Machines

When you submit Homework code, it is not considered valid unless it works on the Linux PCs in CSIF.

HERE IS A SHOCK FOR SOME OF YOU: Most jobs obtained by UC graduates in the computer area are at firms that are either fully or partially based on Linux or some other kind of Unix, meaning Linux or Mac OS. Google is such a strong Linux shop that it once developed its own version of Ubuntu Linux, Goobuntu. You probably also know that Android, the popular OS for smartphones and tablets, is based on Linux. Apple's OSs, ranging from Macs to iPads to iPhones, are also Unix-based.

Intel has complained that UCD grads don't know Unix well. Of course, students from UC Berkeley know Unix thoroughly; why be at a disadvantage relative to them?

See an interesting Quora discussion on this at

https://www.quora.com/Is-a-Mac-or-Windows-better-for-a-CS-student-or-developer

The general consensus was, use Linux or a Mac, not Windows. Note: This does not mean you should buy a Mac if you con't have one; Linux is free.

In other words: If you've been using Windows to do your CS Homework, you've been limiting your future career opportunities! Not a smart strategy, right? Windows is used throughout the world with great effectiveness, but in the CS world it's generally not considered to be the right tool.

So, if you don't know Unix well, you should remedy that problem now, to enhance your future career prospects. And the ONLY way to learn it is to USE IT IN YOUR DAILY LIFE--not just for coursework, but also for e-mail, writing term papers, developing Web pages, video editing, and so on. And, make heavy use of the command line/shell.

Again, if you have a Mac, its OS is Unix-family, and that's fine. But you need not buy one; Linux is free. I have a Linux installation and usage tutorial at http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/linux.html. If you are going to use Linux in your daily life, as again I urge you to do, then I recommend installing on a dual-boot basis. Otherwise, install on USB key or an external hard drive. Instructions are given in my tutorial.