CS-2301, System Programming for Non-Majors

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CS-2301, System Programming for Non-Majors

• CS-2301, System Programmingfor Non-Majors
• (Slides include materials from The C
  Programming Language, 2nd edition, by Kernighan
  and Ritchie and from C How to Program, 5th and
  6th editions, by Deitel and Deitel)

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CS-2301 Course Objectives

• C language programming
• Designing, implementing, debugging, etc.
• Basic understanding of how computers execute C
  programs
• and other kinds of programs
• Preparation for computational challenges of
  engineering, scientific, and other professions
• Preparation for upper-level courses in computing
• Thinking computationally

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Why?

• Computing and Programming a life skill for all
  technical professionals
• Thinking Computationally organizing your
  engineering/scientific/technical thoughts to be
  amenable to computational solutions

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Why C?

• Because we have to!
• Many situations outside of CS where it is only
  language or system available
• Small, embedded systems, instrumentation, etc.
• Many low-level situations that dont have
  support for high-level languages
• Operating systems, real-time systems, drivers

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Why not C?

• C is very low-level
• Data structures must be programmed by hand
• Operations must be done out in long hand
• No support for object oriented design
• Marginal support for higher-level thought
  processes
• Much, much harder to use than higher level
  languages/systems
• Better alternatives available for technical
  applications
• Verilog, VHDL, System C semiconductor design
• Matlab, SimuLink physical modeling
• LabView instrumentation and control
• Excel accounting and statistics
• SQL billing and transactions

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This Course

• Lectures
• C programming language, syntax, semantics, etc.
• Common data structures that technical
  professionals are likely to need or encounter in
  C
• Programming Assignments
• Write programs to exercise various language
  constructs and data structures
• Mandatory for passing this course
• Lab Sessions
• How to use the system, tools, debuggers, etc.
• Practical help from TAs, etc.

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This Course (continued)

• Tuesdays Fridays, 200350 PM
• Higgins Labs 116
• Weekly Lab Sessions
• B01 Higgins Labs 230, Wednesdays 200-250 PM
• B02 Higgins Labs 230, Wednesdays 300-350 PM
• Three exams (one hour each)
• November 13
• December 1
• December 15
• Review session prior to exam on same day

Closed book, one 8½-by-11 sheet of prepared
notes, no calculators or electronics
Note Exams are deliberately designed to be
difficult. Median grade about 50 graded on a
curve e.g., median 10 ? B. Include writing
program fragments.
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Prerequisites

• CS-1101 or CS-1102
• Or other first programming course
• Or programming job, or other experience
• Background survey
• Note credit may not be earned for both CS-2301
  and CS-2303

• Note
• If you have never programmed a computer before,
• And if you are taking an overload this term,
• Chances are that you will not do well in this
  course.

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Logistics

• Course web site
• http//www.cs.wpi.edu/cs2301/b09
• Professors office Hours
• Tuesdays and Fridays, 100 PM 150 PM, or by
  appointment(additional hours TBD)
• Fuller 144 [phone]
• Contacts
• ltProfessors last namegt _at_ cs.wpi.edu
• Class e-mail lists
• cs2301-all or cs2301-staff _at_ same domain
• Teaching assistants
• Feng Li (TA)
• Medhabi Ray (TA)
• Andrew Keating (SA)

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Required Textbook

• The C Programming Language, 2nd edition, by Brian
  Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, Prentice Hall, 1988
• Bring to all classes and all lab sessions

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Textbook Outline

• Chapter 1 a tutorial aimed at people who already
  know how to program
• Chapters 2-8 description of C language
• Slightly different order from Chapter 1
• Appendix A the C language reference
• Official definition of language is here!
• Appendix B the standard libraries
• You will use these a lot!

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Ground Rule 1

• There are no stupid questions.
• It is a waste of your time and the classs time
  to proceed when you dont understand the basic
  terms.
• If you dont understand it, someone else probably
  doesnt it, either.

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Ground Rule 2

• Help each other!
• Even when a project or assignment is specified as
  individual, ask your friends or classmates about
  stuff you dont understand.
• It is a waste of your time try to figure out some
  obscure detail on your own when there are lots of
  resources around.
• When you have the answer, write it in your own
  words (or own coding style).

