I'm currently doing a dive into classic distributed systems papers, mainly from the 70s (actor model, logical clocks, that kind of stuff).
I'd "understood" the concepts before, but now because I am:
- brushing up on my math to understand every equation or proof they drop in there
- reading them in combination with applied stuff that uses the same concepts, ie the "designing data intensive applications book"
- reading over them slowly, I want my fundamentals to be strong and etched into my head
Things are clicking in a way they never did before.
TL;DR - studying compsci concepts, slowly, from multiple angles (completely mathematical to practical engineering) is just a different level of understanding from doing one or assuming your mind will bridge the gap.
I'd "understood" the concepts before, but now because I am:
- brushing up on my math to understand every equation or proof they drop in there
- reading them in combination with applied stuff that uses the same concepts, ie the "designing data intensive applications book"
- reading over them slowly, I want my fundamentals to be strong and etched into my head
Things are clicking in a way they never did before.
TL;DR - studying compsci concepts, slowly, from multiple angles (completely mathematical to practical engineering) is just a different level of understanding from doing one or assuming your mind will bridge the gap.
YMMV.