Course Work

Students in CS-241 author many C programs:

• Lab assignments will be short and simple
• Projects are more interesting and may touch on a wide range of computer applications which have included:
  • encryption
  • numerical analysis
  • databases
  • scientific visualization
  • artificial intelligence
  • genetic algorithms
  • games

Course Goals

1. Read and apply the C syntax covered in the textbook.
2. Without a computer, determine the output of C language source code involving:
   • triply nested loops
   • conditional control flow
   • function calls
   • pointers
   • arrays
   • arithmetic
   • logical and bit operators
   • structures and memory allocation
3. Use a Linux command-line environment to manipulate files, directories, and to edit, compile, run and debug C programs.
4. Implement any given algorithm in C with a complexity level equivalent to quicksort or a doubly linked list with accuracy, efficiency and clarity.

Computer Access

• Need to work on a CS Linux machine
• Get a CS account (in addition to your UNM account)
• Use Putty or NoMachine (or some other SSH) to connect:
  • moons.cs.unm.edu
  • trucks.cs.unm.edu
  • B146 machines
• With a CS computer account you can access *.cs.unm.edu and use the CS Linux lab in Farris

How to Get a CS Account

• Email cssupport@cs.unm.edu from your UNM email account. Include:
  • A picture of your UNM ID; if you don’t have a UNM ID, then attach a picture of your government-issued ID, showing your photo and full name
  • Your UNM ID number
  • Your preferred username (lowercase alphanumeric only)
  • The CS class number you will be using this account with
  • Your status (pre-CS, undergraduate CS, graduate CS, faculty, staff, guest (non-CS major))

Summary

• Go to class and labs
• Keep up with the websites
• Expect some sort of work each week
• Be proactive!
• Form study groups
• Ask questions
• The graders are there to help you

To Do

• Visit course website
  • Slides will be posted after the lecture, if not before
• Visit Canvas site
• Contact ARC if you need it
• Get a CS account before lab next week

Programming vs Natural Language

• The entire C vocabulary consists of under 40 reserved words
• There are many libraries, such as math and stdio. However, these are the proper nouns of the language
• A person can be fluent in a language without knowing the vast majority of its proper nouns
• Proper nouns are learned as needed, and can be forgotten when no longer needed
• Like natural languages, programming languages have punctuation and syntax rules (e.g. In C, every statement is ended with a semicolon)
• Programming languages, however, have fewer rules than natural languages

Small Language with Complex Usage

• Programming Languages are much smaller and easier to learn than natural languages
• However, programming languages are primarily used to express complex branchings of conditional logic that far surpass common uses of natural languages
• Logic skills have strong carryover from one programming language to another

Why use C?

• C and C++ are used widely in industry
• Compact language, and does not change (unlike Java and C++)
• C influenced many later languages
• Used in many higher level courses like:
  • Networking
  • Operating Systems
  • Compilers
  • Machine Language
• C is “close to the machine”, yet portable

Hello, World!

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
  printf("Hello, World!\n");
  return 0;
}