Getting Started

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Basic Info

The course web has a lot to read. Here is a suggestion as to where to start (and a recommended order you could look at them). We want to dive into the first assignments during the first week - this list will make sure you are ready.

This list is long - but it is worth taking the time to understand class before it starts. Be sure to do these things…

  1. Read through this page before following links from it.
  2. Read the Course Overview page to get a basic sense of what the course is going to be. You should read the details of how class will work on the The Plan for the Accelerated Honors Section and Types of Assignments and Classes pages.
  3. The Policies for CS559H page will give you a sense of the rules for how the class will operate. You probably don’t need all the details. But you do need to know that you are required to attend class (and fill out the CS559AH attendance form if you will miss class) (see Class Meetings and Attendance). And you might care about Grading (and late policy).
  4. Read the Communications Policy page to understand how you will communicate with us in class.
  5. Look at the Tools for 559 page to see what tools you will want to gather together to do the assignments in the class. We recommend that you use Visual Studio Code (see Visual Studio Code (VSCode) for CS559).
  6. We will use GitHub and GitHub classroom for class. See Git and GitHub in CS559. Set up SSH security as described at Git Setup and SSH Configuration - it will save you time.
  7. The Javascript in CS559 page discusses the use of JavaScript in CS559, and gives some suggestions on how to learn it if you haven’t already.
  8. The Learning Goals will help you understand what you are going to learn in class. Check the Calendar to see the planned schedule.
  9. You will want to have an AI assistant (GitHub CoPilot Pro) for class. Fortunately, you can sign up for free (see GitHub Copilot Signup for CS559 Students).

Checklist (please do this as soon as possible - before class on Thursday, January 23rd if possible):

  1. Have a look at the web pages above.
  2. Register for an account on GitHub if you don’t already have one.
  3. Set up the tools (see Tools for 559 you will want to use for the class and try them out. This includes Visual Studio Code.
  4. Set up Git Setup and SSH Configuration so you have convenient access to GIT.
  5. Get a GitHub education account and set up your free access to CoPilot Pro (see GitHub Copilot Signup for CS559 Students). You will want an AI assistant to help you in this class. Set it up in Visual Studio Code (See Setting up GitHub Copilot in VSCode).

Some other things you might want to do…

  1. If you are not confident with your JavaScript skills, see the Javascript in CS559 page and try to do a little JavaScript programming. Read some of one of the books, maybe watch some of the videos, but also try things out! There are many resources at JavaScript Tutorials List
  2. Make sure you understand how to use GIT enough for class. See the Git and GitHub in CS559 page where I have a brief tutorial, and pointers to resources. There is a link to a GIT tutorial I made showing how to use it for class.
  3. If you aren’t fluent with a JavaScript debugger, we have a JavaScript Debugger Tutorials

If you need to find something on this course web, try using the search box in the upper right corner.