Lab46 Wiki

Over the first week, we did not have computers to work with. It was a bit confusing trying to grasp how to use the commands and UNIX system without having it in front of me. We learned about some basic commands such as ls, man, who, and how to change into different directories using the cd command. As the computers arrived, we finally started to dabble within the UNIX system. It was quite interesting to use something so different than I am used to; however, I am becoming more comfortable using it as more time is spent playing around within. As the semester progresses, I'm sure that I will become adept in using the force to move around and manipulate the UNIX system and learn even more of what it is able to accomplish.

This last week I have worked more with the UNIX system. I've become much more comfortable with commands and the more text-based approach. I actually quite enjoy it as it makes me feel as though I know what I'm doing rather than just clicking and hoping I eventually get to the right thing, if I don't already know exactly what I'm doing. Also, I've learned how to do a bit more when it comes to navigating and creating some new directories. I have also learned more about renaming and copying files to different locations. I am learning how to work with archives in the arc0 project; it seems quite interesting. This also allowed me to practice copying files and creating some new directories to work with. I have also worked a little bit with mercurial in the process of this project. I believe it is a good way to make sure my work is saved in another location and has multiple backups in the case that something unfortunate happens.

With respect to learning and working with the commands, we made a skeleton and cake file within class. We then imported information into the cake file and created a symbolic link to the skeleton file called “key.” We also work on making directories and deleting them afterward to get a grasp on how copying, renaming, and removing files works. I still find it a little odd that renaming uses the same command as moving, yet it does make sense. I still am learning more as I work on the project and am excited to see where else this class goes.

Over the last week, project arc0 was finished. It was a step up from the first project, but it also helped me to learn a lot more about how commands work. It also gave me practice with pipes; I think Mario would be proud, or Snoop. I figured out that the shape to be found was a majestic horse. There was only a small amount of shifting to be done to get the image to appear. It was also quite enjoyable to decode the names to figure out what number they were referencing. I managed to finish the project and upload it after realizing the difference between creating a file and a directory. Throughout the project I also worked more with the cat command and using it to write to new files.

Class has been helpful in establishing the difference between half and full quotes, as well as back ticks. We spent some time learning the difference between them and how they work differently. I’ve become more comfortable with how the system works. I’m still working on getting pipes to function, and figuring out how to use them productively. The exercise in class using question marks and asterisks helped me to better grasp the concept. I still find it amazing how there is a command for everything. Even if a command is shared for more than one use, such as mv, it still makes complete sense in why it does what it does and how well it performs those tasks. With the list function being able to do so much and then being able to pipe another command, so much can be accomplished in such as short amount of time.

The project due this week, cus0, is interesting. It’s yet another aspect of the system that many overlook. There are many levels of customization that can be done to alter various things. Though there aren’t really any new commands to be used in this project, other than nano which we’ve used briefly, it will definitely supplement everything we have been working on. I like that many commands are used so frequently, but can be modified to do so much more than what we initially saw. This has made for much more interesting mistakes and learning experiences. Finishing up the project should be smooth, and hopefully submission goes smoothly this time.

The puzzle box project was assigned this last week. It didn't turn out to be as bad as I was led to believe it would be. It didn't take long to finish, but I think it may help that I tend to take things as they are and don't really think too much into them. It helped me to understand how to fix some problems that may be at hand, even if I don't initially realize what they are. I'm really enjoying using the unix system at this point. I think it is extremely interesting and it still surprises me with how much can actually be done to manipulate files and the system itself.

PBX1: Puzzle Box Next. This project was extremely fun for me to work on. I really enjoyed having to use everything I have learned, and not learned, to solve and finish this project. I'm really getting the hang of general usage of the system and even have created some of my own tools to expedite certain tasks. In class we learned that there are secrets hidden within the vogue UK website, which was definitely fun. We also played a few games, and were even encouraged to do so as they help us to understand how the system works. I'm really enjoying the class, and it truly is becoming one of the best classes I have ever taken; and that's saying something.

Over the past few classes we have been learning how to create basic shell scripts. It's quite useful to be making things that can perform tasks for me. I also enjoyed creating the basic number guess game. I feel as though I accomplished something when I was able to understand what made up the program and exactly how it worked. This isn't the case in some of my other classes where I just know how something has to be and that's the only reason for it. The ability to construct something and understand it and how it works, and why it works is extremely rewarding.

Lately I've been working on the web page adventure project,wpa0. I've been learning a lot about html and how it works. Html tags can be quite annoying, but they're easy enough to use. I never realized how much work went into making just a simple text filled page with some buttons on it. Making the adventure is fun, however. It allows me to be creative, which in all honesty, I haven't been in quite a while. I feel like i may be putting a little more effort than necessary into the project, but like I said, I am enjoying it so it makes it easy and I don't really mind. I'm just about finished, have a couple more rooms to create and a few pictures and the map to finish, but all in all it has been an enjoyable experience.

Last week in class we ended up with no power, so that was definitely an experience. We obviously didn't get much completed. This week, udr0 is due, Unix Data Recovery. I haven't gotten too far into the project, meaning I have compiled the dectohex program and looked at everything else. I am not proficient or experienced in C at all, so I am not sure what it really does, or how it works, but I'm sure it will be useful. I really enjoy these types of projects as it forces me to look at something in a completely different way, or try to figure ways around a certain aspect I may not even know about yet; that's the beauty of this class though. It forces you of of a box to go looking for an answer and a way to solve an issue.

Over the last week we've been working more with scripting; this includes this weeks project, sfp0. So far, it's coming along well. I'm glad that we have been working with scripting so much lately, as it really is just a tool to make everything that much easier. We looked at regular expressions as well, which were also interesting to learn about. They can be a little confusing at points, but overall I think they are extremely neat.

Project sfp0 has been quite fun to work on. It's definitely made me look outside the box to solve different issues, then go back and change certain aspects that may not have worked as well as others; some may have even been broken as I went on with the project and had to be changed. I was stuck on getting break weeks to work for a quite a while, but think I have finally figured it out. Otherwise, the rest of the project, I feel, was relatively straight forward and simple to accomplish once formatting was fixed. I didn't do much over Thanksgiving break, but that's probably not a bad thing. TWO WEEKS LEFT!