CS312 Startup - Things to Do
| Canvas | Set up your Canvas account. We will use Canvas to turn in assignments and to post grades. |
| Piazza | Set up your Piazza account and confirm that you can see the discussion forums for CS312. Sign up for the Piazza discussion group at this page if you have not already be added. |
| Textbook | Obtain a copy or access to the textook: Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach (5th Edition), Publication Date: March 28, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-0135471944 | Pearson Education / Addison Wesley. (Previous versions of the book are acceptable, but there may be differences in section numbers for assigned reading and problem numbers for suggested exercises.) |
| Java | Download the Java SE Development Kit. You can download Java 8 from Oracle or more recent versions from the OpenJDK project. In CS312 we shall limit ourselves to the features of Java version 8.0 |
| IDE Interactive Development Environment |
Pick and set up an IDE. (Interactive
Development Environment. A program that helps you write programs.) I do not
prescribe the IDE you must use in this course as you are simply turning in
.java files that must compile on the CS department lab machines. Plus many
IDEs have far more features than we will make use of in this course. Many past students prefer IntelliJ. I use Eclipse, but more due to inertia than anything else. Finally if you are brand new to programming and don't want to be overwhelmed with a program with hundreds of features and options you won't use, you might try BueJ. Fair warning, BlueJ is very simple and not recommended for use past CS312. Some students will tell you "real programmers use a text editor and the command line!" Hmmm. I respectfully disagree. I think IDEs offer some very valuable tools beyond a basic text editor and the command line, although it is vital as a CS major to learn to interact with a computer system via the command line.. |
| Practice It | Create a Practice It account. These problems are not graded, but excellent practice. |
| OPTIONAL - CS Department Account |
Note, for 312, it is
typically NOT necessary to test your programs on the CS department machines,
because our programs are so simple. However, you will eventually need to be
able to use you CS department account, logging into CS department public
machines, and work from the command line. (Issue commands to the operating
system via the text based command line.) Again, this is low priority
for CS312. Set up your UTCS account. (Note, accounts may not be available until after class actually starts) If you had a CS account last term your account should be recreated automatically. The CS departmental machines are Linux based. Here is a simple guide to some of the features of Linux. A list of CS machines you can log into remotely. (This may be useful if you want to test your programs under the same environment we shall test them under.) All things SSH handout for logging into a CS departmental machine remotely. If you want to ensure your programs run on the CS department Linux machines you can SSH into them and learn how to transfer files to your CS department account and to compile and run those files. You will also have to set up SSH Keys for your local system and your CS department account. See the SSH Keys documentation for Macs and Linux or Windows 10 systems. If your Windows I strongly recommend downloading Putty and WinSCP. Then set up your SSH keys in Putty and WinSCP. If you want to see a graphical interface when interacting with your CS account on the CS machines, discover SSH X Forwarding. Slides for basic of using Linux machines: Guide to Using the CS Department Microlab Computers |
| Class Web Page | Familiarize yourself with the class web page. Especially the syllabus, the schedule, and the programming assignments guidelines. Start on assignment 1. |
| Only if class stays remote. Chrome Web Browser and Proctorio Extension |
If the class does NOT return to an in person modality. If the class
remains online, which is NOT the plan exams will be given online via
Canvas and monitored with the Proctorio Chrome extension. By the exam date, ensure you have the Chrome web browser and the Proctorio extension installed. |
| How to Ask Good Questions | Read the how to ask good question part of the So You Want to Be a Wizard 'zine. Written by Julia Evans. |
| OPTIONAL - Inspirational | If you have a couple hours and want to be inspired by a great computer scientist watch The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. You may notice I have adapted many of Randy's ideas and sayings. |