\documentclass[11pt]{article}

\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{0.0in}
\setlength{\evensidemargin}{0.0in}
\setlength{\topmargin}{0.0in}
\setlength{\headheight}{0in}
\setlength{\headsep}{0in}
\setlength{\textwidth}{6.5in}
\setlength{\textheight}{9.0in}  
\setlength{\parindent}{0in}
\setlength{\parskip}{0.1in} 

\usepackage{times}
\usepackage{fancyvrb}
\usepackage{relsize}
\usepackage{hyperref} 

\begin{document}

\title{Syllabus \\
\ \\
ECS 156, Discrete-Event Simulation}

\author{Norm Matloff}

\date{Winter 2008}  

\maketitle

% Make this the caption for a picture of a stern face.  Plus "I want
% you" into the Google Images section.  E.g. media.csee.ltu.se

{\fbox {\parbox{6.5in}{

\begin{center}
{\Huge \sf PLEASE 

FOLLOW 

DIRECTIONS!  

\bigskip

Thank you very much.} 
\end{center}

}}}

% \newpage

\newpage

\tableofcontents{}

\section{What This Course Is About}

In discrete-event simulation (DES), we are interested in the evolution
of a system in time, during which the changes to the system are abrupt
(``discrete'') rather than gradual.

\subsection{Example}

As an example, let's look at an assignment in the Winter 2006 offering
of this course (details not shown here).  The problem models the Kaiser
health service's advice phone line. One calls the number, waits in the
queue, and is then served by an advice nurse.

The number of nurses available varies according to the number of people
waiting.  When a new call arrives, if the number of calls is greater
than some threshhold, a new nurse will be brought online.  On the other
hand, if there are fewer than a certain number of people waiting and
being served for a specified time period, one nurse is brought offline.

Questions to be answered by the simulation:

\begin{itemize}

\item What is the long-run mean wait per call?  Graph it against the
values of the two threshholds and the length of the idle period.

\item How much would all this cost, in terms of the long-run average
number of nurses online?  Again, graph the results against the parameter
values.

\end{itemize}

\subsection{What Is the Programming Like?}

Some of you may have seen a bit of simulation in previous courses.  DES
has some similarity, but is a very different from a programming point of
view.  In discrete-event simulation, for instance, the issues of threads
and data structures play a central role, while these rarely arise in
ordinary simulation.

\subsection{Practical Value}

This is very practical material, used in industry, business and
government.  Many books have been written, and a number of commercial
and open source software packages have been developed.  (The first
object-oriented language in history was SIMULA, a DES language.)

DES is considered a branch of computer science and it is often taught in
CS departments.  For example, the UCLA CS Dept. is a major DES research
center.  But it is also taught in departments of industrial engineering,
e.g. at UCB, or in business schools, such as at MIT.

In the last offering of the course, a professor from the UCD School of
Medicine was an active auditor.  He had experience using simulation to
develop management policies for hospital emergency rooms, and gave an
excellent guest lecture.  I hope to have someone else on campus to do
the same this time.

\subsection{Skills Gained}

\begin{itemize}

\item discrete-event simulation programming, a skill used widely in
industry, business and government  

\item the SimPy DES package (a set of APIs, accessed by Python)

\item much of the Python language

\end{itemize}

It is NOT assumed that you have prior background in simulation, Python
or SimPy.

\section{This Syllabus Is on Our Web Site}

Important note: This syllabus, and lots of other important information,
is available at

\url{http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/156.html}

\section{Consultation}

\subsection{Office and Office Hours}

My office is in 3053 Kemper Hall, Ext. 2-1953. My office hours will be
Mondays, 2:00-3:00 and Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30.  I will also be available
after lecture for questions in most cases, though not when I have a
meeting or seminar in the 3 p.m. time slot.  I will also usually be
available after discussion sections.

\textbf{I enjoy my office hours very much, and look forward to
interacting with you during them.}

I am also available at other times if you have short questions.

% Our TA will announce office hours soon.

\subsection{E-Mail}

You are welcome and encouraged to send me your questions via e-mail.  I
read my mail every day, including evenings and weekends.

% \section{Adding or Staying Enrolled in the Class}

% \subsection{Add Procedure}
% 
% If you wish to add the course but it is full, see the department Web
% site, \url{http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/}, for procedures.  \textbf{Please
% note that no further adds will be allowed any time during the quarter,
% beyond those on this departmental list} (no further names will be added
% to the list itself).

\section{Prerequisites}

\begin{itemize}

\item Programming, at the level of ECS 60 (formerly course) 110.  If you
feel comfortable programming a linked list, then you're fine.  {\bf It
is NOT assumed that you have prior background in Python or SimPy.}

\item This is mainly a programming course, not a math course.  Only basic
probability concepts, at the level of STA 32 (or STA 131A, ECI 114,
etc.) are needed, for specifying models and coding random number
generators:  Expected value, variance, density functions.  This will be
reviewed at the start of the course.

