September 27, 1999
Due date: Part 0A (Treasure Hunt) is due Friday, October 1; Part 0B is due Monday, October 4. See detailed instructions on the Web for each part for the exact times.
Purpose: This assignment will help you become familiar with the Introductory Programming Laboratory (IPL), the course web, and most of the tools you'll be using throughout the semester. It will also give you a feel for how our homework assignments are written, turned in, and graded.
The detailed instructions for this homework are to be found on the class web, located at
http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/142/
Once you get there, click on this quarter; click on Homework, and then on Homework #0. If it doesn't say "September 27, 1999" you're in the wrong place. From there you can read the detailed instructions. Be sure to read them carefully... there may be some parts buried away that you could overlook if you're not careful. Have fun!
If you haven't used the World Wide Web before... the rest of this sheet contains just enough hints to get started. You need to make progress on this immediately! Get help if you get stuck.
Computer basics: If you are completely new to computers, read section 1.2 of the textbook ("Introduction to Computer Hardware") and be sure you understand all the terms it uses.
Finding a computer: If you have a computer at home with a Web browser and C or C++ compiler, you can use that for this assignment. Otherwise, visit the Introductory Programming Lab (IPL), which is located in Sieg 323 (there are computers elsewhere around campus, too, but you may need an account to use them.) If you have never used a computer before, ask the person at the front desk how to get started. Or better yet, take an experienced friend with you.
Getting started with the browser: A "browser" is a program which can display files from the World Wide Web. Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) are the most popular browsers. Locate the icon (small picture) for Netscape (or IE). You can start the browser by double-clicking its icon (clicking twice rapidly). After it's open, try connecting to the course Web site shown above. Try clicking on "active links" (underlined and in color) to see what happens. Practice using the "Back" button to return from one site to the previous one.
Now you should be ready to locate the detailed Homework #0 information, using the sequence of steps given at the beginning of this sheet! Once you locate it, you may want to print it out. See if you can figure out how!