From: Garrett Mitchener <wgm2@acpub.duke.edu>
  To  : 
  Date: 25 Feb 1999 19:59:25 -0500

Re: Scoobi and Exam 1

Carl Robert Knerr <crk5@duke.edu> writes:

> Is everyone aware that for some sadistic reason, we have an exam on 
> Monday AND the first deliverable is due the same day?  What is the deal 
> with this?  Is this some kind of typo?  Please let us know.  It seems a 
> LOT to do over the weekend.
> 
> -- Carl

Probably.  I'm not sure what the deal is with the test.  However,
let me give you some words of encouragement about scoobi.

This is what the web page says is due on Monday:

  Working version of scandir and getopt library.  Prototype of the
  sools program that can list directories in simple alphabetic order,
  or by size, or reversed.  You may change these later, but you should
  turn in something that proves you have started working on the core
  of the project.

Keep in mind there are five people on each team, so you can split up
the work.  You might want to think of doing something like this:

* a scandir expert.  Someone who figures out exactly what scandir() is
  supposed to do, even if you don't know exactly how all the pointers
  work.

* a getopt expert.  Someone who figures out how to use getopt, either
  the C function or the C++ class.  (I see there are some broken links
  on the web site.  I'll find some other URL's and post them in a
  minute.)

* an STL person.  Your scandir replacement should have an STL flavor,
  with things like iterators and predicate objects.  You should learn
  how to use the sort template function in <algorithm.h>.  For some
  hints, look at the 108 website, click Help in the left-frame menu,
  and go down to C++ Tools & Docs.  Under C++ design hints, I've
  written up some stuff about sorting.  If you find it confusing, I
  apologize.  I had to write it in a hurry -- post questions or bring
  it up in class.

* a library person.  You must learn to make shared and static
  libraries and guide the group toward making them for monday.

* Your fifth person can work on the sools prototype, which ought to
  use the command line (getopt) and scandir classes, even if you can't
  figure out how to make it work with a library, etc.  This means you
  must collectively decide on the interface to these classes before
  either of you begins writing code.

Be sure to spread the knowledge and work around.  If one person
figures out one thing quickly, go on to something else.

The keys to this assignment are designing it so you can split up the
work, and designing it so you can make maximum use of your code.  In
other words, you will use the command line and scandir classes in
sools and goofi and sync.  That should save you some work as you go...

	-- Garrett *<:-)