What is this?
This is a free, illustrated Chinese guide to core computer science fundamentals - computer networking, operating systems, computer organization, and databases - built from over 1,000 diagrams and 500,000+ words, aimed at making notoriously dry CS topics (and common interview questions) actually understandable.
Is this a book, a course, or a reference wiki?
It reads like an online book made of long illustrated articles, split into four parts - Networking (图解网络), Operating Systems (图解系统), MySQL (图解MySQL), and Redis (图解Redis) - each starting with an intro and then going topic by topic.
How do I actually read this?
Nothing to install: read it online at the author's site, or just browse the organized markdown articles directly in this repo.
Is every section finished, or are some parts still thin?
The Networking and Operating Systems sections are the most extensive with dozens of articles each, while MySQL and Redis sections currently list noticeably fewer topics, suggesting they are smaller or still growing.
Who is this guide meant for?
It targets developers and students preparing for technical interviews or trying to finally understand CS fundamentals, since the author explicitly frames it as an antidote to rote-memorized interview answers ('八股文').
What does the mention of 八股文 (bagu) mean here?
It refers to the formulaic, memorized technical interview answers common in Chinese tech hiring; the author wants readers to actually understand the concepts instead of reciting canned answers.
Why did the author build this instead of just recommending textbooks?
The author says he struggled with dry, hard-to-digest books and videos on CS basics, so over two years he turned his notes into illustrated explanations and eventually this site, to help others avoid the same struggle.
Can I get this as a PDF instead of reading online?
Yes, the README links to downloadable PDF versions of the Networking (图解网络) and Operating Systems (图解系统) guides.
Does it cover MySQL and Redis internals too?
Yes, dedicated sections cover MySQL indexing, transactions, locks, and logging, plus Redis data structures, persistence, replication, and cache consistency issues like cache avalanche and breakdown.
What are similar projects?
interview_internal_reference, fullstack-tutorial, toBeBetterJavaer, interview, awesome-programming-books, CS-Notes, athena, leetcode
Which topics is it in?
tcp, network, study-guide, operating-system, interview, interview-preparation, computer-science, mysql, redis, book, golang, reference

