HCAW / Reference

HCAW Reference Index

Structured reference map for concepts explored in How Computers Actually Work. This area organizes the architecture, memory, process, and performance topics into a technical reference system.

Processes / Execution

systemctl
How Linux service requests move through systemd.
fork() and exec()
How Linux creates and launches running programs.

Memory / Virtual Memory

Stack, Heap, mmap
Structure of a process address space.
Page Faults
What happens when memory is accessed.
TLB
Fast virtual-to-physical address translation.

CPU / Performance

Cache + TLB
How the CPU accelerates memory access.
Diagnostics
Real-world signs of cache and memory pressure.