CSCI 3294 (Unix Power Tools), Spring 2008:
Homework 8

Assigned:

April 28, 2008.

Due:

April 30, 2008, at 5pm. (Accepted without penalty until May 12 at noon, not accepted later.)

Credit:

10 points.

Reading

(There is no assigned reading for this homework.)

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 my mailbox in the department office.

1. (10 points) Write at least a page of prose about this course, answering the following questions.

   First some compare/contrast/philosophize questions:

   • Suppose a friend with no computer experience outside the Windows/GUI environment asks you why anyone would still want to use a command-line environment in the year 2008. What would you tell him/her? (You don't have to pretend to be a CLI convert if you're not; just try to come up with reasons why anyone would be.)

   • The ``traditional Unix'' environment emphasizes small single-purpose programs and standardized mechanisms for connecting them (pipes, I/O redirection, text files).

     Most current mainstream software in contrast seems to focus on large ``all-in-one'' programs that do many things and often-proprietary binary file formats. (Proponents of graphical environments, however, sometimes point out that they also provide mechanisms for connecting different applications -- copy/paste using a system clipboard, for example.)

     What advantages and disadvantages do you think each approach has? Consider user-friendliness from the perspective of both novice and expert users, program reliability, and anything else that seems interesting or relevant.

   And then some ``taking a poll'' questions:

   • What did you find most interesting or valuable about this course? Do you feel that your horizons were broadened a bit? Did you learn anything that you think will become part of the ``bag of tricks'' you use fairly often? Was there anything that you thought we could just as well have skipped?

   • Did you buy either or both of the recommended textbooks? Did you find it/them interesting and/or useful? If you used the online readings instead, did you find them interesting and/or useful?

   • Were the homeworks helpful in cementing your understanding of what we discussed in class?

   • Should the department offer a course like this regularly?

   • Is there anything else you want to say about the course?