CS371p Spring 2021: Hogan Tran

What did you do this past week?

For this past week, I’ve attended my first few lectures of class. In Object-Oriented Programming specifically, I was introduced to Downing’s programming tools, such as Valgrind, Coverage, and CPPChecker. This class’s introduction is mostly a recap for me because Downing went over the same tools in his Generic Programming class. However, I still needed to set up my laptop because I recently had to reset it.

What’s in your way?

Most of my classes have assignments due the next week so I will be focusing on that. For OOP, I started looking at the simplest way to solve the Collatz as well as thinking how to write unit tests.

What will you do next week?

For next week, I plan to complete my various assignments for class and hopefully learn more about object-oriented programming in the coming lectures.

If you read it, what did you think of the makefile?

I’ve dealt with makefiles in Downing’s Generic Programming class as well as Operating Systems. They’re very useful and convenient at building/cleaning up your programs without having to write a large amount of commands every time.

What was your experience of Docker?

Docker is also something I’ve worked with the Generic Programming class, and it’s really useful in a team, or in our case classroom, because you can get so many people on the same version of a specific program/tool quickly.

What was your experience of assertions? (this question will vary, week to week)

Assertions are amazing at checking pre-conditions and post-conditions, something we were taught to do intensively in Java. They give apt details on bugs and errors, and they are easy to use in general.

What was your experience of unit tests? (this question will vary, week to week)

Similar to assertions, unit tests are great at catching bugs in your code because they test your code piece by piece, function by function. Combined with coverage, you are even able to see what part of your code aren’t tested, to minimize the risk of writing buggy code.

What made you happy this week?

I got to play some games with my brother this week, something we haven’t done in a while. I was introduced to this fast-paced shooter called Apex Legends, and quite frankly, I am terrible at it.

What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

My tip-of-the-week would be to take a break here and there! Sometimes, the stress piles up and can really get to you.