CPS 108: Help

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I access extra space for my cps assignments on the acpub system?
• How do I set up my PC so I can work from my dorm room?
• How do you set the permissions on your directories so the CPS 108 staff can read your files?

Environment Resources

• General help with the Duke computer system.
• Reading news on acpub with pine.

Note, you can also read news using Netscape (or Internet Explorer); instructions are provided in the Browser online user manual.
• Common Unix commands.
• Introduction to the Public Unix Clusters at Duke.

Note, this manual is also available at the Gothic bookstore.
• Debugging, using the graphical debugger, ddd.

System and Programming Tool Documentation

• tar

Information on using tar, required for submitting in CPS 108
• Makefiles

A guide to Makefiles written by UTA Garrett Mitchener.
A sample makefile
• RCS

is a revision control system. It (or CVS) should be used for all group projects. The link is a local guide to RCS.
• CVS

is the concurrent versions system --- it's a front end to RCS but offers more functionality and in many ways is easier to learn and use. is a revision control system. It (or RCS) should be used for all group projects. The link is a local guide to CVS.
• HTML tutorial
• GNU tex info pages. These are documents for a number of tools, libraries, and utilities found on most Unix systems. This is one of several websites with HTML forms of the original texinfo documentation.

C++ Tools and Documentation

• C++ Links
• C++ FAQ
• C++ Annotations
• C++ howtos
• C++ design hints
  An ever-growing collection of tips for using OOP and C++, including some stuff about how to deal with STL.
• Gotchas
  Another ever-growing list of silly things that happen to your C++ programs that can take much too long to figure out. If you've got a compiler error or a bug you just can't figure out, post news and look here.
• g++ library and g++ iostream library
• Libraries

Information on creating shared and static libraries with Unix/Solaris.
• regex

Regular expressions callable/usable from C/C++ programs. (See also the BSD section of the tex info regex documentation. The non-BSD functions may not work on Solaris.)
• gprof

Execution profiling for C++ using the gprof tool
• gdb

Source level debugging for C++ programs
• GetOpt help page -- package for parsing command line options.
• GNU C Library reference.
  This has lots of good stuff, but keep in mind that some of it may not work with the Solaris C Library. When in doubt, write a short test program and see. Among the more interesting sub-topics are:
  • Command line arguments and using getopt() (Note: These pages include some examples with switch statements. In object-oriented programming, you should use an alternative, perhaps a map of command objects...)
  • Math functions
  • File system stuff (including stat(), mkdir(), file permissions (attributes), etc.)
• Standard Template Library (STL) References
• A very complete C++/STL reference. This link is to a disclaimer, follow the links to the reference manual.
• The Silicon Graphics STL site. They have a complete description of everything, but it is not intended as a tutorial.
• Another thorough STL Reference (By David Musser)
• A good (but older) STL newbie guide (By Mumit Khan)
• A decent STL Tutorial, complete with pictures (By Jak Kirman)
• Any more? If you have a STL site which you find particularly handy, please let us know.

Java Tools and Documentation

• (local) Java API

All Java packages, for the complete JDK documentation page see The local JDK page
• (local) Java API 1.2
• Information on JGL, The Generic Collection Library for Java.

Version 3.1 code is available on acpub at: /afs/acpub.duke.edu/project/cps/pkgs/jgl-3.1.0
• Java Servlet Development Kit tutorial.

Version 2.0 is available on acpub at: /afs/acpub.duke.edu/project/cps/pkgs/jsdk
• Information on using Java on acpub

Also information on using Java in general.
• gjt The Graphic Java Toolkit

This code is accessible on the acpub system in /afs/acpub.duke.edu/project/cps/pkgs/courseware/graphicJava_1.1/ so add that to your CLASSPATH environment variable (this directory contains the directory gjt). On CPS machines this is in /usr/project/csed/courseware/java/graphicJava_1.1.

Technical Resources

• OIT On-Line Help Page
• Help Desk (684-2200)