\item Nonmajors are welcome!

\end{itemize}

\section{Workload}

There will be approximately four or five homework assignments.
In the first assignment, you will do Monte Carlo simulation, which you
will find is pretty straightforward.  The remainder of the assignments
involve discrete-event programming, which tends to require more involved
thought processes.  Most of you will find that the overall programming
workload of our course will be perhaps 60-70\% of what you saw in ECS
60/110.

\section{Course Content (in Sequence)}

\begin{itemize}

\item introductory examples of Monte Carlo simulation

\item {\it world views} in discrete-event simulation programming
(activity-scanning, event-list, process-oriented)

\item introduction to SimPy discrete-event programming 

\item advanced SimPy

\item statistical inference on simulation output

\item random number generators, including variance-reduction techniques

\item SimPy internals

\item data structures for fast management of event lists 

\end{itemize}

\section{Machines and Software} 

Our base machines will be the Linux PCs in the CS instructional labs
(CSIF).  If you pre-enrolled in this course, or if you took a CS course
last quarter, you should already have an account.  Your account name
will be your surname, and if that is not unique, it will be your surname
followed by your first initial.  Your initial password will be the last
eight digits of your student number; change it immediately, using {\tt
yppasswd}.  If you don't have an account, go to 147 Kemper Hall to
obtain one.  Note that all the instructional machines share a common
file system, so you can access the files from any machine.

As mentioned above, you will be using Python and SimPy.  These are
available on the CSIF machines, but {\bf ALL OF THESE ARE FREE,
PUBLIC-DOMAIN PACKAGES}, available for all the major platforms---Linux,
Microsoft Windows, Macs.  

Thus you can work on your own machine at home.  Note, though, that your
programs will be graded on the CSIF machines, so make sure to try them
there before you submit them.  You will be submitting from the CSIF
machines too.  More on this in Section \ref{submitting}.

\section{Course Materials}  

\subsection{Printed Lecture Notes}

As always with classes that I teach, there is no bound textbook.
Instead, the text consists of my printed lecture notes (PLN), handed out
in class.  Also, they will be available as the PDF files in
\url{http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/156/PLN}.

\subsection{Each Student Must Have His/Her Own Course Materials}

Note that exams and quizzes are open-book, and thus there is {\bf no
sharing} of the PLN, books or other materials---including
calculators\footnote{Not that you need a calculator anyway; you
don't.}---during exams and quizzes. {\bf Thus every student must have
his/her own copy of the PLN and other course materials.}

\subsection{Bring the Course Materials with You to Class}

Bring the PLN to all lectures, discussion sections and exams and quizzes.

\section{Tests} 

\subsection{Terminology}

\begin{itemize}

\item the term {\it Exams} refers to examinations given in lecture; see
Section \ref{exams}

\item the term {\it Quizzes} refers to examinations given in discussion
section; see Section \ref{quizzes} 

\item the term {\it Tests} refers to the Exams and Quizzes

\end{itemize}

\subsection{Exam Schedule}
\label{exams} 

There will be two Exams.  Exam I will be given approximately at the
fourth or fifth week of the quarter. Exam II will be held on the last
day of instruction, Thursday March 13.

There will be no final exam.  Exam II is not a final exam; it covers
only material presented after Exam I, i.e. it is not cumulative.

% {\fbox {\parbox{6.5in}{
% 
% {\bf Note: There is no final exam. Exam III is not a final exam; it only
% covers the material presented after Exam II, i.e. is not cumulative.}
% 
% }}}

\subsection{Quizzes Schedule}

See Section \ref{quizinfo}.

\subsection{Missed Tests}

There are no early or late Exams.  Provisions for \underline{oral}
makeup Exams will be made if need be.  Note:  Oral exams are very
difficult for the student, and are difficult for the professor to grade.
Try to avoid this situation if possible.

Missed Quizzes are handled differently.  See Section \ref{qgrade}.

\subsection{Open-Materials Policy}

\textbf{TESTS ARE TAKEN ON AN OPEN-MATERIALS BASIS.} 

It is mandatory that you bring the PLN with you to each Test.
\textbf{Make absolutely sure that you remember to bring your PLN, as
many of the Test questions will refer to specific pages in them.}

You are also welcome to bring whatever other materials you wish, e.g.
your old computer science and statistics texts,
dictionaries,\footnote{For example, do you know what the words {\it
relinquish} and {\it discrepancy} mean?  These words have shown up in
problem statements in my Exams.  We will be happy to explain any such
words if you like during the Tests, but you may feel more comfortable
with a dictionary.} novels, comic books, whatever you want. 

