This is a test of my cs1321 mailing list. If you are not registered for this course, please let me know; otherwise, welcome to the course!
Some things I'm not sure were clear from Thursday's class:
I want you to start thinking about your programming project (game), but the point at which you have to turn something in ("Homework 1 (design)" on the schedule) is still almost two weeks ago, so don't be concerned if it's not clear yet what I want you to do. I'll be posting more detailed descriptions and requirements next week; for now, I just want you to be thinking about what you might want to do.
The first couple of reading assignments are admittedly long, but you probably won't need to read every word. As you'll notice when you start reading, the textbook we're using is actually written for complete beginners, so you should be able to skim many sections, just looking to see how Java differs from the programming language(s) you already know.
If you're thinking about downloading the Together IDE and installing it on your own machine, I recommend waiting a few days -- there's some confusion about whether the license we have for this product will work with its current version, and it may take a few days to resolve this with Borland. I'll keep you posted.
I've posted a description of the CS1321 project and specifics about Homework 1 to the Web. The project description is at
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~bmassing/Classes/CS1321_2003fall/Notes/project/
and the description of Homework 1 at
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~bmassing/Classes/CS1321_2003fall/Homeworks/HW01/Problems/homework/homework.html
and both are linked from what I think are the obvious places.
If you have time, please have a look through both documents before class tomorrow. I will be away at a conference most of next week, and while I hope to have e-mail access, it would be good to get as many questions as possible answered this week.
(And in case you're wondering about class next week -- no class Tuesday, and a guest lecturer Thursday.)
I see that previously I said I'd keep you posted on the status of installing Together on your own machines. The word from Borland is that we can still get the old version (6.0.1) that works with our license key. I've updated the "Useful links" page to point to the right URL for downloading.
I've done a little more experimenting, and it looks like if you're running Together on the Linux machines in the department labs, the "Generate HTML Documentation" feature will work better if you uncheck the "Include navigation tree" and "Launch HTML browser" boxes. (The first generates something that the default browser doesn't know how to display, and the second not only doesn't do anything useful but *appears* to be the source of the very strange problem a couple of you were seeing, in which selecting "Generate HTML Documentation" just pops up a little oval rather than a dialog.) I've added these recommendations to my "Project Description" Web document.
As a general comment, the students last year observed that sometimes Together behaves strangely. My advice is to try shutting it down and restarting; many times that helps and doesn't seem to do any harm, other than taking time.
For those of you who wonder why a product we used all of last year with reasonable success is doing new strange things -- the Linux machines are running a newer version of RedHat this year. It has some features that are supposed to make Together faster, but apparently the default configuration doesn't mesh perfectly with Together.
A small policy change with regard to attendance grades:
If you miss a class because of a conflict with a university-sponsored activity, university rules require me to allow you to make it up in some way. Therefore, in cases of such conflict or in cases of documented medical emergency, you can avoid being penalized for the absence by (1) presenting proof of the reason for the absence and (2) doing the minute essay for the missed class (from the online notes, or ask me).