CSC151.01 2015F, Class 02: An Introduction to Linux

Overview

Preliminaries

Welcome back to CSC 151! I'm still Sam. Our mentors are still Erin and Zachary.
Mr. Stone will be handing out account information today. I will use that as our daily attendance.
As of 9:30 a.m. this morning, our Web server was down. I'm not sure whether or not it will be up for class.
I use online signup for my office hours. Form at https://rebelsky.youcanbook.me. You can also email me about other times, but check my schedule first.
Please grab today's lab manual from the mentors.
The computer science department maintains a mailing list for assorted announcements (talks, discussions, study breaks, internship opportunities, etc.). Please drop me an email message if you'd like to be added.
There still seem to be some students in the afternoon section of CSC 151 who would have better schedules if they could take the morning section. If you'd be willing to trade to the afternoon section, please let me know.
Our students want you to know that some Grinnellians are going to Global Hack V the weekend of Sept. 11-13 in St. Louis. Free registration for Grinnell students! Further information ont he Web site at http://globalhack.org/ and from [kyaruzia17] and [kittaneh17].

Apologies to the first few people whose HW1 I graded. I spaced on my grading scheme, and used check/plus/minus rather than vg/good/fair/poor.
Please follow the instructions for the form and title of the HW1 submissions.
I've started a list of lessons that students have provided in their introductory surveys.

We'll be doing the lab at the end of class. When you finish the lab, you can leave.
When we do today's lab, we will probably move some students into the neighboring room so everyone can have his, her, or zir own computer.
We had some significant upgrades to our computer systems this summer. I've done my best to update the lab to incorporate those changes, but I probably missed something.

Tuesday, noon, CS Table, JRC 224C. How Google Can Manipulate Elections. Readings available in the back of the classroom.

Pals of PALS, pals@grinnell.edu, normally Saturday at 1:30 and Mondays at 4:45. Requires sign up in advance.
Pun Club, Saturdays, 4pm, Way over Younker

How could we have gotten groups together more efficiently?

What were some things you might have taken away from Friday's demonstration (hopefully, things that will help you as you write your own algorithms)?

Be specific - word choice - don't assume much - don't assume that context is understood because computers are literal.
Don't over-complicate things
Sometimes there are more efficient ways to accomplish a task than you could ever envision.
Consider possible problems in your algorithm and make sure to accommodate them.
- Unspecific language
- Different inputs than you expect.
Have a backup plan!
Consider all possible outcomes
Describe important things in the beginning. "I will use 'dominant hand' to name your left hand."
Trial and error is part of the process, but don't try the same thing again and again.
Try smaller parts of the problem first.
Have someone else read over your work to catch potential issues.
Work in groups - shared ideas are often better.
When things go wrong (and they will), it's funny

What questions do we have about the reading on algorithms?
Where did we see each algorithm part in the (potential) nut butter and preserve algorithm?
What questions might Sam ask us, and can we answer them?