Note again that there is NO sharing of course materials, books, the PLN,
calculators, papers, etc. during Tests.

\subsection{Work Only on the Test Sheet}

Please work ONLY on the test sheet, front and back.  Do NOT turn in any
supplementary sheets of paper.  A deduction of 5 points will be made for
not following this policy.  Please, it's important.

\subsection{How to Do Well on the Exams}

% \subsubsection{Remember, This Is Not ECS 30/40}
% 
% {\bf This course is primarily \underline{conceptual} in nature, rather
% than being a \underline{programming} course like ECS 30/40.} Yes, you
% will do programming in the homework, and yes, some of the Test questions
% will ask you to do some programming, but most will not.  Most will be
% ``qualitative" questions which ask you about the nature of computer
% systems (albeit sometimes using programming as a vehicle to test your
% understanding).

\subsubsection{Think, Not Memorize}

The Exam questions test insight, not memorization.\footnote{I've
deliberately capitalized the word {\it Exam} here, in order to
distinguish from Quizzes.  Quiz problems are supposed to be very easy
applications of what you've learned, while Exam problems probe more
deeply.} They assume \textit{active} reading and \textit{thinking} about
the material.

If for example you encounter a statement in the reading which puzzles
you, don't just skip it---ask me 
% or the TA 
about it.  An Exam question
may later ask you to explain it.

\subsubsection{Old Exams Yes, ``Practice'' Exams No}

{\fbox {\parbox{6.5in}{

{\bf Please note carefully that I do not give practice exams.}

This is because I believe that learning does not consist of memorizing,
and because this course (in the way I teach it) is not like a 
{}``calculus-style{}'' course.  

}}}

Calculus exams have predictable, technique-oriented content. In a
calculus class, you might have a lecture on integration by parts, then
have a homework assignment of integration-by-parts problems, and then on
the exam there would be a couple of such problems.  

{\bf This would be impossible in the courses I teach, because every Exam
problem is unique, and the problems test understanding of concepts,
rather than techniques.  Thus, it would be impossible to have practice
exams.}

I \underline{do} make my old Exams available on the Web, but they are
NOT practice exams.  Instead, I make them available so you can get an
idea of the general ``flavor'' of my exam philosophy.  

\subsubsection{Homework-for-Learning Yes, Homework-as-Practice-for-Exams No}

Similar to the point that I do not give practice exams, it is important
to understand that the homework is not considered practice for Exams
either.  The goal of the homework is to give you a chance to think more
deeply about the material, and to give you a chance to nonpassively
implement some of the course concepts.  Sometimes an Exam problem will
indeed be similar to some homework problem, but most Exam problems do
not look like any homework problem.  

Again, the best way to prepare for Exams is to constantly sift the
material through your mind in a nonpassive manner, thinking about
questions involving How?, Why/Why Not?  What is the goal? and so on.
The homework will really help you prepare for Exams in this sense,
because it will make you think thoroughly about the course material, but
you should \underline{not} expect problems to be explicitly similar
to the homework.

\subsubsection{Concentrate During Class}

\textbf{MAKE SURE TO LISTEN CAREFULLY IN CLASS.}

Weird statement!  What does it mean?

{\fbox {\parbox{6.5in}{

Many Exam problems will come from the answers I give to questions
students ask during lecture, or will be related to off-hand remarks I
make during lecture when I suddenly get an inspiration.

}}}

Therefore, listen carefully to questions students ask in class, and to
the answers I give. Make a note of seemingly-casual comments I make in
lecture, and think about them carefully at home.  These things often
pop up in Exams.  Such questions will still be answerable from the
course materials if you miss class, but there is a definite advantage to
paying close attention in class.

\subsection{An Embarrassing Subject}

An embarrassing subject which nevertheless must be mentioned is cheating
on Tests. {\bf If a student is found to be cheating, it will be treated
as a VERY SERIOUS matter, not a harmless prank; it will harm
his/her standing at the university, and also possibly make it difficult
for him/her to get a job when seeking employment after graduation.}

Official university policy\footnote{See the {\it Class
Schedule and Registration Guide} or the Web site of the Office of
Student Judicial Affairs, \url{http://sja.ucdavis.edu/integ.htm}.}
forbids

\begin{quote}
``Wandering eyes,'' talking during exams...or
leaving the exam room without permission.
\end{quote}

Please work as follows during Tests:

\begin{itemize}

\item Try to sit in alternate seats if possible.

\item \textbf{\Large ABSOLUTELY NO TALKING} to classmates at any time
during the Test. 

\item Keep your Test paper covered when you are not actually writing, so
that it will not be so exposed to view.

\item It would be greatly appreciated if you {\bf \Large USE THE
RESTROOM BEFORE THE EXAM STARTS, RATHER THAN DURING THE EXAM.}  And
never leave the exam room without permission.

