CMSC 104, Spring 2009

Homework 1

Linux Basics

Out: Monday, February 2th
Due: Before 11:59 PM on Monday, February 9th

Note that late homeworks will NOT be accepted.

Objectives:

To become familiar with

using Tera Term to log on to and off of the UMBC gl Linux system (linux.gl.umbc.edu),
checking your disk quota and deleting unnecessary files,
the basic use of the xemacs text editor, and
the basic use of the pine e-mail client.

Note that this exercise is meant to be performed in the lab with the assistance of your instructor. However, if you do not finish, you must finish on your own time.

Resources:

Simple Unix Commands
Summary of Common emacs/xemacs Commands
The pine help command (enter pine and type: ?)
OIT has an online pine tutorial.

Assignment:

Log On to the Linux System

We'll go over how to do this in class.

Check Your Disk Quota and Clean Your Directory

OIT allocates a fixed amount of disk space (called your "disk quota") to each of the gl system users. It is a good habit to check your disk quota from time to time to make sure that you are not coming close to your allocation. To do this, type: quota -v

If you have already used a large portion of your quota (e.g., 90% or higher), you should delete unnecessary files. To do this, type oitcleaner at the linux prompt.

Getting Ready to Use the xemacs Text Editor

Before you begin the next part of this exercise, you need to copy a file into your directory. This file is called .emacs and activates certain emacs features (do not worry about what features for now). To copy the file, type

     cp /afs/umbc.edu/users/d/b/dblock/pub/.emacs .

Note that the command has 3 parts:

The first part is cp followed by a space,
the second part is the path to the file /afs/umbc.edu/users/d/b/dblock/pub/.emacs followed by a space (there is no space in the path itself at all),
and the third part is the period at the end of the command.

To check that the file is now in your directory, type: ls -a

Use the xemacs Text Editor to Create an Autobiography

You will be using the xemacs text editor to create a file called mybio.txt. The file will contain a brief autobiography about you as follows:

1. Begin by stating your name, major, and class standing (e.g., sophomore).

2. Then, write a paragraph or two telling me a little bit about yourself. Tell me

where you are from and why you chose UMBC for your education,
why you chose your major,
the best college course you have had so far and why, and
what is your favorite color?

Do not leave out any of this information!

3. Finally, you should use the Internet to find answers to the questions below. Your answers need not be more than a sentence or two each.

1. Search for information about Computer Science. After reading several sources, what would give as a definition of Computer Science? Do not directly quote a source. Think of your own definition.

2. What are some specific areas or fields of study in Computer Science?

3. Name 3 programming languages other than C.

4. What is Open Source Software? Give an example of software that you think qualifies as open source.

To create your autobiography file, do the following.

Enter the emacs editor by typing: xemacs mybio.txt
Simply type in the information specified above. Edit any mistakes using the Backspace or Delete key to backspace and the Ctrl-d (where Ctrl is the Control key) sequence to delete a character. When you get to the end of a line, hit the enter key at a reasonable spot instead of the letting the text wrap around to the next line. Remember that xemacs is simply a text editor and does not format things nicely for us.
Save your work by typing Ctrl-x and then Ctrl-s.
To save your work and exit xemacs type Ctrl-x and then Ctrl-c.
You will know that you have exited emacs and are again talking to the Linux system if you see the linux1[#]% or linux2[#]% or linux3[#]% prompt.
You can check that the file mybio.txt is in your directory by typing: ls

Use the pine E-mail Client to Send an E-mail With an Attachment

You are now going to use pine to send an e-mail to me that has the mybio.txt file that you created as an attachment. You are also going to send a copy of the email to yourself.

To accomplish this, do the following.

Enter pine by typing: pine
If this is the first time you are opening pine you will probably see a screen that welcomes you to pine. You should type the letter 'e' to exit the welcome message screen.
Next, the pine main menu should appear. Type: c to begin composing a new e-mail.
Next to To:, type: rberge1@umbc.edu
Next to Cc:, type: yourusername@umbc.edu
Next to Attchmnt:, type: mybio.txt
Next to Subject:, type: CMSC104 Autobiography for [your name] - Section [201]
In the Message Text area, type: Here is my autobiography!
To send the e-mail, type Ctl-x and then y.
Type: q to exit out of pine.
You are done when you receive the system prompt of linux1[#]% or linux2[#]% or linux3[#]% back.

Log Off the Linux System

To log off of the system, type logout. Make sure you log off of the computer as well.

Last Modified: Thursday, 01-Feb-2009 12:08:01 EDT