Module Identifier CHM3110  
Module Title THE UNIX ENVIRONMENT AND THE C LANGUAGE  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Dr Myra Wilson  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Dr Adrian Shaw, Mr David Price, Mr Peter Hoskins  
Pre-Requisite Available only to students taking the Diploma/MSc in Computer Science scheme in Aberystwyth.  
Co-Requisite CH21120  
Course delivery Lecture   22 Lectures  
  Practical   Up to 11 x 2hr  
Assessment Supplementary examination   Supplementary examination will take the same form, under the terms of the Department's policy.    
  Exam   2 Hours   100%  
Further details http://www.aber.ac.uk/compsci/ModuleInfo/CHM3110  

Brief description


This module is designed to to provide experience of using the Unix environment and supporting tools as well as an understanding of the programming language C.

Learning outcomes


On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

Syllabus


1. Introduction - 1 lecture
Overall introduction to the module.


2. Unix at the command line - 2 lectures
An introduction to the alternative Unix shells. Shell built-in commands and commonly used external commands and editors.


3. Shell Script programming - 2 lectures
The programming language provided by a selected Unix shell in common usage.


4. Tools of the Unix Environment - 3 lectures
Purpose and usage of Unix environment tools such as sed, sort, uniq, awk, grep and so on.


5. Basic Concepts of "C" - 1 lecture
History of the C language, philosophical differences between C language design and Java. Basic form of a C program compared with that of a Java program. Using the compiler.


6. Control Structures - 1 lecture
Sequence, branching and iteration in C compared with that of Java.


7. Basic Data Structures - 1 lecture
Review of basic data types and operators in C.


8. Functions - 2 lectures
Discussion of ways in which functions are implemented, and used in C, including parameter passing mechanisms. Input/Output.


9. Composite Data Structures - 1 lecture
A first discussion of Arrays in C.


10. Software Support Tools - 1 lecture
Make, Lint, Debuggers. Libraries and library utilities.


11. C Programming Style and Portability - 1 lecture
Language standards. Portability. Programming standards.


12. Arrays, Pointers and Functions - 2 lectures
A discussion of pointer data types, how they relate to arrays, and how they contrast with references to Java objects.


13. Dynamic Data Structures - 2 lectures
Implementation of various record structures and dynamic structures. Pointers. Malloc. Examples in C. Parallels will be drawn with how the internals of Java do this for you.


14. Pitfalls - 1 lecture
Major problem areas. Design rationale of C and of Java in problem areas.


15. Further Features - 1 lecture
C preprocessor, header files, conditional inclusion, macro substitution, bitwise operators, casts, enumeration, scope, static and external declarations, separate compilation.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
A. Kelley and I. Pohl. (1998) A Book on C: programming in C. 4rd. Addison-Wesley Pub Co ISBN: 0201183994
** Consult For Futher Information
Arnold Robbins and Daniel Gilly. (1999) Unix in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference for SVR4 and Solaris 7. 3rd Ed.. O'Reilly & Associates ISBN: 1565924274