\end{itemize}

During a Test, if your paper is exposed, I will come to you
and mention this to you. Thanks very much for your help.

There are ethical issues with homework too.  It is OK if you discuss the
homework with students not in your group, either in person or in the
{\bf .d} newsgroup.  {\bf However, sharing specific code is not
allowed, and is considered plagiarism.}

\section{Bring the Materials to Lecture}  

Make sure you bring the PLN to every lecture. They will play very active
roles in the lectures.

I typically will ask you to open to a certain page, and then will call
your attention to various sentences, examples and pictures on that page.
The lectures will consist mainly of discussion and amplification of the
examples in the PLN, with additional examples and comments.  I will
seldom write on the blackboard.

\textbf{A MAJOR GOAL OF THE USE OF PRINTED LECTURE NOTES IS TO GIVE STUDENTS
A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND TO ENGAGE IN CLASS DISCUSSION.} You are very much
encouraged to bring up any questions you might have. Please don't be shy about
asking questions; there is no such thing as a {}``dumb{}'' question. Similarly,
listen carefully to the questions the other students ask; this can be a very
valuable source of insight, to which you should pay special attention.

\section{The Discussion Section}
\label{quizzes} 

\subsection{Role}

% The discussion section is required.  It will be used for the purpose of
% giving Quizzes, and for presenting material not covered in lecture.  (That
% material will appear on Tests.)
% 
% Please note that the purpose of the discussion section is NOT for use as
% a forum for asking questions on how to do the homework.  As stated in
% Section \ref{stuck}, we are happy to help you with the homework, but
% this should be done on an individual basis, not as a class.  Please ask
% your questions either in office hours, by e-mail or individually after
% lecture or discussion.

This quarter there are four courses that do not have a TA; ECS 156 is
one of them.  So, I will handle the discussion sections myself.

In most discussion sections, I will give a Quiz; assume there will be
one each week, unless told otherwise.  I will also use the discussion
section time slots for interactive homework grading; this will be done
in my office, on announced days.

\subsection{Quizzes}
\label{quizinfo}

A Quiz will be given almost every week in discussion section. Quizzes
will not be announced; assume that there will be one each week.

Quizzes will be short (10 minutes) and simple. The latter means that
{\bf Quiz  problems  will be very straightforward and much easier than
Exam questions.} Their purpose is to ensure that you are keeping up with
the material.

The Quizzes typically will be one or two questions in length.

\section{The Class Newsgroup and Web Site}

The class newsgroup will be {\bf ucd.class.ecs156}.

\textbf{THE NEWSGROUP WILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN OUR COURSE.  IT IS}
\textbf{\underbar{REQUIRED}} \textbf{THAT YOU READ THE NEWSGROUP EVERY
DAY.} Not only will announcements of homework assignments be posted
there, but also there may be later corrections, hints, etc.  And of
course, dates of Exams and other related information will be announced
on the newsgroup too.

You can read newsgroups using special-purpose programs such as {\bf tin}
or {\bf slrn}; just type the program name, e.g. type {\tt tin} when
logged onto one of the CSIF machines.  If you prefer GUI software, try
{\bf pan}.  Or you can access newsgroup through general-purpose programs
such as Web browsers.  

Note that the newsgroup can be accessed only from a UCD Internet
address.  You will have this if you are using a campus computer or have
connected to the Internet via the campus modem bank.  If you are not in
this setting, you can still read the newsgroup by using {\bf ssh} to
log on to one of the CSIF machines. and then tyipng {\tt tin} or {\tt
slrn} at the Unix command line.  Or, you can access the newsgroups 
directly if you go through the campus authentication service, at
\url{http://email.ucdavis.edu/news/news-succeed.html}.

Please note that ``.d'' newsgroups are for discussion among
\underbar{students}.  This was the original intention when they were
established some years ago; it seems that instructors of ECS 30 and 40
have abandoned that concept, but I feel it is important for the students
to have a place of their own, without interference from the instructor.

{\fbox {\parbox{6.5in}{

{\bf Thus I usually do \underline{not} read the .d groups.  If there is
a message you want me to see, please send me e-mail, instead of posting
a message which you hope I will see on the .d group.  (Do not post to
the main newsgroup either.}  

}}}

\section{Grading}

\subsection{Weighting}

The formula used is

\begin{verbatim}
course grade = 0.6 x Exams grade + 0.2 x Homework grade + 0.2 x Quizzes grade
\end{verbatim}

where the Exams, Homework and Quizzes grades are each on the 4-point
scale (4 for an A, 3 for a B, etc.).

\subsection{+ and - Grades}

The threshhold for a grade of n is (n-1).85; the threshhold for an `n-' grade
is (n-1).6; the threshhold for a `+' grade is n.2. So, for example, if your
weighted average from the above formula is between 2.6 and 2.84, your course
grade is B-; if the average is between 2.85 and 3.19, your course grade is B;
if the average is between 3.2 and 3.59, your grade is B+.

