CS 241: Systems Programming

Semester:	Fall 2011
Room:	King 221
Class Time:	Mon/Wed/Fri 1:30pm-2:20pm
Office Hours:	Tuesday, 3:00-4:30pm Wednesday, 2:30-4:00pm or by appointment

Professor:	Benjamin Kuperman
email:	benjamin.kuperman AT oberlin edu Please include "cs241" in the subject.
AIM:	ProfKuperman
Office:	King 223B
Phone:	x58556

Announcements

• Watch this space for announcements!

Schedule

(Will be updated throughout the semester)

Course Description

From the Oberlin catalog course description:

This course will consider the C programming language and its relationship to the Unix operating system. It will also introduce the C++ language and focus on differences between the Java and C++ applications. Some Unix system programminig issues will also be included. The course will require a significant amount of programming.

Goals and course objectives

My goals and objectives for students taking this course are as follows:

1. Understand the role of C in the field of computing
2. Understand the interrelationship of C and Unix
3. Become fluent in C programming including
   • Compound data types such as structs and unions
   • Dynamically allocated structures (including cleanup)
   • Binary and bit-wise manipulations
4. Develop the habit of thorough testing and become comfortable in using debugging tools including gdb, valgrind, etc.
5. Become acquainted with the Unix tool philosophy and some common tools
6. Be able to write a Unix tool
7. Be able to compose Unix tools into shell scripts
8. Learn how to use C++ and how it differs from Java and C

Textbook

We'll be using the canonical K&R C textbook for this class.

The C Programming Language by Kernighan and Ritchie Accompanying website for K&R C at http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/cbook/

You might also be interested in the following books as personal references:

• C: A reference manual by Harbison and Steele [website]
• Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment by Stevens (and Rago) [Online Copy | website]

I'll try to make a copy of these available in one of the labs for your use.

Useful Tools

There are a number of tools that may be useful to you.

Debugging

• gdb - Gnu DeBugger
• ddd - front end to gdb
• valgrind - memory checker (access and leaks)

Code browsing

Both of these can be incorporated into Vim or Emacs.

• cscope
• exuberant ctags

Useful links

There is quite a bit of useful information on C, C++, Unix, and shell scripting available online. If you find something interesting, let me know and I'll add it here. Most of these links have been recommended by past students.

Frequently used or multi-area

• Unix Programming Tools

C Programming

• http://www.cprogramming.com/
• Eddie's Basic Guide to C Programming
• Common C Programming Errors

C++ Programming

• C++ Tutorial for C Users
• http://www.cppreference.com/ -
• http://www.cplusplus.com/ -
• A C++ reference card
• Another collections of C/C++ links

GDB/DDD and debugging

• Guide to Faster, Less Frustrating Debugging
• Debugging "C" And "C++" Programs Using "gdb"
• http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~benjasik/gdb/gdbtut.html
• DDD Manual - a graphical front end to GDB
• Norm Matloff's DDD Tutorial

Makefiles

• http://www.cs.colby.edu/maxwell/courses/tutorials/maketutor/
• http://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2002/cmsc214/Tutorial/makefile.html
• http://www.eng.hawaii.edu/Tutor/Make/
• Gnu 'make' manual

Unix

• Unix Help from the University of Edinburough
• Tia Newall's useful Unix commands
• The Unix Haters Handbook

Shell Scripting

• Regular Expressions Cheat Sheet
• sed - An Introduction and Tutorial
• Various Unix tool quick references

Humor

• C Humor
• XKCD - Unix interface

Grading

Grades will be calculated based on the following distribution:

• 50% - Homework/Projects
• 30% - Exams (probably 2)
• 20% - Final exam (not optional)

The distribution might be adjusted based on the progression of the course.

Course Policy

Attendance

Regular class attendance and participation is expected. Please talk to me if regular class attendance is going to be a problem.

Homework Assignments

There will be a number of assignments made in this class. I expect every student to attempt each assignment and turn in the results. You are encouraged to complete every assignment as this is one of the most effective ways to learn the material.

If you know that for some reason you will not be able to submit the assignment before the deadline, you should contact me in advance of the deadline. Extensions are only granted in exceptional circumstances, but need to be done in advance.

Late submissions of homework assignments will be penalized up to 10% per day. Extra credit will not be accepted after the initial deadline.

Accommodations for students with disabilities

If you have a disability that might impact your performance in this course, or requires special accommodation, please contact me as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Support is available through Student Academic Services, specifically Jane Boomer. You will need to contact them to get your disability documented before accommodations can be made.

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

I have very low tolerance for academic dishonesty, and will vigorously pursue available remedies for any incidents. All work in this class is to be performed according to the Oberlin Honor Code. Specifically I expect that:

1. Quizzes and exams will be closed book, closed notes, and no communication between students. This includes discussing the same to students who are taking the quiz at another time.
2. Discussion of assignments is expected and encouraged, however all work and code on assignments should be your own without outside assistance.
3. Sources should be cited including the textbook and other web sites when you use them in your work.
4. You are not permitted to share your source code with other students, including future ones.
5. You are not permitted to use other students solutions as your own (even those from a prior semester), nor answer keys, nor instructor versions.

Illustrative examples:

1. Confirming that we had and exam is OK, telling another student in the class who has not taken it that it was easy/hard, what topics, etc. is NOT OK.
2. On a project or homework, discussing what needs to be done and how it can be done is OK, having a student (other than a TA) go over your code is NOT OK, discussing what might be wrong and how to tell is OK (and encouraged).
3. Unless otherwise specified in the assignment, you decide to use an insertion sort and copy the version from your Java textbook is OK as long as you give appropriate credit. E.g.,

       /* based on insertion sort from Weiss 3rd Ed, p. 306 */
               

All assignments must include the following signed statement:

"I have adhered to the Honor Code in this assignment."

Electronic submissions should include the honor statement in either the README file or header comments and must include your name.