System Environments and Personal
Workflows in Computer Science

M. Swenson1, 2
Independent Student of Computer Science

Abstract

I am an independent student of computer science, exploring the field strictly as a personal pursuit. My primary areas of focus—programming in C and Perl, shell scripting, and cryptography—are deeply grounded in my appreciation for the roots of computing. This document outlines my foundational philosophy and current technical priorities.

1 Introduction

Because of my foundational focus on the roots of computing, I am drawn to the quiet resilience of UNIX-like systems, favoring the reliability of a text-first, minimalist approach over unnecessary complexity. I am perfectly happy working directly from the command line, whether I'm running OpenBSD on my desktop with just cwm and xterm, or using macOS for its clean design and underlying BSD foundation.

The overarching goal of this study is not commercial deployment, but rather the pursuit of technical mastery and an intimate understanding of the systems that underpin modern infrastructure.

2 Current Technical Focus

My immediate technical focus is transitioning my primary development environment to OpenBSD. This process involves meticulously configuring system workflows and evaluating minimalist software alternatives that adhere to UNIX philosophies. The transition serves both as a practical migration and as an applied exercise in systems administration and configuration management.

3 Literature Review

In tandem with this practical work on operating environments, my current active reading and technical literature review includes the following foundational texts:

  • [1] K. N. King, C Programming: A Modern Approach, 2nd ed. W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.
  • [2] C. Petzold, Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software, 2nd ed. Microsoft Press, 2022.
  • [3] M. W. Lucas, Networking for System Administrators, 2nd ed. Tilted Windmill Press, 2019.
  • [4] S. Chacon and B. Straub, Pro Git, 2nd ed. Apress, 2014. [Online]. Available: git-scm.com.