\subsection{Exams Grade}

Each Exam grade will be used in letter grade form only (the numerical grades
are recorded but not used).

\textbf{IMPORTANT NOTE:} If your first Exam letter grade is lower than
that of the second, other two Exams, and if your Homework and Quizzes
grades are at least B, that first Exam grade will be thrown out
completely.  \textbf{This, coupled with the fact that most of you will
get a A's as your Homework and Quizzes grades, typically makes an
important difference in the course grade for many students.}

By the way, though, please note that \textbf{this policy of course does not
imply that you should not try very hard on the first Exam,} for many reasons:

\begin{itemize}

\item It might turn out that you do very well on the first Exam, better
than one of the other two, so you definitely would want to have the
benefit of that first high grade. 

% \item Even though Exam I is the only Exam which I \textbf{guarantee} 
% that I will throw out if the other two have higher letter grades, I also
% \underbar{may} throw out Exam II or III. If someone does quite well on
% Exams I and III, for instance, but poorly on Exam II, I may either
% greatly reduce the weight of Exam II for that person or even throw out
% Exam II entirely. 

\item When a student asks me for a recommendation to an employer, or
asks me to write a letter for graduate school, I take ALL Exams into
account. 

\end{itemize}

Exam grading is noncompetitive (there is no {}``curve{}''), so it is possible
for everyone to do well.

\subsection{Quizzes Grade}
\label{qgrade}

You will get a letter grade on each Quiz.

In recognition of the fact that on (rare) occasions you will not be able
to attend discussion section, your two lowest (letter) Quiz grades will
be thrown out. Your other Quiz letter grades will be averaged to produce
your overall Quizzes grade.

It is assumed/intended that, similar to the homework (see below), {\bf
most of you will get an A grade overall for your Quizzes.}

\subsection{Homework Grade}

\subsubsection{Assignment of Letter Grades}

Your letter grade on this homework will be as follows, based on your average
homework score: 90-100\%, A; 85-89\%, A-; 80-84\%, B; 70-79\%, C; 60-69\%, D;
under 60\%, F.

\subsubsection{You Must Turn in All Assignments to Pass the Course}

\textbf{Note that all homework assignments must be completed in order to get
a passing grade in the course.}

In order to be considered {}``completed{}'' the basic work must been 
done, though there may be errors. In the case of a programming assignment, for
example, if the program has sections obviously missing, or if the program does
not even compile, it is not considered complete. 

\subsubsection{You Should Get an A on the Homework}

\textbf{I aim for the vast majority of the class to get an A on the homework.}
Lots of help is available, so this aim should be achievable. (And it is; I use
this policy in every course I teach, and it always works out that most people
get A homework grades.) 

The most important part of getting a good homework grade is to {\bf
start an assignment as soon as it is assigned.}  Don't wait until a few
days before the due date to start.  {\bf And make sure you have read the
PLN thoroughly before starting.}

\subsubsection{Back Up Your Files Frequently!}

{\bf Accidental deletion or destruction of your homework files will generally
\underline{not} be grounds for extending the due date.}

\subsection{Accuracy of Records}

At the end of the quarter, it will be your responsibility to make sure
that my records are correct as to your homework scores.

% \section{Machines}  
% 
% \subsection{Linux on Your Own PC at Home}
% 
% I strongly encourage you to install Linux on your PC, if you have not
% already done so.  It will be especially useful in our course, since {\bf
% almost all of your homework assignments will be required to be done on
% Linux/Intel\footnote{Or Intel clone chip.} platforms.}\footnote{You
% cannot do this on a Mac.  Even though Linux is also available for Macs,
% and even though the new Mac OS is UNIX-based, Macs use a different CPU
% chip (though they have announced a switch to Intel in the future), and
% thus have a different assembly language.  Similarly, you cannot do the
% work for our course using Cygwin in a Windows environment; the CPU type
% would be correct, but the OS wouldn't.} 
% 
% 
% In addition, the mere act of installing and maintaining your own Linux
% system will in itself greatly deepen your insight into the course---it
% will be roughly the equivalent of adding 10 points to your average Exam
% score. 
% 
% {\bf Moreover, having a Linux system at home will help you with your
% homework in many future CS courses, and will help you do well in job
% interviews when you graduate.}
% 
% I have a Linux installation tutorial at
% \url{http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/linux.html}


\section{Homework}

\subsection{Terminology}

\begin{itemize}

\item the {\it due date} means 11:59 p.m. of the stated date

\item a {\it homework group} consists of one to three people who work on
and submit the homework together; given that I will be grading the
homework myself, I would appreciate it if you would work in a group of
at least two people, but it's still OK if you wish to work by yourself;
more on this in Section \ref{partners}

\end{itemize}

\subsection{Announcements}

Homework assignments will be announced in the class newsgroup. The
homework files themselves will be on the course Web site, so look there
when an assignment is announced.

