lab01 : Getting started

num ready? description assigned due
lab01 true Getting started Thu 09/29 01:00PM Thu 10/06 02:00PM

Which Computer Should I Use

What we are working on today

Will every week be like this?

No! Some weeks we’ll ahve specific activities outside the zyBook that only take place during your discussion seciton.

Accordingly:

Why you need to come to your assigned discussion section

With such a large number of students, we need to be sure that there is an appropriate number of staff deployed to help you. If everyone just comes to “whatever discussion section suits their schedule”, we’ll have problems.

If you have a standing conflict with your section, please use the “Section swap request” discussion on Piazza to find someone to switch with.

CSIL/ECI Account

If you are using the desktop machines in Phelps 3525, you are already using your CSIL/ECI account; a terminal window there is a “CSIL/ECI account shell prompt”.

Otherwise:

At the command prompt, type the following, substituting your ECI/CSIL account in place of username

ssh username@csil.cs.ucsb.edu

The first time you connect, you may be presented with a one type prompt saying that the “credentials could not be verified”, and asking a Yes/No question. Say “Yes”.

Then, you are in. You can use pwd and ls commands as shown in lecture, plus other Unix commands such as vim and make.

The command logout or exit can be used to return to your own system.

Editing and compiling a Hello World program on ECI/CSIL

First, learn about vim, perhaps using one of these resources:

Then, to create a Hello World program in vim:

  1. Type vim hello.cpp
  2. Make sure you are in insert mode (you’ll learn about that when you learn about vim)
  3. Type in your program, e.g. 
    #include <iostream>
using namespace std;
   
int main() {
  cout << "Hello, World!" << endl;
  return 0;
}
  4. Press the escape key, then type :wq to save.
  5. To compile the program: make hello
  6. To run the program ./hello

There is nothing to turn in this week, but next week, you’ll be asked to show that you know how to do this with a live demo either during office hours, or during your discussion section. So, practicing this week is good preparation.

Will we always use vim? No!

We will pivot to using a better editor, VS Code, once we understand the basics of using vim. However, we want to start with vim, because it is an essential skill for computing professionals, especially if you will be involved in Cloud Computing systems, backend web servers, Docker containers, etc.

What if I’m completely stuck on this vim / ECI stuff?

No worries; you can ask the staff for help. In the meantime, if you prefer, you can just make progress in the zyBook, up through Chapter 7.

Everything below this line is for TAs/LAs. Students are welcome to read it—there are no secrets here—but you don’t really need to.

Instructions for Primary TA:

  1. Try to arrive 10 minutes before the hour if possible. If that isn’t possible, because of your schedule, try to make sure at least one of your helpers for your section can commit to doing so.

  2. Preparation: write URL on the whiteboards around the room: 
    CS16 09/29: Instructions are here: https://ucsb-cs16.github.io/f21/lab/lab00

    Then, on one of the whiteboards, write “Login Problems (put your name here)”, underline it, and leave space for students to put a list of names. This will be a place for students having login problems to list their names and form a queue so you can help them.

    Finally, write

    To create ECI account: https://acccounts.engr.ucsb.edu/create

    Then, write your name, and the names of your helpers on the whiteboard. For example:

    CS16 2pm
Primary TA: Vinothini
Assisting: Alex (TA), Zack (LA)

    or

    CS16 3pm
Primary TA: Alex
Assisting: Vinothini (TA), Zack (LA)

  3. Announce something like the following. You may tailor it to your own style.

    Welcome to the discussion section for CS16.

    If you brought your own laptop, you may like to use the round tables in the back.

    If you did not, there are 21 computers you can use; you’ll need your College of Engineering account and password for those. If your username/password doesn’t work, write your name

    My name is ____ and I’ll be the primary TA for this sesssion. I’ll be assisted by ____ (introduce your helpers).

    Today we’ll be working on lab00, and you can find the URL for that on the whiteboards.

    In future weeks, there may be activities that involved interacting with each other, and with the LAs/TAs, so please do continue to come to discussion section each week, either in person, or online.

    For today, though, we’d like you to just work in the zyBookL

    • You can go back to parts you had questions about and ask the TAs/LAs
    • Or you can just work ahead, starting from whereever you left off last.

    Before you get started, I’d like to tell you a little about myself, and ask the other helpers to do the same.

  4. Then, share your name, what degree program you are in (e.g. BS, MS, PhD, and your major), a bit about your interests.

    Briefly mention any industry internships you may have had (students are very interested in this), and any professors/research areas, you may have worked with in the past, or are working with now.

    You can also talk briefly about interests outside of computing if you like. But keep it short: about 2 minutes each.

  5. Then say: ok, let’s get started.

    Then, help students with whatever problems they are having working on the labs.

  6. At 45 minutes after the hour:

    Announce: Please start to finish up, since we have a full room of students in the next section.

    (Or: if it’s 8:50pm, announce: “In 5 mintues we need to start locking up the room so we can go home!”)

  7. At 50 minutes after the hour, announce: Please save your work, put away your things, and go get some fresh air so the next class has a place to work.

    And then start going around student by student, and sort of shepherding them out of the room.

    If you yourself, have to be somewhere at the top of the next hour, enlist the help of the next set of TAs/LAs.