CS 348C - Visualizing Computer Systems
Fall Quarter, 1996
Pat Hanrahan
Your assignment is to dig into an area of visualization, and identify issues that arise if it were to be applied to visualizing computer systems. One approach would be to pick a class of visualization techniques and examine how they may be applied to a variety of computer systems. Another approach would be to pick a particular computer system, and examine how it has been illustrated in the past and then propose some new visual metaphors for illustrating its behavior. For the paper we expect you to do a thorough job of researching what has been done; we are particularly interested in bringing in new ideas from others areas. For example, identify analogies between computer systems and other complex systems (communication networks vs. transportation systems, disk storage and factory inventories, data movement and logistics, etc.) and use them as a basis for creating new techniques.
The paper should be written individually. We also want the class as a whole to cover a range of material, so we would like to you to send us a title and short abstract within a week (but sooner would be better). If too many people are covering the same material we will reject your idea. First come, first serve on areas and ideas! Format your paper in html and send us a url when the paper is due. We will then create a web page with pointers to all the papers. We expect the paper to be approximately 10 pages in length.
In the following week, you should read two papers and write a 2 (approximately) paragraph summary, discussion and critique of the papers. Create a web page with your discussion, and send the url to the author of the paper. The author should then create links to the various comments received.
We will select material from the papers and comments and use it as the basis of several class brainstorming/discussion days.