Occasionally there will be news about a current homework assignment,
such as clarifications, hints and so on. These will be announced in the
class newsgroup.

\subsection{Partners}
\label{partners}

Members of a homework group must work TOGETHER, instead of having 
the members divide up the work.

\subsection{Programming Style}

What about good programming ``style''---good indenting, meaningful
variable names, helpful comments, etc.?

You will not be \underline{graded} on style, but it is crucial for
\underline{communications} purposes.  For example, suppose you are
having trouble getting your program to work and you e-mail it to me for
help.  {\bf If I can't read it, I won't be able to help you.}  

Note that this means that you write your program in good style {\bf from
the beginning.}  Do NOT insert indentation, comments, etc. only when you
are finished with the program and ready to turn it in, which obviously
defeats the purpose of doing these things in the first place.  

The same points apply to top-down programming.  Do this not because it
is required for \underline{grading} (it isn't),  but instead because it
will make it easier for YOU, i.e.  make it easier for you to write and
debug your program, and easier for me to read if you ask me for help.

And for the same reason, create a Makefile, again not because you will be
docked points if you don't have it but because it makes your work
(and mine, if you seek help from me) easier.

{\bf By the way, speaking of programming style:}  You may have been
taught that global variables are ``evil,'' to be avoided like The
Plague.  That is far too extreme an attitude, and the reasoning used
doesn't make much sense.  Moreover, in many cases one \underline{must}
use globals.  See a discussion on this at
\url{http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/globals.html}. 

\subsection{Input Error Checking}

In the last section, I stated that (a) I do not deduct points for poor
programming style but (b) you should make sure you have good programming
style anyway, because it will help you.  By contrast, concerning input
error checking:  (a) I do not deduct points if your program doesn't do
error checking, but (b) I would actually prefer that you don't do it.  

Input error checking is extremely important.  There are many examples of
various disasters occurring in real life due to lack of it.  But the
homework assignments are difficult enough as it is, without adding this,
so I'd prefer that you don't do error checking.

% \subsection{Analytical Work}
% 
% Some of the homework questions will be non-programming in nature.  It is
% {\bf required} that you use the \LaTeX\ word processing package for your
% writeup.  
% 
% It will take you just a few minutes to learn the basics of \LaTeX\.
% Here is what I suggest:
% 
% First learn how to create a PDF file from a \LaTeX\ source file.  All of
% the our PLN files are written in \LaTeX\, with the suffix {\bf .tex},
% available in the same PLN directory as the PDF versions.  Choose one,
% download it to your own space, and then process it.  If for example the
% source file is {\bf x.tex}, type
% 
% \begin{Verbatim}[fontsize=\relsize{-2}]
% pdflatex x.tex
% \end{Verbatim}
% 
% In files with tables of contents, you may get a message like ``LaTeX
% Warning: Label(s) may have changed.  Rerun to get cross-references
% right.''  If so, re-run {\bf pdflatex}.
% 
% This will create {\bf x.pdf}.  Now {\bf COMPARE THE OUTPUT AND THE INPUT}.
% You should be able to quickly pick it up.  If you have any trouble,
% though, contact either me or the TA.
% 
% I also have some information at
% \url{http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/latex.html}. 
% 
% Graphs must be embedded in your \LaTeX\ document, not submitted
% separately.

\subsection{Process for Submitting the Homework} 
\label{submitting}

\subsubsection{Overview}

Since we use interactive grading (see below), you will not submit your
homework in the traditional way.  Nor will you use some ``turn in''
program.

Instead, you will send me an e-mail message of the
nature to be described below, to certify that you completed the work
before the deadline.

\subsubsection{Definition of ``Files''}

When you have finished all of a given homework assignment, you will nedd
to put ALL your files into one package.  These means your {\bf .py}
files in the case of programs.  In the case of written work, it means
your {\bf .tex} files, your {\bf .jpg} files if any, AND your {\bf .pdf}
files.\footnote{It is not acceptable to simply turn in the latter.}

\subsubsection{First Step:  Put Your Files on CSIF}

If you have been working on your home machine, upload your files to
CSIF, using FTP.

\subsubsection{Package Your Files}

Use the Unix \textbf{tar} command to collect all your files into one
{\bf .tar} file.  For example,

\begin{Verbatim}[fontsize=\relsize{-2}]
$ tar cf Hwk2.tar q1.py q2.tex q2.jpg q2.pdf
\end{Verbatim}

would create the file {\bf Hwk2.tar} from the files
{\bf q1.py}, {\bf q2.tex}, etc.

