Top 10 Tips for Success in CMSC 202
- Attend Class - Material on the exams can (and will) come from the
textbook, lecture notes, in-class material, labs, and Projects. If you miss
class you will be at a disadvantage for the exams! Also, clarifications on
the Project descriptions are given in-class.
- Keep your Textbook Handy - Bring your text to lab, to class,
to anywhere you plan on writing code! Even top programmers always keep a
manual around to refer to when programming. Don't expect to be able to write
everything straight from your brain without a reference (except on a test...)!
Don't assume that everything you need to know to solve a problem was presented
in class or is in the lecture notes (HINT, HINT)!!!
- Read Carefully - Project descriptions are not intended to be tricky
but each sentence is important - don't skip anything!
- Memorize the Coding Standard - just get used to it. For the rest of
your professional career you will have to modify your code to meet one company
standard or another, so start early and adhere to the standard now. Your
instructor/TA will not argue the merits of the standard with you, nor the
point penalties. Develop your code following the standard from the start and
there will be less "reformatting" later.
- Start Early - don't wait until the second week of the Project to
start coding - aim to finish your design in the first 3 days or so and then
begin writing code. The average programmer produces about 100 lines of
working, tested, releasable code each week. Your Projects are estimated at
around 200 lines of code - and you're not even working full time! Don't be
afraid to spend more than 15 hours on a Project, we know that's how long it
might take!
- Learn a Linux editor - there are many to choose from: xemacs, pico,
vi, etc. Pick one, learn it and use it for everything you do in this class.
This will simplify your process significantly. DO NOT try to edit things
under Windows/VC++ and then FTP to the Linux machines - this will cause you
incredible headaches (not to mention strange compiler errors)!
- Ditch Visual C++ - for those of you who learned C/C++ somewhere else
that uses Visual C++, it is important that you adapt to Linux quickly! There
are some significant differences between projects and makefiles and the VC++ and
g++ compilers. Composing your code in Windows and then attempting to compile in
Linux will cause you problems. Instead - feel free to use another WYSIWYG
editor such as xemacs or EditPlus - some have ftp/remote access capabilities.
Also be aware that when FTP-ing code from a Windows platform to a Linux
platform you need to use ASCII transfer mode - Windows uses 2 end of line
terminators (\r\n) instead of just one (\n) like Linux - this will appear as
^M in your Linux editor and can cause makefile and compiler errors.
- Review the Resources page - We've taken extra time to put together
a list of helpful resources - when you have questions, try there first, they
have probably already been answered!
- Read the Blackboard Discussion - your question has probably
already been asked and ANSWERED! Also - minor clarifications of the projects
are often posted - so read them every day!
- Ask Questions - if you can't find the answer to your question
anywhere else, then PLEASE post it on the discussion board, email your
instructor or TA, go to office hours, or go to the Help Center - we're here to
help!
Last Modified: Wednesday, 31-Aug-2005 22:23:21 EDT