CSC 101 CompLit, Fall 1996
Merrie Bergmann
Ileana Streinu
Dominique Thiébaut

Reading: All of Chapter 2 of the "Computer Literacy" textbook..

Homework (individual work)

1. Logon to sophia (as in Lab 1). Run the "password" program to change your password:

% passwd

Follow directions. The ideal password is at least six characters long, is not anything that might be found in a dictionary, and is memorable to you. If you're not sure you can remember it, write it down somewhere; getting a new one is difficult.

2. Now start up pine (as in Lab 1) and compose mail. Send your mail to cs101a00. Send a copy to yourself (Cc line) so you'll have a copy in case something goes wrong (and believe me, something will!). I expect you to run the spelling checker (^T); any spelling errors will be held against you, as learning how to do this is part of the assignment! I expect it to look reasonably "clean": again it is part of the assignment for you to learn enough of the pine editor to make it pleasing. There is a nice help facility within Compose (reached by ^G); please use it. I would like a single email message with all your answers; so plan ahead. Please answer all questions (even if your answer to #5 is "no," I still want that answer listed).

(1) What is your major (or likely major if you haven't yet chosen one)? I am just curious.

(2) Describe briefly your previous exposure to computers. What hardware and software have you used? Don't get nervous: I make no assumptions that you know anything, but I would like to know where you all stand.

(3) Just to check that you completed the Mac Tour, answer these four questions. Brevity preferred.

a. Name two ways to launch an application.

b. How can you find out which applications are currently open and running on your Mac?

c. What is the command-key shortcut for "Select All" in the drawing programs used in the Tour? (The shortcuts are listed to the right of the menu option; they are pretty much uniform across Mac applications.)

d. After you drag a file to the trash, is it retrievable, or gone forever?

(4) Just to check that you read the chapter: Who invented the idea of storing information on cards? (A single name suffices.)

(5) Is there any specific topic, any particular interest of yours, that you would like to see covered in this course?