CS371P Spring 2021: Week 2

What did you do this past week?

This week has been a slight hassle due to wrapping my head around the content of my compilers lectures. I have also been working on a lexical analyzer assignment for that class, which isn’t difficult but it does require a firm understanding of the class material.

What’s in your way?

Mainly Netflix — I have been watching a lot of Breaking Bad recently. I guess the hour-long episodes and engaging plot does not mix well with finding time for my academics. I have decided to take a bit of a break from the show, however, so hopefully things start to improve.

What will you do next week?

Next week, I plan to play around with docker images and to work on the Collatz project for this class. I will also be grinding more towards my compilers class since the material is a bit hard to follow in my opinion. Thank goodness lectures are being posted on Canvas.

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

Unfortunately, I do not have much experience with navigating the contents of a makefile, so reading over this one ended up being a small challenge. I will definitely find time in the future to learn the in’s and out’s of this concept, though.

What was your experience of Docker?

I do not have any prior experience with Docker, unfortunately. However, I have come to understand how useful docker images can be in the field of computer science. Like I said, I plan to familiarize myself with Docker during the coming week.

What was your experience of assertions?

I had used assertions in my OS class last semester — mainly as a tool for unit testing my assignments. The lecture on Wednesday had taught me that assertions can be more useful than I thought, however. I will definitely be integrating assertions as a means of computational comments and pre/post-conditions in the future.

What was your experience of unit tests?

I have done unit testing for my OS class last semester as a tool for basic program functionality and edge cases. I do not have any experience with the Google test framework, however.

What made you happy this week?

I ordered a new phone this week. Honestly, this is a long-awaited moment for me, especially since my current phone is essentially a dinosaur.

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

Don’t just use GitLab/GitHub issues to keep track of unfixed bugs. This feature is best used as a to-do list — each issue being a task or step towards implementing the project in question. Or even better, use a more-readable Kanban board, which is a built-in GitHub feature.