CSCI 1120 (Low-Level Computing), Fall 2009:
Homework 1

Credit:

20 points.

Reading

Be sure you have read the introductory material about Linux commands and vi, linked from the ``Lecture topics and assignments'' page.

Programming Problems

(For this assignment, you won't actually be programming, but you will be doing something on a computer, and submitting your answers in the way you'll submit your programs in later assignments.)

Do the following problems. You will end up with one text file per problem. Submit your files by sending mail to bmassing@cs.trinity.edu, with your files as attachments. Probably the simplest way at this point is to start a Web browser (there should be an icon on your toolbar that does this -- hover the mouse over each of them until you find the right one), access your Trinity e-mail via the Web interface, and proceed as you usually would to attach a file. Use a subject line that mentions the course and the assignment (e.g., ``csci 1120 I homework 1'' or ``PAD I homework 1''). Please send this mail from your Trinity e-mail address even if you have another e-mail address; this is so I can tell that it's homework and who it's from (otherwise it might mistakenly end up in my junk-mail folder).

1. (10 points) For this problem your mission is to learn a little more about the text editor I teach in this course, vi. Do the following:
   • Open a terminal window (as we did in class), and start the interactive tutorial by typing vimtutor. Work through at least Lesson 1, more if you have time.

   • Now use what you have learned to create a text file in which you describe your experience so far with vi -- likes/dislikes, things you'd like to be able to do but don't know how to, etc. You could call it vi.txt or learning-vi.txt. (Avoid names with spaces for now. I'll explain why in class.) A good place to put this file would be in a directory (folder) called CSCI1120.

     (We didn't talk in class about how to create directories, but the command (mkdir) is described in one of the readings.)

2. (10 points) For this problem your mission is to learn a little more about the other major player in the UNIX editor wars, emacs. Repeat the steps in the previous problem:
   • In a terminal window, start emacs by typing emacs -nw. This should give you a page of instructions. Press control-h and then t to start an interactive tutorial. Work through as much of this tutorial as you need to in order to create and save a text file. (Starting the program by just typing emacs starts a graphical version of the program, which you may prefer for use in our labs, but which isn't as useful if you're working remotely.)

   • Now use what you have learned to create a text file in which you describe your experience so far with emacs -- likes/dislikes, things you'd like to be able to do but don't know how to, etc. You could call it emacs.txt or learning-emacs.txt, and it also could go in directory CSCI1120.