Week 1: Introduction to System Design
Understanding the Importance of System Design:
- Lecture 1: Introduction to System Design
- Definition of system design and its significance in software development.
- How good system design impacts the success and longevity of software projects.
- Lecture 2: The Role of System Design in Software Engineering
- Overview of the software development life cycle.
- Where system design fits in the development process.
- The cost of design changes at different stages.
- Lab 1: Hands-On: Analyzing the Consequences of Poor Design
- Review case studies of projects with design flaws.
- Discuss the challenges, costs, and consequences of inadequate system design.
Principles of Good System Design:
- Lecture 3: Key Principles of System Design
- SOLID principles: Single Responsibility, Open/Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Segregation, Dependency Inversion.
- Separation of concerns and modularity.
- Lecture 4: Design Patterns and Anti-Patterns
- Introduction to common design patterns (e.g., Singleton, Factory, Observer).
- Identification of anti-patterns and their impact on design quality.
- Lab 2: Implementing a Simple Design Pattern
- Demonstrate the application of a design pattern in a sample codebase.
- Discuss the advantages and scenarios where the pattern is beneficial.
Case Studies of Successful System Designs with Examples:
- Lecture 5: Case Study 1: The UNIX Operating System
- History and design principles of the UNIX operating system.
- Key design decisions and their impact on the software’s longevity.
- Lecture 6: Case Study 2: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Overview of AWS services and architecture.
- How AWS’s design enables scalability, reliability, and flexibility.
- Lab 3: Analyzing and Discussing System Designs
- Study the architecture of a well-known web application or service (e.g., Twitter, Netflix).
- Identify and discuss key design choices that contribute to its success.
Homework Assignment:
- Write a short essay on the importance of system design, highlighting the consequences of poor design decisions in real-world projects.
Week 1 Review and Q&A:
- Review key concepts from Week 1.
- Q&A session to address student questions and concerns related to system design principles and case studies.