A collection of essays and reports on technology-related subjects from my time in college.
Technology
Mach: the core of Apple's OS X
Summary
Term paper completed for Dr. Meier's CS-384, Operating System Design class during my Junior year at MSOE.
Preview
Ever since Apple released its UNIX-based Mac OS X operating system in 2001, it has gained popularity as a viable alternative to Windows. Though many have yet to “make the switch” and begin using the operating system, Apple’s recent addition of support for the Intel microprocessor architecture is yet another step that pushes people in that direction. Much of the stability and performance for which it is well known can be attributed to the careful selection of key aspects of the operating system’s structure. Specifically, a low-level analysis of these core OS X components suggests that the selection of Mach for core kernel behavior plays a fundamental role in the efficiency of the entire operating system.
The 1992 London Ambulance Service Computer Aided Dispatch System Failure
Summary
Completed during my Junior year at MSOE for Dr. Henry Welch's SE-3811 - Formal Methods course. We were required to write a research paper on a large computer (software) system failure, seeking to identify the cause of the failure, and what could have been done to avoid it.
Preview
This paper goes beyond a simple glance at the immediate results of the 1992 failure of the London Ambulance Service’s computer aided dispatch system and explores the sequence of events leading up to the incident in attempt to determine professional responsibility and how the project might have benefited from a more formal specification of the software system.
