CS 373 SWE Spring 2020: Rishi Salem
- What did you do this past week?
This week, in class, we took our first steps into the world of Python! While I had some limited experience with the language, I learned for the first time that there are two different types of division, With a start like that, I imagine I’ll learn quite a bit about the intricacies of Python as a language!
We also started work on Project 1, Collatz, in class. We examined various strategies to approach the problem. I was interested to hear some of the suggestions the other students had for caching, such as using a dictionary instead of an array, as it is apparently the more efficient option in Python. I imagine I’ll have a lot of experimentation to do to optimize this project!
Outside of class, I started setting up my work environment. I tried to set up docker, and installed Python for Visual Studio. With luck I’ll have docker set up before the group projects start!
2. What’s in your way?
I’ve been having trouble getting Docker to work on my windows machine. I’ve tried experimenting with Docker’s desktop UI, in hopes that the abstraction would help me get around the differences in operating the program on Windows and Linux operating systems, but I haven’t had any luck so far. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll need to figure out how to use a virtual machine or to start preparing to install the necessary tools on the lab machines instead.
3. What will you do next week?
In the next week, I will finish project 1, figure out docker, and hopefully learn more of Python’s quirks!
4. What was your experience of assertions, unit tests, and coverage? (this question will vary, week to week)
I am already familiar with these topics due to Object Oriented Programming, so it was just a review for me to cover them in class. That said, I realized I haven’t been using assertions for pre- and post-conditions recently, so I plan to start using them more often once again. After all, it’s good style!
5. How are you doing and holding up? What’s been most helpful for you in terms of support at this time?
It’s a little difficult to work entirely from home, as it’s harder to remain focused and to keep my energy up. I believe a part of it is because of the limited human interaction. Because of that, the meetings I’ve had with friends via online chatting and texting has been helping me stay sane over this quarantine. I’m also thankful to be living with my family, who interact with me daily and provide in-person human interaction (though that isn’t the only advantage!).
6. What made you happy this week?
I had the opportunity to cook twice this week! It was very enjoyable, and a good break from classwork.
7. What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?
Plan your code ahead of time! Having an outline before you start coding saves a lot of time when coding, as you don’t have to rewrite poorly-planned methods or struggle with poorly-named variables. It also helps you avoid logic errors, which saves you time when debugging.
