Class 1: Introduction

Introduction to Computation
and Problem Solving

Prof. Steven R. Lerman

and
Dr. V. Judson Harward

Handouts for Today

Course syllabus
Academic Honesty Guidelines
Lecture Schedule
How to turn in your homework
How to print Java files from your laptop
Lecture 1 notes
Homework 0

1
 1.00/1.001 course information
Course staff:
2 instructors, 5 TAs, 1 RA, 1 lab TA, graders
Course Web page takes you to:
All course information on Web
Lectures, labs, tutorials, problem sets posted
on same day as live event
Hardcopy handouts at lecture, lab, tutorial
Pick them up as you come in
Grad students: register for 1.001, not 1.00

2
 Course goals
Core concepts of software development
Software design and requirements
Development and debugging/testing
Teamwork in software implementation
Programming in interactive, object
oriented environment:
Java; Microsoft C# is very similar
Very brief intro to C++ and C# at end
Use of computation for scientific,
engineering, management problems
Homeworks cover variety of problems
Software patterns

Course goals, p.2

Graphical user interfaces
Java Swing, event models
Algorithms
Sorting, searching, traversing,
Concepts, programming, libraries
Data structures
Stacks, queues, trees, lists,
Concepts, programming, libraries
Use of libraries
Prewritten modules for common tasks

3
 Laptops, labs and tutorials
Hand in your laptop/tutorial/lab signup form on line-
See the course web site.
Assignment of partners to those who dont already
have one-notification by email.
Get laptop.
The first lab has Mandatory attendance. Come
with partner if you have one and your laptop.
Tutorials start next week: Two sessions / week
experienced and inexperienced sections.
Mandatory attendance.
Come with laptop and partner.

Laptops, labs, tutorials (p.2)

Labs use laptops, active learning exercises.
Mini-lectures with lab exercises: programming,
simulations, short exercises.
TAs, instructors assist during lab.
Tutorials will also use active learning methods.
About 8 students per tutorial.
Short questions, review lecture topics, design exercises.
Laptops
Laptops have wireless cards. Use them all over campus.
You may use them for other classes this term.
Return them at or before final exam.
Homework
Turn in using SecureFX file transfer program.

4
 Writing Java programs
Laptop computers (Microsoft Windows XP)
Forte Java integrated development environment
(IDE). We will sometimes use BlueJ environment
You may load Java, BlueJ and Forte on your
own laptop or desktop computer:
Windows2000 or XP, 256MB RAM strongly
recommended
Download instructions for Java and Forte IDE
posted on 1.00 Web site
Lab Friday and tutorials next week will teach you
how to use the Forte IDE
Athena workstations (UNIX)
Forte Java IDE also available; same as on
laptops

Course Requirements

10 problem sets (60% of grade). Usually due on

Fridays, but see calendar on web site.
2 in-class quizzes (16% total) in regular class
time. No evening quizzes.
Final exam during finals period. (18%)
Quizzes, exam are open book, open notes.
Tutorials and labs weekly. Mandatory
attendance. (6%)

5
 Course Resources

TA office hours. Schedule to be posted on Web

Lab TA hours: Two sessions / week

8 hours / session
Instructor office hours Two sessions / week,
1 hour / session (Harward)
Two sessions / week, 1 hour / session (Lerman)
Text: Horstmann Big Java

Academic honesty
You may collaborate on understanding lectures, labs,
text, tutorials, problem statements.
You may discuss the design of your program: options
for classes, method signatures.
You must then write your Java code yourself.
You may get help from students while writing your
programs only by:
Asking them to point out an error, but not to fix it
for you.
Explaining Java syntax to you. Use a different
example than the program youre writing.
We strongly prefer that you get help from TAs,
instructors when writing your program.
 Wireless Laptop Initiative
Course 1.00 is one of 4 wireless laptop
pilot projects
Why laptops? Some reasons:
Easy, convenient access to computing
Assess value of collaborative learning
Examine supportability of this
technology
Determine tacit learning attributes

What will you get?

HP Omnibook 6100, all-in-one unit
256MB RAM, 30 GB disk
Internal Wireless
933 MHz Pentium III
Extra battery and Case
Software: Java Development
Kit,BlueJ, Sun One (Forte,
SecureFX, KLP, HostExplorer
32, Kerberos Utilities, Adobe
Reader, Microsoft Office 2000

7
 Getting connected

Student DHCP Registration

Register when you pick-up the
machine

8
 Your Responsibilities
Practice Safe Computing
Promiscuous use requires care
Provide good care and feeding of your
laptop
Return the computer at the end of the
semester in good condition
If the unthinkable happens
Contact Campus Police for theft
reporting
Notify your instructor/course technical
contact immediately

Our Responsibilities to You

Prompt responsive support for MIT

apps and connectivity
Hardware repair
Loaner pool machines
General help

9
 Mutual Responsibilities
Backup
Use SecureFX file transer utility to copy
things to your personal Athena locker
You need to use it
Recovery
Worst case scenario: machine re-
imaged by I/S and restored to original
working state
You load your data from your personal
AFS locker

