This post would have zero traction on here if they did otherwise. The tubes are full of excellent resources that die on new. They decided to market with the age bit and clearly it worked.

Prefacing self promotional material with an age (either skewing young or old) is a marketing angle that's worked for well... ages, so I don't begrudge her leveraging it.

I'm 43 and I agree with this.

The fact that you're 43 makes me even more impressed.

The fact that you're impressed makes me impressed.

Couldn't agree more! It's really nice work with all the beautiful visualization.

Very unlikely anyone would care about this ChatGPT-level summary of how a CPU works if the author didn't mention they were 17.

Did you actually read the guide? It’s definitely not ChatGPT level summary material. While you could induce ChatGPT to issue the details, much as you can get it to issue details on string theory or almost any technical subject discussed on the web, it can’t provide the narrative or the stringing of details or guidance through the material.

The book is more about how Linux interfaces with the CPU and the CPU level discussion itself is more an introduction to CPUs to prepare for a discussion of Linux and the CPU - ELF, system call interfaces, etc. I think it’s a fairly useful overview and includes an awful lot of well thought out minutia and digging into “why is this that way” that clearly didn’t come from ChatGPT, but also didn’t come from the mind of a 17 year old - it came from googling and reading and then summarizing.

The accomplishment is that :

1) it’s remarkably well organized and structured, with clear language (n.b., the voice is clearly that of a 17 year old girl, not a pandering AI)

2) it’s detailed in a depth that’s remarkable for any engineer, but also is complete enough taking a bottoms up approach in explaining the Linux kernel interface

3) its clearly a learning exercise for the author, not a teaching of prior knowledge - which is wonderful they learned a subject as esoteric in depth in public and had the grace to invest energy in making it well presented and free

4) the combination of these things is a rare thing - depth, clarity of word and thought, and investment in quality presentation

I would have read it regardless of their age and been impressed, I think “I’m 17” is beside the point and could have just as easily been elided. But I didn’t read it as a “forgive my quality” or “read my stuff out of charity,” but rather “I am proud of what I did” and agree she should be.

This brand of narcissistic, pervasive pessimism is why I don’t hang out with many programmers.

Nothing nice to say to you!