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Take a Free Networking Class From Stanford

Posted by timothy on from the beats-tuition dept.

New submitter philip.levis writes "Nick McKeown and I are offering a free, online class on computer networking. We're professors of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford and are also co-teaching Stanford's networking course this quarter. The free, online class will run about six weeks and is intended to be accessible to people who don't program: the prerequisites are an understanding of probability, bits and bytes, and how computers lay out memory. Given how important the Internet is, we think a more accessible course on the principles and practice of computer networks could be a very valuable educational resource. I'm sure many Slashdot readers will already know much of what we'll cover, but for those who don't, here's an opportunity to learn!"

4 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. IPv6 by AK+Marc · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just a quick glance at the syllabus, and I didn't see anything about IPv6, if IPv6 gets deployed in the next 4 years, wouldn't that make the intro course essentially obsolete before anyone finished a degree? Remember, this is the year of IPv6 on the desktop.

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    1. Re:IPv6 by Pseudonym+Authority · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not even Cisco teaches IPv6 in their shitty little Network Academy (they also teach very little OSPF, and are really big on their proprietary EIGRP).

      I can't think of any basic networking class that teaches IPv6.

    2. Re:IPv6 by kasperd · · Score: 3, Interesting

      it might well make sense for an introductory course to concentrate on a more simple model that beginners can more easily understand.

      In that case teach IPv6 and skip the parts that nobody use. IPv6 is a little bit simpler than IPv4. There is not a huge difference, but there is certainly no point in teaching an obsolete technology for simplicity, when it isn't simpler. IPv4 is not entirely obsolete yet, but judging from the number of people who think IPv6 is more complicated than IPv4, I perceive that there must be a shortage of people who understand IPv6.

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    3. Re:IPv6 by kasperd · · Score: 3, Interesting

      there is a lot to talk about in terms of the physical and data link layers and plain IPv4 before even addressing IPv6.

      It would be better to teach plain IPv6 before you start addressing IPv4.

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