NOTICE1: Please do not copy the contents of this page to your blog. You can share this page but please share with the original link. That is how we compliment the authors of good documents and open source projects.
NOTICE2: Please notice that low-level programming is out of trend and currently there are not many companies hiring low-level developer. It is getting harder for me to find a job. If you haven't started a professional career yet, I would like to recommend you consider other fields either carefully.
NOTICE3: If you want a quick start, go to "How to start?".
I'm inspired by google-interview-university. I'd like to share my experience and show a roadmap to becoming a low-level programmer because I have found that these skills are not as common as they once were. In addition, many students and beginners ask me how they could become low-level programmers and Linux kernel engineers.
This page cannot include every link/book/course. For example, this page introduces Arduino but there is not detailed information about Arduino and embedded systems. You should go further yourself. You have the keyword "Arduino" with which you can start. So your next step is probably googling Arduino, buying a kit, and doing something for yourself, not collecting links or free books. Please remember this page is just a roadmap for beginners.
Low-level programming is a part of computer science. Absolutely it would be much better to get education in computer science first.
I classify low-level programming as programming that is very close to the machine, using a lower level programming language like C or assembly. This is in contrast to higher-level programming, typical of user-space applications, using high level languages (e.g. Python, Java).
Yes, systems programming is a very close concept to low-level programming. This page includes the hardware design and firmware development that is not included in systems programming.
Finally, this page includes topics ranging from hardware components to the Linux kernel. That is a huge range of layers. A one page document can never cover the details of all the layers, so the aim of this document is to serve as a starting point for low-level programming.
There are two background theories to low-level programming:
- Computer Architecture
- Operating Systems
I think the best way to learn theory is by taking a course. Reading books is not bad but takes too much time and effort. You can find many good classes on online universities, for instance, Coursera.org and edx.org. Theory is theory. I don't think you need to get an A+ in the class, just understand the big picture. You'll get better and better with experience.
Let me introduce several books that I've read. They are commonly used as textbooks in universities. If there is no class with these books in your university, it's worth spending some time reading them.
- Computer Architecture
- Computer Architecture, Fifth Edition: A Quantitative Approach
- Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective
- Computer Organization and Design, Fourth Edition: The Hardware/Software Interface
- Operating Systems
- The Magic Garden Explained: The Internals of UNIX System V Release 4 an Open Systems Design
- The Design of the UNIX Operating System
- Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles by William Stallings
- Recommended Courses
- General Programming Skill
- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
- It's about how to be a good Software programmer. You need not only theory but only technique because programming is a kind of craftwork.
- If you learn Lisp/Scheme, you should be able to learn any other language quickly.
- I've solved about 80% exercises. It should be worth to try every single exercise.
- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
- Hardware Design
- Build Your Own 8086 Microprocessor Kit
- If you don't build your HW board, you don't understand what physical memory mapped device is.
- Modern APs includes so many IPs. So you don't have a chance to understand how CPU core and peripheral devices are connected.
- When you build your own 8086 kit, you have a chance to locate each peripheral devices on the physical memory. And you can set how the main HW components (BUS, IRQ, Clock, Power and etc) works with your own eyes.
- I built the 8086 kit in my University. It was one of the most valuable courses I've ever taken. Try to build your own HW kit. It would be better if the HW is older ans simpler because you should do more for yourself.
- Google "8086 kit". You would be able to find some web-sites you can buy a HW scheme, parts and manuals.
- Build Your Own 8086 Microprocessor Kit
There is an infinite list of good books. I don't want to say that you should read many books. Just read one book carefully. Whenever you learn a theory, implement simulation code of it. Implementing one thing is better than knowing one hundred theories.