Assignment 0

Task

Get ready to program by writing a "Hello, World!" program on the same computer you plan to use to do your assignments.

Steps:

JDK

If you are planning to use your home machine, you will need to download and install the JDK. 'JDK6 Update 2' is the latest version, but earlier versions should also work for this course. You do not need NetBeans (which is an IDE like Eclipse), but you can get that version if you want to.

An IDE

In lab, I will show you how to use Notepad to write your source code. While this is a good learning experience, it's nice to have something a little fancier to write code.

One option is TextPad. This is what I like to use at home on simple programs. It is halfway between an editor and an IDE. You can download a free shareware version which will nag you occasionally when you save.

If you're ready to tackle a full-blown IDE, Eclipse is a good one. It is what will be used in lectures. Get the 'Eclipse IDE for Java Developers'. (You should install the JDK before you install Eclipse.)

Hello, World!

Write, compile, and run a simple program, such as:

/**
 * My first program.
 *
 * @author Zach Tomaszewski
 * @version 23 Aug 2007
 */
public class Hello {

  /**
   * Prints a greeting to the screen.
   */
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    System.out.println("Hello, World!");
  }
}

What to Submit

All you have to send me is an short email saying you completed the above task--that you got Hello.java to compile and run on your machine. You do not need to send me any code or attachments, nor you do need to post anything on your website.

Unrelated to the rest of this assignment, I need you to select a 2-digit number to use as your anonymous key for posting your grades online. (I will explain this more in lab.) You can either choose to use the last 2 digits of your lab account username, or else pick a number between 41 and 99, inclusive. Numbers 41-99 are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Grading

This assignment is worth 2 points of homework extra credit. Homework extra credit will boost your homework score average. However, it does not apply to other parts of the course. That is, your max homework average is 100%.

You get one point for successfully reporting that you got Hello, World to run. You get a second point for picking a grading key by the deadline for this assignment.