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Names and Faces

• It is in your own interest that I know who you
  are.
• Students who speak up in class usually get more
  favorable grades than those who dont
• When speaking in class, please identify yourselves

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WPI Academic Honesty Policy

• It is a violation of the WPI Academic Honesty
  Policy to submit someone elses work as your own.
• It is not a violation of WPIs Academic Honesty
  Policy to ask for help!
• Classmates, TAs, friends, mentors,
• Explanations of things you dont understand

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Additional Help

• Academic Resource Center has Tutors available to
  assist in CS 2301.
• The schedule is posted and copies are available
  on the door of the MASH room and Tutor Center,
  Daniels Hall, 1st floor.

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Instructor Hugh C. LauerAdjunct Professor

• Ph. D. Carnegie-Mellon, 1972-73
• Dissertation Correctness in Operating Systems
• Lecturer University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
• Approximately 30 years in industry in USA
• Research topics
• Operating Systems
• Proofs of Correctness
• Computer Architecture
• Networks and Distributed Computing
• Real-time networking
• 3D Volume Rendering
• Surgical Simulation and Navigation

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Systems and Programming Experience

• IBM Corporation
• University of Newcastle
• Systems Development Corporation
• Xerox Corporation (Palo Alto)
• Software Arts, Inc.
• Apollo Computer
• Eastman Kodak Company
• Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs (MERL)
• Real-Time Visualization
• Founded and spun out from MERL
• Acquired by TeraRecon, Inc.
• SensAble Technologies, Inc.
• Dimensions Imaging, Inc. (new start-up)

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Experience (continued)

• CTO, Chief Architect of VolumePro 1000
• Worlds first interactive 3D rendering engine for
  CT, MRI, seismic scans for PC-class computers
• 7.5-million gate, high-performance ASIC
• 109 illuminated graphical samples per second
• Two seminal contributions to computer science
• Duality hypothesis for operating systems (w/Roger
  Needham)
• First realization of opaque types in type-safe
  languages (with Edwin Satterthwaite)
• 21 US patents issued
• Computer architecture
• Software reliability
• Networks
• Computer graphics volume rendering

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Questions?
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The C Language

• First created to develop Unix late 1960s
• Kernighan Ritchie, 1st edition 1978
• ANSI C 1988
• Kernighan Ritchie, 2nd edition, 1988
• Implemented by nearly all C compilers
• C95, C99
• Minor additions (to be noted as we get to them)
• Most major C compilers

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Successors to C

• C
• Developed by Bjarne Stroustrup and team at Bell
  Labs
• Major extension of C to support object-oriented
  programming
• Attempted to preserve syntax and structure of C
• Java
• Rewrite of C at Sun Microsystems
• Machine independence, portability
• Ability to embed in web pages
• Huge libraries of packages for all kinds of stuff

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Fundamental Rule in C

• Every identifier must be declared before it can
  be used in a program
• Definition identifier
• A sequence of letters, digits, and _
• Must begin with a letter or _
• Case is significant
• Upper and lower case letters are different
• Must not be a reserved word see p. 192
• Definition declare
• Introduce an identifier and the kind of entity it
  refers to
• Optionally, define associated memory or program

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So where is printf declared?

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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So where is printf declared?

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Your First C Program

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf(?Hello, World!\n?)
• return 0

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Questions?

• Write, compile, and execute this program in Lab
  session tomorrow

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What happens to your program

• after it is compiled, but before it can be run?

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Example

• include ltstdio.hgt
• int main (void)
• printf (?Hello,? ? world\n?)
• return 0

• Symbol defined in your program and used elsewhere
• main
• Symbol defined elsewhere and used by your program
• printf

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Static Linking and Loading
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Compiling Your Program

• gcc HelloWorld.c
• Compiles the program in HelloWorld.c, links with
  any standard libraries, puts executable in a.out
• You should find HelloWorld.o in your directory
• gcc o hello_world HelloWorld.c
• Same as above, but names the executable file
  hello_world instead of a.out
• gcc lrt HelloWorld.c
• Searches library named rt.a for functions to
  link(in addition to standard libraries)

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Compiling Your Program (continued)

• gcc foo.c bar.c help.c
• Compiles the programs foo.c, bar.c, and help.c,
  links with standard libraries, executable in
  a.out
• You should find foo.o, bar.o, and help.o in your
  directory
• gcc o Lab2 foo.c bar.c help.c
• Same as above, but names the executable file Lab2
• gcc c foo.c bar.c help.c
• Compiles foo.c, bar.c, and help.c to foo.o,
  bar.o, and help.o but does not link together

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Questions?
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Short Break

• Please fill out survey questionnaire