CSCI 3294 (Seminar: UNIX Power Tools), Fall 2018:
Homework 4

Credit:

20 points.

Reading

(As described in problems.)

Problems

Answer the following questions. You may write out your answers by hand or using a word processor or other program, but please submit hard copy, either in class or in one of my mailboxes (outside my office or in the ASO).

Text editors; vi and emacs

1. (8 points) Spend at least half an hour (more if you have the time and interest) working through the vim tutorial and/or reading other parts of the online help. Start the tutorial by typing vimtutor at the command prompt. Access online help by typing :help or :help sometopic; exit help by typing :q. Then tell me at least two things you learned that you didn't know before and you think you might find useful. (You were probably asked in a previous class to work through some of the tutorial. If so, read further in it than you have before.)

2. (8 points) Repeat the previous question, but with the emacs tutorial and/or online help. Start it by typing emacs -nw and then control-h followed by t. Access online help as described in the tutorial. (Without -nw, emacs will create a new window if it can. That can be interesting -- in fact you should probably try it -- but for this assignment I ask that you use the text-only version.) (If you have already read part of this tutorial for a previous class, read further in it than you have before.)

3. (4 points) Which editor do you feel more inclined to learn more about at this point (considering features, ease of use, etc.). Why? (``Neither'' is an acceptable answer if you explain why!)

Honor Code Statement

Include the Honor Code pledge or just the word ``pledged'', plus at least one of the following about collaboration and help (as many as apply).¹Text in italics is explanatory or something for you to fill in. For programming assignments, this should go in the body of the e-mail or in a plain-text file honor-code.txt (no word-processor files please).

• This assignment is entirely my own work. (Here, ``entirely my own work'' means that it's your own work except for anything you got from the assignment itself -- some programming assignments include ``starter code'', for example -- or from the course Web site. In particular, for programming assignments you can copy freely from anything on the ``sample programs page''.)
• I worked with names of other students on this assignment.
• I got help with this assignment from source of help -- ACM tutoring, another student in the course, the instructor, etc. (Here, ``help'' means significant help, beyond a little assistance with tools or compiler errors.)
• I got help from outside source -- a book other than the textbook (give title and author), a Web site (give its URL), etc.. (Here too, you only need to mention significant help -- you don't need to tell me that you looked up an error message on the Web, but if you found an algorithm or a code sketch, tell me about that.)
• I provided help to names of students on this assignment. (And here too, you only need to tell me about significant help.)

Essay

Include a brief essay (a sentence or two is fine, though you can write as much as you like) telling me what about the assignment you found interesting, difficult, or otherwise noteworthy. For programming assignments, it should go in the body of the e-mail or in a plain-text file essay.txt (no word-processor files please).

Footnotes

... apply).¹

Credit where credit is due: I based the wording of this list on a posting to a SIGCSE mailing list. SIGCSE is the ACM's Special Interest Group on CS Education.