Out of all the CS classes I've taken at UCSB, I definitely learned the most from 170. Imo, Rich overcomplicates a lot of topics, but he's a great lecturer overall. The labs are long but informative, so don't procrastinate. The final is content heavy for a 1 hour final. Even though I went fast on it, I barely had time to double check my answers.

Good lecturer. Tough but fair exams and labs. Definitely use the TAs as a resource and don't procrastinate. I would say that out of all the CS classes at UCSB, this was taught me the most about fundamentally useful computer science concepts. Second that he will humiliate you if you are late to lecture though.

I do not think this class is as difficult as it appears. The lectures are awesome and you have a ton of support on the assignments from course staff. I feel like I could actually apply the skills to a career position. Homework takes significant effort, but the assignments were fun and satisfying...But if you come late to class he'll humiliate you.

OS is a hard class and not mandatory anymore but I took the classes because I wanted to learn. However I regret my decision already two

Professor Wolski makes an already tough class worse with his condescending attitude. He seems to care more about his own superiority than student success. Though his grading is clear and he's organized, he doesn't foster a positive learning environment. Avoid his class if you value your confidence.

Professor Wolski is an amazing lecturer. Unfortunately, if you have a minor bug in your lab, it can mean a major loss of points (which happened to a lot of people for the last lab). Labs have no test cases: you must do adversarial testing yourself, and this can be more difficult depending on your partner. But I will say it was worth the struggle.