March, 2000 -- you do not need to take any action on this now, but of course if you wish, e.g., to get a login on rintintin, you can do that any time (if you are enrolled at CU). As I understand it, you will not be able to get a login to simlab until I have submitted a class-list to the administrators of simlab (after the semester begins). There will be plenty of time for that. Another action you could take now -- if you haven't already -- is to get and familiarize yourself with an identikey (for loggin on to CU PC's). Another (optional) matter of preparation -- if you plan sometimes to work from a home system -- would be to learn how to access the university's computing network through ppp.
Experience in a structured programming language is highly desirable. I prefer helping you in C or Pascal, just because I am more familiar with them, but other languages are possible (such as Fortran or C++). No experience is required in the making of computer pictures---the course will teach you how. Generally speaking, the computing part of this course, while it may be time-consuming, will not go beyond the abilities of any student with university-level computing experience.
Your main programming work can take place either on a university unix machine, such as rintintin or simlab, or on a PC (your own, or the university's). To use any university machine, unix or PC, you will need an identikey . (See this page).
Therefore you do not need all the computing facilities described here. Each student will find a subset that works for him or her. The page on computing scenarios may help you work out your own plan on how your computing will be organized.
You have (at least) two choices of unix-based machine on which to write and compile programs. For either of these two machines, you must obtain a login through self-account creation - see this page.
1. The unix machine rintintin (also abbreviated rtt) is a remote-access machine, which you will never see in the flesh! It can be accessed from almost any computer on campus (those with telnet installed). It can also be contacted from your home PC, if you have a modem and an available phone line. rtt has several compilers, and all the tools you need for successfully work, although you will need to make some provision for viewing pictures. (One way of viewing is described near the end of computing scenarios. )
2. I especially commend to you the unix-based computer named simlab. (It is restricted access, but this class has been authorized. Self-account creation should proceed without a hitch. Let me know if there is a problem.) It has all the functionality just mentioned for rintintin, plus more. It is the basis of a full laboratory, also called Simlab . This is located in the basement of ITLL. ITLL is the building that is east of (and attached to) the Engineering Center. The room itself is about as far east as you can go on this campus, and as deep into the ground. (That should help you find it.) This laboratory contains twenty machines that are technically clients of simlab; effectively, logging on to a client functions as logging on to simlab itself. The advantage is that you have the X-tools, so you can preview your work without further ado. You can also print right in that room. (See computing scenarios. for details on printing and viewing.)
Access to Simlab: The door to Simlab is open 8 to 5. For after-hours use, you can get your buff-one card activated to work the door. For this, you need to speak (during hours) to the office that is directly above the lab. Make sure you have a login first; then speak with them. They will require that you do a 30-minute orientation to ITLL before they will activate your card for after-hours use. The printer name in that room is qsllj.
From:
Subject: Re: simlab accounts for 4270
To: wtaylor@euclid.Colorado.EDU
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 16:39:00 -0600 (MDT)
I've completed the steps for this course so that students can create
magellan (simlab) accounts through PLUS.
Students need to go into PLUS on the web, select "Computing Account" (on
the left of the screen), enter their CUID and PIN, and then they will be
able to click on "Make account on magellan." On the next page they will
input a password of their choice, and the account will usually be made
in the next 5 minutes.
The students' starting URL is:
http://www.colorado.edu/plus
If you elect to use unix machines, it is imperative to make sure that you have noclobber set at all times. (Ask me what this means.) On a unix account, your work is theoretically saved for your next login. (Accidents do happen - most frequently user mistakes, much less often system breakdowns. I would make copies of your precious files on disk or on other machines, or something!)
On the ITS page about printing,, and on a second ITS page about printing, you can find out about printing from a unix machine such as rtt.
Now for PC's. As I said above, you can use your own. If you have a printer, you probably can manage the entire semester completely on your own. Also, there are many PC-labs on campus. According to the ITS computer lab list, the following rooms in Engineering have PC's with both Turbo Pascal and Borland C++: ECCH 107, ECCR 235, ECCR 239, ECCR 252, ECME 107.
I especially recommend the math department PC-lab. It should have many more machines free, and you may have a chance of finding me nearby. It is now the only PC-lab that has available ghostscript for viewing Postscript code. (Needed only for ray-tracing.) The room number is 217 in the Mathematics Building. The north door has only a key-lock, and you can't open that. The south door has a numeric keypad; email me for the combination. The machines in this room do have Borland C++. There is a laser printer in the room, which is accessible directly from the PC's, and also from unix accounts (it is known to unix machines as mathps). (Some effective ways of using Math 217 are described in computing scenarios. )
Remember that when you use your identikey to access a PC on campus, from the operating system's point of view you are only a temporary guest, and none of your work is protected against deletion by another user . (In fact, to protect class security, you are asked to delete at least your source-code before leaving a shared machine on campus.) Therefore, it is imperative to save your work on diskette at the end of every session. If you have Borland at home, you can of course carry work back and forth between home and CU on a diskette.