Software

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Basic Info

It will be really worth your time to set you computer up for class. The tools you need are discussed at Tools for 559.

Here are some steps that I used to set up a Windows laptop for working on class projects. This can give you a sense of how to get the things on the Tools for 559 page setup on your machine. It will probably be different for you. If you have a Mac or are running Linux, I can’t provide as much help (but other Course Staff can).

  1. Make sure that you’ve already installed Firefox and/or Chrome.

    • We will use Chrome to grade your assignments. You will want to have it available to test things, even if you prefer Firefox.
    • I generally use Firefox as my web browser, and Chrome for programming (just to keep the two separate).

  2. Install GIT for Windows https://git-scm.com/download/win

    • other systems have it installed already
    • you might get this when you install other tools
    • You need the command line GIT tools even if you use GUI tools.

  3. Set up private keys for GitHub in GIT.

    • See Git Setup and SSH configuration
    • This will save you a lot of time
    • It can be tricky to get right, which is why we made a whole page about it. Ask for help if you need it.
    • I use putty, but this is not the easiest way to use ssh.

  4. Install Node from https://nodejs.org/en/

    • We won’t use node directly, but it is handy to have becuase it allows you to install other things.
    • Use this to install useful Node services. Note that you need to use the -g option so that the programs are available everywhere on your computer.
      • npm install -g http-server - This is the web server we will use to test your programs.

  5. Install Visual Studio Code https://code.visualstudio.com/

    • We strongly recommend using Visual Studio Code for class. See the Visual Studio Code (VSCode) for CS559 page for more thoughts on this. You are welcome to use other tools
    • Over the years, things have gotten built into VSCode, so it isn’t obvious what you need to install (from the extensions tab or File/Preferences/Extensions)
      • LiveServer - definitely useful
      • add JavaScript support (by clicking on “JavaScript” on the Customize screen)
      • others are useful, but those are the main ones
    • I recommend going through the “Interactive Playground” (under the Help menu)