\subsubsection{Timestamp Your Package}

Then run the Unix \textbf{sum} command on the {\bf .tar} file to produce 
a checksum, which is kind of a code number which is (for all practical
purposes) unique to that file.  E-mail that checksum (two numbers,
actually) and your {\bf .tar} file name (but not the file itself), to
me. The date and time on your e-mail will verify that
you sent the mail before the deadline.  Then later during the grading,
I will run {\bf sum} again, and the fact that the
checksum has not changed will show that you have not changed the file
subsequent to sending the e-mail.

\subsection{Grading}

We will use interactive grading. I will announce 
% homework grading times, and each homework group will sign up for a
% time slot.
which discussion section times will be used for the grading.  The groups
will assemble outside my office, and I will grade one group at a time,
with about five minutes needed per group.  

In the case of group size larger than one, all members of the group must
be present during the grading time. If a member misses that time, the
other group member will be graded, but the one who misses the time must
reschedule a time in order to receive credit for the assignment.

During a group's time slot, the group will log in to their account to
access their files.  They will then explain their homework solution, and
in the case of a program demonstrate that it works.  I will ask each
member of the group questions to confirm that he/she understood what
they did. For example, such questions might ask why you wrote your
program in a certain way, what the roles of the variables are, what
numerical values the variables may have at times specified by me, why
you did not choose certain alternative designs, and so on. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Each partner must be ready to answer questions about ALL
the submitted work.  This is because the two partners are supposed to
work together on all the homework problems, which is very important.  As
a means of insuring this, \textbf{I will assign separate grades for each
group member.  Normally these grades will be identical, but if there is
a substantial disparity in the levels of understanding the different
group members have regarding the assignment, I will assign different
scores to each member.} 

% \subsection{How to Do Well on the Homework} 
% 
% It is crucial to keep in mind that the primary purpose of the homework
% is to give you a chance to think about The Machine---that means
% high-level hardware and low-level software---rather than to develop
% programming skills {\it per se}.  This class is not like ECS 30 and 40.
% 
% {\bf Example of what NOT to do:} One time I taught this course, two
% students working as partners lost sight of this and got a poor grade on
% one homework assignment.  The assignment asked the students to write two
% versions of a certain program and then run timing experiments to
% demonstrate that the version which took advantage of a certain machine
% feature would be faster.  They found that that version ran more slowly.
% This should have signaled to them that they had done the program
% incorrectly, but they just ignored it, since they were still operating
% under the ``ECS 30/40'' mentality that the main goal is to write the
% program itself and get it to produce correct output.  So, they lost
% points on that assignment.  One can't blame them, but it was too bad
% that they got a poor grade on that assignment, and you will want to make
% sure you avoid such a situation.

\subsection{If You Get Stuck}
\label{stuck}

\subsubsection{I Am Happy to Help If You Have Reached an Impasse}

Please note that, {\bf unlike ECS 30/40, homework assignments here will
NOT lay out a detailed recipe, with tons of hints, telling you how to do
the programming problems.}  

The work is expected to be challenging, and is designed to be
thought-provoking.  This thought-provoking nature of the assignments is
the vehicle by which you get to really understand the concepts.  You are
not necessarily expected to see right away how to do an assignment.
Instead, you are expected to spend a considerable amount of time
pondering the assignment, gradually seeing more and more, until you
finally see how to do the whole thing.  It is that thought process
which will develop insight into the course material.

{\bf I will be quite happy to help you, including giving you
hints individually---but only if, after giving a matter considerable
thought, you still don't see what to do.}  Once you have reached the
point where you cannot go any further, we very much \underline{encourage} 
you to seek help from us.  We want you to do well on the homework!

\subsubsection{Use a Debugging Tool!} 

You will help yourself greatly---both in this course and in all
courses in which you do programming---by making good use of a
debugging tool.  See the debugging section of my Python tutorial for
details.

