.5 hours in length) will be scheduled during finals week. Each quiz will focus on a third of the class's material, but keep in mind that later topics in 6.033 build heavily upon the earlier topics. The quizzes count as follows: 12.5% quiz, 12.5% quiz 2, and 15% quiz 3.

Non-linearities

Please note well: Although the formula to calculate your final 6.033 grade appears to be linear, there are some important non-linearities in the calculation. These non-linearities are the four ways in which you can be sure of getting an F in 6.033:

1. Traditional method (which actually is the result of the linear formula mentioned above): Provide convincing evidence, in the form of exceptionally low or missing grades on quizzes and other assignments, that you have gotten little or nothing out of the subject. Note that if you don't regularly attend recitation and tutorial, you will receive an F for the section evaluation, even if you have faithfully handed in the assignments.
2. Fail to turn in Design Project #1 by the last day of class.
3. Fail to turn in Design Project #2 by the last day of class.

Collaboration

Our policy is simple, based on professional standards: on quizzes you should not collaborate. On all other assignments you are welcome to work with anyone else on ideas and understanding, but your writing should be your own and you should carefully acknowledge all contributions of ideas by others, whether from classmates or from papers you have read.

Class meetings

Lectures will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:00pm-3:00pm in 32-123. Recitations are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Friday sessions will usually be tutorials, but we use some of the Friday hours for lectures by the staff of the M.I.T. Communication Program, and some for quizzes. See the schedule for the exact dates of these events.

These four types of sessions are all required. For the first recitation, attend whichever one you want. After that, you will be assigned a permanent recitation.

For details about your recitation and tutorial time and place, consult the recitation and tutorial assignments.

Staff

	E-Mail	Office	Telephone
Lectures
Frans Kaashoek		32-G992	x3-7149
Barbara Liskov		32-G942	x3-5886
Recitations
Dina Katabi		32-G936	x4-6027
Sam Madden		32-G938	x8-6643
Martin Rinard		32-G744	x8-6922
Michael Walfish		32-G982	x3-7341
Teaching assistants
				Office Hours
Hongyi Hu				M1-2, 32-G9 lounge
Dan Ports		32-G635		W3-4, 32-G9 lounge
Rob Seater		32-G707	x3-3406	R1-2, 32-G707 open space
Keith Winstein		32-386ε	x3-6524	T3-4, 32-386e
Writing program
Mya Poe		14N-229B	x3-3039
Course secretary
Neena Lyall		32-G970A	x3-6019

Course staff mailing list:
Use this mailing list to contact all the 6.033 staff members.

Written Communication, the Writing Program, and the Communication Requirement

Six of your written assignments will be forwarded to the Writing Program for review:

1. Your Therac-25 written assignment (one-pager #1)
2. Your UNIX written assignment (one-pager #2)
3. Your RaceTrack written assignment (one-pager #3)
4. Design proposal for Design Project 1
5. Design Project 1
6. Design proposal for Design Project 2

The Writing Program will give detailed comments on all these assignments and they will record letter grades for assignments 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 above. These five grades will constitute your writing grade in the course. If you do not receive a B or better average on these 5 assignments, your final grade for 6.033 will be reduced by 1 letter grade.

You have the option to revise 1 of your assignments. The higher revision grade will replace your original grade on that assignment and be used to factor your writing grade. All revisions are due by May 1st.

The EECS department hands out a few awards for excellent papers for design project 1. Every submitted design paper is eligible for an award; the final decision is made by the 6.033 and writing staff based on both technical content and writing quality.

Communication Requirement

Because 6.033 is a course that asks students to complete substantial written work, it has been designated a communication intensive in the major (CI-M) course by the M.I.T. Communication Requirement. If you need to fulfill the new CI-M requirement, 6.033 will satisfy one of your two CI-M requirements. (You will take your second CI-M, 6.UAT/6.UAP, during your senior year.)

According to the Communication Requirement webpage 6.033 satisfies CI-M for Course 2A, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6A, 18-General, 18-Theory, 18-Applied, and 18-C. If you are not in these programs, 6.033 does not currently satisfy the CI-M requirement for you. For further questions, please contact the Office of the Communication Requirement (617) 253-2313, or go to their office at 6-206.

Phase II

If you still fall under the old writing requirement, Phase II, you will complete the same assignments as CI-M students. Your work will be assessed under the Phase II requirement.

Questions or comments regarding 6.033? Send e-mail to the 6.033 staff at or to the 6.033 TAs at

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