CS 49J - Lecture 0

Cay S. Horstmann

CS 49J

• Course in Java programming
• For students who can already program in another language
• Learn as much about Java as you would have learned in CS46A/B
• And quite a bit more
• From someone who has worked with Java for twenty years
• So you'll become a competent Java programmer
• For green sheet, contact information, etc., see http://horstmann.com/sjsu/spring2016/cs49j

Why Java?

• Because that's what we use at SJSU for most coursework
• Because it is still the #1 programming language, twenty years after its creation
• Because it is used on giant servers, desktops, smart phones, and embedded systems
• Because it is a “blue collar” language

Learn To Learn

• Java is not the last programming language you'll learn
• There is a huge number of specialized languages
  • R
  • Python
  • JavaScript
  • Swift
  • . . .
• Hopefully Java is the last language that takes you a semester to learn
• Bonus of this course: You'll learn how to learn more effectively.

Active Learning

• No couch potatos!
• You read the book before class
• You watch the videos before class
• You take the quizzes before class
• Exercises during lectures
• You need your laptop for every lecture
• You will be presenting your work during lecture
• Lots of homework
• You only learn by doing
• You only learn if you do it yourself

What You Need to Succeed

Prerequisites

A prior class in programming

Time

9 hours per week

Study habits

Work steadily throughout the week

Your Responsibilities

• Come to every class meeting
  • And come prepared
• Do the assigned reading and homework before class.
  • I won't lecture on the material that you can read yourself
• Spend 9 hours per week for this class
  • 1.25 hours in class
  • Only one class meeting per week
  • 7.75 hours (!) for preparation and homework
• Ask questions right away when you are stuck
  • Use the online discussion group
  • Private or confidential questions—email or office hours

Homework

• Homework is due every Tuesday or Wednesday (check schedule) and Sunday 6 pm
• You submit everything to Canvas
  • Not by email!!!
• Grace period for uploading until 11:59 pm
  • Don't rely on it—get it done by 6 pm
  • No mercy after midnight

The Textbook

• Read the textbook before each class meeting
• Bring the textbook to class and labs
• You need the book now
• You need the correct edition (10th edition volume I)
• The ebook is fine

Adding

• Take the prerequisite quiz and send me your answers.
• I will contact you as soon as space is available.
• If you send me your add request after the second day of class, and I tell you that there is space in the class, you need to send me all homeworks that are due.
• I will then send you an add code. Use it within 24 hours, or it will become invalid.
• In the meantime, respond to the invitation in Canvas and do all the work.

Plagiarism and Cheating

• When you submit work, it must be your intellectual creation
• Can you copy and paste?
  • Always ok to copy—pasting is the problem ☺
  • Ok to use code from the problem statement or the textbook without attribution
  • Otherwise, you must attribute the source
• You can post snippets (but not a solution) on Piazza for critique
  • But you cannot copy from Piazza
• Don't email working code—you don't know what the recipient will do with it
  • Sending someone a solution is cheating
• I periodically run a plagiarism checker
• If I find cheating, I don't play Sherlock Holmes to find who wrote it—I report both
• I report everyone whom I find cheating to Student Conduct
  • I have to
  • And I will recommend that an appropriate penalty is for you to fail the course

This is not Kindergarten

I assume:

• You are an adult
• You are in this class to learn
• You are capable of learning on your own
• You accept a grade that accurately reflects your performance
• You are an honest person
• You will let me know right away if there is a serious issue that interferes with your performance in this class

Things To Do Today

• Log into Canvas
• Upload a photo into your profile so I know who you are
• Get the textbook and start reading it
• Get a laptop and install the course software
• Look at homework 1
• Important: In lieu of a roll call today, you must turn in homework 1 by the deadline, or I will drop you from this course for lack of presence.