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You could get a surface level understanding of TCP, or 99% of topic areas in computing, in less than 4 weeks of study. You could not get a surface level understanding of literally any of the maths in the link in less than 4 weeks of study.

The vast majority of what computers do just isn't that complex. I'm not saying it isn't "complex" just that any reasonably smart person can understand how a computer works and still have other hobbies, basically no one can understand phd level mathematics without dedicating their entire lives to it.

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This is not true, 99% is very exaggerated claim, but yeah you can learn 50-60% of the field at a surface level in months rather than years.

But you can have a surface level understanding of mathematical topics as well, ofc some topics might require deeper understanding, but that's true for both.

Any claims of being able to learn 99% of computing in a just 4 weeks even at surface level, is greatly underestimating your own knowledge built over the years perhaps, or perhaps underestimating your own ignorance.

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The claim isn’t knowing 99% of the field but that 99% of topics are ones you could do a quick-and-dirty crash course and come out with some understanding.
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Definitely a lot of people have very surface level understanding of tcp and computer science concepts.

I have had folks tell me cache is just cache in actual interviews. When I have asked them to explain the concept to me, but even beyond that I feel like we tend to think less of our own knowledge of topics once we have acquired it.

Especially ones acquired over years, alongside other work.

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