Start Here — CS 373 Software Engineering

Resource Pages

Start Here

Set up UTCS access, Python, Git, coverage, and required tools.

Git Guidance

Configure Git and practice common repository workflows.

Unix/Linux Commands

Searchable command reference for working in the Linux shell.

Access UTCS Machines from Your Laptop

Obtain a UTCS account and credentials. For support, contact the UTCS Help Desk.
To access your UTCS account:
- macOS: Use SSH and SFTP with your UTCS credentials. Installation details are here.
- Windows: Use SSH and SFTP with your UTCS credentials. Installation details are here.
For off-campus access, connect to the campus network via VPN first.
You can use Unix/Linux commands in the Linux shell.

Install Basic Software

1. Text editor You need a text editor. I use NotePad++.
2. Command-line shell
- Windows: Use bash, which comes with Git. After installing Git, you can access bash through Git > bin > bash.
- macOS: Use Terminal.
3. Python 3.12.3 Install Python 3.12.3 on your machine. Python 3.12.x is acceptable, but Python 3.12.3 is preferred.
- Windows installation notes
- macOS installation notes
To ensure that Python is properly installed, run:
```
$ python3 --version
Python 3.12.3
```
Note: The $ marks the end of the prompt and is not part of the command.

The UTCS machines currently use Python 3.12.3. Students should install Python 3.12.x locally, preferably Python 3.12.3, to match the course environment as closely as possible.

4. Coverage Install coverage:

$ python3 -m pip install --user coverage

Check the installation:

$ python3 -m coverage --version
Coverage.py, version 7.13.4 with C extension
Full documentation is at https://coverage.readthedocs.io/en/7.13.4

5. Git Install Git:
```
$ git --version
git version 2.54.0
```
After installing Git, configure it using the commands on the Git Guidance page.

6. autopep8 and pylint Install both tools:

$ python3 -m pip install --user autopep8
$ python3 -m pip install --user pylint

7. Windows only: make

These instructions are the same for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Open a regular, non-admin Windows PowerShell terminal and run:

PS C:\> Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
PS C:\> Invoke-RestMethod -Uri https://get.scoop.sh | Invoke-Expression

Close all open terminals. Then open a new PowerShell terminal and run:

PS C:\> scoop install make

Note: The PS C:\> marks the end of the prompt and is not part of the command.

Check that make is properly installed:

PS C:\> make --version
GNU Make 4.4.1
Built for Windows32
Copyright (C) 1988-2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Your version number may differ slightly, but the command should display GNU Make version information.

Windows Path Notes

If you selected Add Python to PATH during installation, you may not need to change anything manually. If Python is not recognized from the terminal, add the Python 3.12 paths to the Windows PATH.

For example, if Python is installed at:

C:\Users\<yourusername>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python312\

Add both of the following paths to your system PATH:

Python: C:\Users\<yourusername>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python312\
Python tools: C:\Users\<yourusername>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python312\Scripts\

The Scripts folder is where command-line tools such as pip, coverage, pylint, and autopep8 are usually installed.

To update PATH, search for Edit environment variables for your account in the Windows taskbar. Select Path under User variables, click Edit, click New, add each folder path, and click OK.

Also add paths for other tools as needed:

git: C:\Program Files\Git\cmd
bash: C:\Program Files\Git\bin

For Windows 10 and Windows 11, follow the same general rules, but note that installation paths may differ. Identify the actual path to your application or tool and add the folder containing the executable to PATH.