Course Announcements for CSCI 265, Fall 2020

Just to keep things a bit less chaotic, I'll make all the 265 announcements through VIULearn.

Old announcements

Sept 14th: Project/lab1 release delayed:
UPDATE: ok, all appears resolved, the project/lab1 instructions, videos, and git repository should all be ready now.

Sept 10th: C++ info for Java programmers:
A couple of students have indicated they're new to C++ (coming from a Java background. Here are a couple of links that may help with the transition:
C++ for java programmers (cs@wisc) and another (hostmann.com)

Sept 9th: updates
Zoom info: the zoom id/code for the labs/lectures has been posted on VIULearn, and I'll be using that id/code for office hours this term as well. (The first lecture Q&A session is at 1pm today, the Q&A lab sessions start next week.)
No-shows: I am required to deregister students who don't attend the course, so please let me know that you are "here" in any one of the following ways by 5pm this Friday: come to the first lecture, or send me an email, or DM me on Discord, or submit the practice quiz on VIULearn.

June 8th: Course welcome letter

What's the course about?

Perhaps a better name for the course would be
Software Engineering: Tools and Practices.

In this course we will try and expand on some of the software design practices introduced in first year courses, e.g. incremental design, abstraction, and modularity, but we will also focus on many types of tools and habits that can make you a much more effective developer.

Some of the tools and practices we will discuss include debuggers, profilers, version control software, interface prototyping tools and techniques, automated compilation, and the use and development of custom test scripts for software testing.

The course is intended to serve as an introduction to some of the software design/development tools and techniques necessary for work on larger software projects.

Disability Access Services
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodation, please feel free to approach me and or Disability Access Services (DAS) as soon as possible. The DAS staff is available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations. The sooner you let us know your needs the quicker we can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.

C++ intro for Java programmers
If your programming background is primarily Java, then the following tutorials might help your transition to C++:
Susan Horwitz/Beck Hasti: C++ for Java Programmers

Another useful overview is here:
Cay Horstmann: moving from Java to C++

Choice of editors
If you're still using nano or pico as a text editor I strongly recommend taking the time now to learn something more useful - either vim or emacs. Believe me, the time you invest in learning it will be well worth it! I've updated my guide to vim, and there are many good learning resources available online.

Linux tutorials
A couple of students have asked about linux tutorials, so I've added a couple of links near the start of the tech notes