% Make sure you understand the content of my debugging slide show, at
% \url{http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/debug.html}.  Note carefully
% that what is important here is not merely {\bf how} to use DDD, but {\bf
% what you should use it for}.  The latter consists of two categories of
% uses:  
% 
% \begin{itemize}
% 
% \item [(a)] use in determining where in your code a seg fault is occurring
% 
% \item [(b)] use in \underline{confirmation}
%  
% \end{itemize}
% 
% Category (b) here refers to \underline{confirming} that each part of
% your code is working as you expect it to:  You step through the code
% line-by-line, \underline{confirming} that the variables have the values
% you expect them to, \underline{confirming} that the condition in an {\bf
% if} statement hold and don't hold, according to your expectations, etc.
% Eventually you will find a place where your expectation is not
% confirmed---and that will be a big hint as to the location and/or nature
% of your bug.
% 
% Keep in mind that in situation (b), DDD/GDB will not ``automatically''
% find the location of your bug.  You yourself must do that, through the
% confirmation process, but DDD/GDB makes this far more convenient and
% thus saves you a lot of time.
% 
% {\bf Do yourself a big favor:}  Get good at using DDD/GDB, both in this
% class and in others, and you will reap big benefits.
% 
% {\bf \large When you seek help from me or the TA, the first thing we will ask
% you is to show us your GDB output.\footnote{DDD is nicer, and you should
% use it, but you'll need a text-based debugging session to send us, so
% re-do the debugging steps in GDB and send us that output.  Make SURE you
% use the {\bf script} command to record your GDB session; see Section
% \ref{help}.}
% } 
% 
% \subsubsection{When in Doubt, Check It Out!}
% 
% A lot of questions are of such a nature that you can answer them on your
% own, just by trying it out on the computer.  For example, suppose you
% have a question which you would like to ask which is something like ``In
% the Intel {\bf movl} instruction, can both operands be in memory?''  You
% are welcome to ask me or the TA, but you will get your answer a lot
% faster if you simply try it out!  Put that instruction in a small test
% program, and see if the assembler accepts it or not.  And if you are not
% sure whether such an instruction does what you think it does, run the
% program and see!

\subsubsection{Help by E-Mail}
\label{help}

Again, you are welcomed and \textbf{strongly encouraged} to send me
e-mail, at the address matloff@cs, for help on homework assignments.
But \underline{you} can help \underline{me} if you keep the following in
mind:

\begin{itemize}

\item {\bf Please do NOT send me e-mail in HTML format, or with lines
longer than 80 characters.}  If you do, I will of course still answer
it, but my answer will not be as clear or as detailed.  This is because
when replying to e-mail, I like to quote parts of the original message,
making the reply clearer.  I cannot do this easily if your mail is in
HTML or has long lines.

\item Make sure you have clear indenting and commenting.  (Again, for
your own benefit, do NOT add these at the last minute; use them from the
very beginning as you write your program.)

\item Make sure you've made a good effort to track down your bug using
a debugging tool.

% \item If you send me e-mail asking what to do about some error message,
% please use the Unix \textbf{script} command to make a complete record of
% the error and the environment in which it occurred.  Run both the
% command which gave you the error message, run GDB to try to get clues,
% and then run \textbf{ls -l} and \textbf{printenv}.  
% 
% Take the output of {\bf script}, together with your program source files
% and Makefile---and especially your GDB output---and package them into a
% {\bf .tar} file, and e-mail me that {\bf .tar} file.  {\bf Please make
% SURE to send me all of this in the form of a SINGLE {\bf .tar} file.}
% 
% If you do not know how to run the \textbf{script} command, see
% \url{http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/UnixAndC/Unix/UnixBareMn.html}

\end{itemize}

\subsubsection{Start Early!}

{\bf Please make sure to start the homework soon after it is assigned.}
Don't wait until the last couple of days before the due date, because
{\bf when the due date approaches, I tend to be inundated with e-mail
messages asking for help on the homework, and thus my answers at that
time will necessarily be short and without details, since I won't have
time to say more.} 

\subsection{Late Work}

An assignment is late if it is submitted to me after the due date.

If---this should never happen, but just if---you are late, you will
be assessed a 5\% penalty the first late day, and 10\%-per-day penalty
after that in your grade for that assignment. (Since e-mail is available
every day, each of the seven days of the week counts as one day.)  The
maximum total penalty is 50\%.

Each project group will be allowed a total of 2 late days over the
quarter, time which is not penalized.  You can use this as being late 2
days with no penalty on one assignment, or as being late 1 day with no
penalty in each of two assignments.

In order to use this option, you must submit your work during the time
you are using as your grace period.  If for example you are 3 days late
on an assignment, you will not be allowed to use your grace period time
on that assignment; it will simply be counted as 3 days late.

{\bf Don't squander your grace period days on the first assignment.}  The
subsequent ones will almost certainly be more difficult, so save your
grace time for then.

I will keep the appropriate records as to how many
days of grace period you have used..

\subsection{Reading Homework}

The reading---in the PLN---is extremely important, and
should be considered {}``homework.{}'' As mentioned earlier,
approximately 30-50\% of the exam questions will come from the reading.

After each lecture, do the corresponding reading. \textbf{Do the reading
PROMPTLY, that same day, rather than getting behind.} This is the only
way that you can get any insight from the reading; doing the reading the
night before an exam will not work.  {\bf If you still have not done the
reading as of the night before the exam, you actually will be better off
not doing it, and getting more sleep instead, as cramming overnight
won't be beneficial.}

\section{I Do Care!}

I wish to emphasize that I care very much that you succeed in this course, and
I look forward to getting to know all of you. 

\end{document}