Read the comments

Next assignment.
Read the comments here:

http://ask.slashdot.org/askslashdot/07/09/29/2027210.shtml

Create a slashdot account and leave your two cents. Then leave a link to your comment on your blog.

What to know for the first test:

Understand the following terms:

• Logic
• Programming language
• Pseudocode
• object-oriented programming
• methods
• coding
• variable
• class
• data types
• Be able to write out the pseudocode for simple applications like a tax bracket calculator, a price-comparison program, and a credit card balance calculator (problem 8 on page 29).
• objects
• inheritance
• polymorphism
• encapsulation
• Know how to do CLASS DIAGRAMS.
• protected variables
• private variables
• Review the "REVIEW QUESTIONS" at the end of chapter 1 and 2.

Good luck!!

Google Sets

Check it out!

http://labs.google.com/sets

First test September 26th

Chapter 1 and 2 Test on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007!

Next assignment

You are to complete exercises 1-5 on page 52 on your blog.

DF

Today's assignments!

Each of the following four questions will need to be in their own posts:

• First you will write out the pseudocode to make a BK Whopper.
  
• Next you will take the pseudocode and give proper variable names to all variables needed for the program.
  
• Next you will create the necessary methods for the BK Whopper program.
  
• Lastly you will document the BK Whopper program. What is it for? Why would anyone ever need to SIMULATE the creation of a BK Whopper?
  

Next you will create a post answering questions 2, 3, 6 from page 28-29. Each answer should be in a separate post!

#2. In your own words, describe the steps to writing a computer program.

#3. Lakeview Towers is being constructed as a high-rise apartment building in a downtown urban district. The managers of the building want to create a simulation of daily elevator use to plan for the optimum number of elevators so that elevators are neither idle too frequently nor cause more than a one-minute wait for any resident. What sorts of objects should be created to use in a simulation of potential elevator activity?

#6. Write the pseudocode for an application that allows a user to enter the price of an item and computes 5% sales tax on the item.

First assignment at home!

First homework assignment is to download Alice from here:

http://www.alice.org/

and install it on your computer at home. Then you are to run the very first tutorial.

Email me at david.freer@gmail.com when you are finished! Let me know how the first tutorial went.

Lawsuit against Google Second article from slashdot.org

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/accc-in-court-over-google-search-results/20070410-y7p.html

This article describes the lawsuit against Google which is a bit confusing at first. Google allowed Trading Post to include advertisements for which they paid Google. People would click on the Trading Post ads, which Australia claims does not give consumers enough information to conclude they are actually advertisements!

This is a problem for consumers. People unknowingly click on ads all the time on the Internet without even knowing they are ads. I don't think this deserves a lawsuit however. Google runs a free service. If you don't like the quality of their searches, don't click on it.

But I'm disappointed a bit with Google as well. This Trading Post business seems like bad policy and while I don't believe it deserves a lawsuit, I do believe that Google should reconsider. Remember there was a time when Google allowed no advertising at all. Obviously those days are gone forever and Adwords is here to stay. But Google should make it abundantly clear when people are clicking on a paid link!

First article summary

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/0,39029477,49292669-1,00.htm

This article, written by a British author, obviously suffers from every cliche in the book. The narcissistic myspace user, the geeky slashdot reader, the wikipedian who can't get it right.

Did this article even need to be written? What is this, an introduction to the Internet for those who have been asleep for the past decade? Guess what! There's more to online life than just AOL these days!

But seriously, someone who doesn't do more than check their yahoo mail might get a lot out of the article. It might even get someone to check out some of the earth-shattering work going on at some of the sites. Wikipedia IS a cultural phenom. Myspace has changed relationships for young people and Flickr has some kick-ass pictures. Web 2.0 is here to stay, where you visit DOES say something about you.

Day 1, Day 2

Day 1: Introductions to programming, algorithms, and the course.

Day 2: Creating class blog and student blogs. Review three articles and the following definitions:

Java, C++, FORTRAN, COBOL, C, algorithm, object oriented.

Students now have logins and teacher has a login. Excellent progress.