Course Outline
Course has 8 major units:
Objects and Java
Program structure
Graphical user interfaces
Numerical Methods
Data Structures
Java Input and Output
Searching and Sorting
Threads and the Web

10
 Class 1: Course Introduction
and Overview of Java
Javas history and goals
What exactly is Java?
Some key concepts in Java
Some simple Java programs

Javas History

Java started as a Sun Microsystems

research project to redesign C++
Oak was going to be a C-- (C++ with
dangerous features removed)
Intended for consumer electronics,
especially the early 90s interest in
set-top boxes

11
 Javas History continued

Then the WWW happened, and Oak

became Java
The functional requirements of the
WWW serendipitously matched those
of the interactive video market, which
never developed

Traditional Computing

Partitioning of functionality into:

Operating system
Programming languages
Windowing systems
Applications services (e.g.
databases)

12
 Aspects of Traditional
Computing
Executable programs are specific to
a hardware processor architecture
and operating system.
Applications typically preloaded onto
computer with execution initiated by
user.
Client computers, servers, handheld
devices separate environments.

Web Changed Everything

Programs downloaded on demand

from Web pages to client computers
Client programs get extensive array
of services
Graphical user interface and event
driven software the rule

13
 Javas Design Goals
Safe, so you can trust application code
downloaded over the WWW
Portable, so you can develop on one system
but run on another
Distributed, so a thin client can take
advantage of network services
Scaleable, to build real applications based on
extensive pre-existing class libraries

Some Features of Java

Java is an entirely object oriented
language. All programs involve
objects.
Java programs compile into a
platform-independent machine code.
Java programs execute within the Java
Virtual Machine.
An extensive collection of Java
packages provide huge variety of
solutions as leverage.

14
 Object-oriented programming
Objects are things (entities) that have state (data
fields) and behaviors (methods, functions)
They are a way of organizing large programs
into understandable, maintainable, reusable
pieces
Your programs, except for homework 1, will be a
set of objects interacting with one another to
produce the desired results
Examples will be pipes with fluid flows, bus
routes in bus networks, elevators in elevator
banks, polynomials, robots and stretch wrap
devices, dictionaries of misspelled words,
Classes are patterns from which objects are made

Object-oriented programming
Objects communicate by passing messages
They invoke behaviors (methods) and
pass parameters (data) in messages
Objects encapsulate or hide information
Details of one object are hidden from
other objects, so their details need not be
known
main method launches objects, does little
else

15
 Object-oriented programming

Objects are extensible through inheritance

mechanisms.
Children have parents traits (state and
behavior) and can modify or add traits.
Objects can dynamically invoke objects
that didnt exist (werent written yet) when
the invoker was written. This, and other
object concepts, promote code re-use.

Developing a Java program

Read the homework and understand it.
If you dont know what you have to do, you wont be
able to do it.
Sketch out a design: objects, state, behavior.
Decide how to approach the problem.
Sketch the approach, in words or pictures. Sketch in
stages.
Write the program in Java, using Forte.
Create Java source code files in Forte explorer/project.
Write Java code using Forte editor.
Write only as much as you think will compile at each
stage (e.g., reading the input). Use Forte Java compiler.
Once one stage compiles, write and compile the next.
Stage size will increase over the term.

16
 Developing a Java program

Test, mostly by reading/reviewing code in Forte

Use the Forte debugger to read code
Repeat the cycle again to pick up details

Four types of Java programs

Console applications text only

Applets run on Web pages with
limited capabilities for security
Frame-Based Applications full,
free standing programs
Servlets run on Web servers

17
 Simple console application
public class Welcome1 {
public static void main(String[] args)
System.out.println("Welcome to the Course");
int students= 240;
int grads= 35;
double pctGrads= (double) grads/students;
System.out.println("Percent grads: " +
pctGrads);
System.exit(0);
}
}

// Lecture slides will use compressed format with {}

// Use more white space in your code
// Lecture slides will omit System.exit(0); you must
use it

Some rules for Java

Each Java class should be in a

separate file with the extension .java
The file name should be same as the
class name of the source code
Its easiest to keep all files for a
single program in one folder/directory

18
 Sample GUI application
// GUI application opens its own window (frame) on the PC

import javax.swing.*;

import java.awt.*;

public class Welcome extends JFrame {

// Creates new form (object) Welcome
// main called when application starts
public static void main(String args[]) {
Welcome app= new Welcome();
app.setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
app.show();
}

public Welcome() { // Constructor-called on creation

JLabel myLabel= new JLabel("Welcome to the course");
setSize(300,200);
Container conPane= getContentPane();
conPane.add(myLabel);
}
}

A Simple Applet
import javax.swing.*;

public class CourseWelcome extends JApplet

JLabel myLabel = new JLabel(

"Welcome to the course");

public void init()

getContentPane().add(myLabel);
}
}

19
 Web page created by applet

Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United

States and other countries.

20