CSE 399-004: Special Topics: Unix/Linux Skills (Spring 2006)

Mini-course in the first half of the spring semester: January 9th - February 24th
Lecture 1:00 - 2:00 Mon/Wed, Towne 309
Lab 1:00 - 2:00 Fri, Moore 100B
Class Schedule
Web: http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~mcorliss/teaching/cse399/

Announcements

  • [Feb 17] - I've pushed the deadline for the final exam to Friday, March 3rd (at 1pm) to avoid a conflict with CSE 371. I will *not* accept exams submitted later than March 3rd at 1pm. For those that finish the exam earlier, you can submit the exam at any point prior to the deadline.

  • [Feb 14] - I've cancelled the final lab on 2/24. The last class will be on 2/22 (although the final exam is due 2/27).

  • [Jan 27] - I've switched my office hours. I'm still having office hours from 2-3 on Wednesdays, but I'm moving my office hours from Fridays 2-3 to Mondays 9-10 in Levine 310 (inside Levine 308).

  • [Jan 25] - The Python course and this course have now been officially split. This course is still CSE 399/004 while the Python course is CSE 399/005. If you take both courses, you will get 1 credit.

  • [Jan 14] - My office hours are now posted. I will have office hours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-3 (right after class) in Levine 310 (inside Levine 308). Of course, you can come and ask me questions about the course or the homework. But also feel free to come and chat with me about unix/linux. Note: Levine 310 is not my actual office, but since I have a group office (in Levine 614), I will use it to hold office hours.

  • [Jan 9] - To enroll for this course you must enroll for the Python course (CSE 399-004). This course takes place in the first half of the semester, the Python course takes place in the second half of the semester. By signing up for CSE 399-004, you can choose to attend either the Unix/Linux skills course or the Python course or both (although only a half credit will be granted). Email me if you have questions.

  • [Jan 9] - Make sure you view the class schedule regularly.

Staff

Instructor: Marc Corliss (mcorliss at cis dot upenn dot edu), office hours: Mon. 9-10/Wed. 2-3 in Levine 310 (inside Levine 308).

Course Summary

This half-credit introductory course provides a solid background in the Unix/linux environment. Topics covered include the the Unix shell, the emacs editor, scripting, a number of important applications (e.g., cvs and latex), and user-level package installation. For each topic, we will discuss the basic concepts as well as how to use online resources (man and web pages) to do more advanced stuff. In addition, we will compare each Unix/linux application with the corresponding application (if one exists) on more familiar environments such as Windows or Mac OS X. The skills learned are applicable in the following classes: CSE 240, CSE 331, CSE 341, CSE 371/372, and CSE 380/381.

Grades

Homework: 60%
Final exam: 30%
Participation, attendance, etc.: 10%

Attendance

To get full credit for participation, you should attend all lectures (MW, 1-2, Towne 309) and labs (F, 1-2, Moore 100B). You can miss, at most, one class, unexcused. If you need to miss more than one class, then you should contact me, before class time, and explain why you cannot attend class.

Homework

There will be 6 homework assignments. Although you may talk with your classmates about the assignments, they are to be completed individually. Homeworks are due at the beginning of class (generally, on Monday). Late homework will not be accepted. Instructions for turning in homeworks will be posted soon.

Final Exam

There will be a final "take-home" exam. It will test all aspects of the course. Like the homeworks, it is to be completed individually.

Academic Integrity

The work you submit in this class is expected to be your own. See Penn's Code of Academic Integrity page for more information.

Resources
Marc Corliss
Last modified: Thu Jun 18 17:06:45 EDT 2009