Project: CUSTOMIZE UNIX SETTINGS (cus0)

To further familiarize with the system(s) you interact with in the LAIR and class.

To successfully accomplish/perform this project, the listed resources/experiences need to be consulted/achieved:

• ability to read the manual pages and use the information therein
• ability to copy, move, and list files
• ability to navigate around the filesystem
• ability to experiment with settings to ascertain their impact

It would be especially useful to review the manual pages or any documentation on the following resources:

• cp(1)
• mv(1)
• ls(1)
• mkdir(1)
• cat(1)
• vim(1)
• man(1)

We use computers and technology to facilitate our tasks and lives. For them to serve anything other than a beneficial purpose runs counter to the conceptual notion of technology.

Of course, as humans we find ways to introduce various forms and layers of drama and bureaucracy into our technology, its capabilities, and our abilities to access and use it.

Humans tend to embrace their ignorance, fearing change, and seeking to control what they do not understand. And if you look close enough, you will see some mixture of ignorance, fear, and control instilled in any technological endeavor humans are limiting from its true potential.

However, since we are on a path to enlightenment, it doesn't suit us to maintain the mainstream status quo. Technology isn't a list of steps to memorize/regurgitate, nor should it be some “one-size-fits-all” tool. It is designed to make our lives easier and facilitate our tasks, so we should embrace it and become better acclimated to our technology.

One means of accomplishing this is through customizing the behaviors of our technology, something many UNIX tools allow quite considerable flexibility with. Through referencing various forms of documentation on a tool (program original documentation, manual page, sample files, etc.), we can effect changes to the default behavior of various tools we use.

In the UNIX Public Directory you will find a spring2016/unix/cus0/ subdirectory.

There you will find:

• sample.file.0
• sample.file.1
• sample.file.2
• sample.file.3
• sample.file.4
• sample.file.5

For this project, I want you to perform at least four modifications each to at least four configuration files. Two of the four files must be from this list of sample files (although you're welcome to choose another from this group). If you've been exploring on your own, you may have performed custom configurations, and you're allowed to use them here.

The remaining file must be your customized mercurial hgrc file, which should already be established from your work performing the uxi0 project. I will be checking to make sure that it has been configured.

Just to be clear: each file must contain at the minimum at least four changes (in the form of enabled/disabled options), so if the project asks for a minimum of four config files to be customized, sixteen total changes need to be reported. In the case of hgrc, your filling out of particular user and name information will satisfy these requirements (you DID do that, didn't you??)

In addition to the changes, you must indicate the path where the config file is located, and the name it must have to take effect as a user config file (hint: somewhere in your home directory).

All such paths, names, changed options, and description of identified options must be documented in a file called summary that you submit along with the other 4 files upon project completion.

The intent here is that you will deploy custom configurations- carefully chosen options as a result of consulting documentation.

Be sure to provide any commentary on your opus regarding realizations had and discoveries made during your pursuit of this project.

• What impact does a particular option have on a program?
• How has your relationship with the system changed after spending time customizing some programs?

To successfully complete this project, the following criteria must be met:

• You've identified, understand, altered, named, and deployed at least 4 config files.
  • Note that the example submit line includes generic “file1”, “file2” names… you want to put the correctly named filename (don't rename them to file1, file2, and don't keep them as sample.file.0).
• You've documented your changes, and have put all pertinent information in the summary file.

To submit this program to me using the submit tool, run the following command at your lab46 prompt:

$ submit unix cus0 file1 file2 file3 file4 summary
Submitting unix project "cus0":
    -> file1(OK)
    -> file2(OK)
    -> file3(OK)
    -> file4(OK)
    -> summary(OK)

SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED

You should get some sort of confirmation indicating successful submission if all went according to plan. If not, check for typos and or locational mismatches.