HW0: Setup

Due Monday 12/7 @ 11am.

Where & What to Hand In

Note that it's important to always use exactly the specified filename when handing in work for a CS class. (Canvas may automatically append a number to your filename; that's okay.)

Making a Screenshot File

For most of the steps below, you'll take screenshots and compile them into a PDF. Please put one screenshot on each page of your PDF, and put them in step-by-step order as given below! Note also that renaming a file of a different type (say a PNG file) so that it ends with .pdf does not make it a PDF file!

Here's the easiest way to make a PDF containing a bunch of screenshots:

Your Tasks

Our course uses a few tools that I need you to get working on your system. That's what this assignment is all about. Please read over each of the tasks below before starting, so that you know everything that's involved; depending on what you've done before, some tasks may take just a couple minutes, while others may quite a long time. Here are all the tasks:

  1. Sign up for our course's Piazza.
  2. Install a terminal program and configure your file browser.
  3. Get familiar with the command line.
  4. Get Java Web Start working for certain demo programs.
  5. Install a text editor.
  6. Install Python and our various Python packages. Start this step early — it requires registering for a system that may not approve you automatically.
  7. Learn some Python basics.
  8. Demonstrate your Python knowledge.