CS371p Fall 2019: Alexander Houy
What did you do this past week?
This past week I made progress on the Collatz project. I think I’m right on time with my estimated time. Overlooking the fact that integers can overflow while multiplying was a really big setback. I also implemented a meta cache and for one of my cases I needed to do ceiling division. I also forgot about integer division being prioritized between two integers. I’ve gotten so used to Python that it may have made me worse at other languages. We also discussed exceptions, unit testing, and more nifty things about C++.
What’s in your way?
What’s currently in my way is getting the Collatz project turned in. I’m not far from being done. I just want to clean things up a little to make a good submission. I guess another obstacle would be the unfamiliarity of the nifty C++ tricks that Downing displayed during class. I guess with practice I will have become more familiarized with it.
- What will you do next week?
Next week I will definitely turn in the Collatz project. Hopefully Downing will announce the next project. I’m interested in finding out what the project will be.
What was your experience in learning about Google Test, gcov, exceptions, pointers, and references? (this question will vary, week to week)
I enjoyed my experience with learning about Google Test and gcov. It’s very similar to Python’s unit testing. Learning about exceptions was nothing new. I’ve used exceptions in the past in CS439, Python and Java. They are written similarly. Pointers and references was also an intriguing lesson. Python and Java kind of abstract pointers and references so you’re never interacting with them directly. I do have some experience in utilizing them from CS439. It’s interesting to see how they’re similar in C++ but they’re still different in C.
What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?
My pick-of-the-week would be to exercise. There are days where I felt randomly weak and I thought it was just a normal thing. Ever since I started exercising, I haven’t felt that way in a while. It can even be a short time commitment, as long as you stick to a regular routine you’ll start to feel the effects. Being a UT student is particularly nice because they give you access to all the gyms, courts, and fields for free!
