CS 371p Spring 2019: Brian Dyck

What did I do this past week?

I feel as though I have finally reached the actual start of the semester. Projects are being assigned and others are due. It was this kind of work level that I was bracing myself for since the start of the semester, and after a deep breath and sigh of relief I am happy to announce that it is not nearly as bad as I originally thought it would be. This past week I finished all of my first round of assignments, and made heavy progress on the assignment for this class. Most notably I discovered how to use the plethora of tool that were seemingly towering over me last week. Thankfully, the tools were not too difficult to get the hang of, and I now get to freely work on the project.

What’s in your way?

While I resolved my obstacle for last week, being having to get over the surplus of new tools. This week I must overcome the project itself. I did finish the naive solution, but there are many optimizations that I know I can do to improve my work, and I know that I can implement them, and pass all of the test cases shortly. Other than that, I do have to attempt to get all three projects that I have due on Thursday done by Wednesday night so I can actually spend Valentines day evening with my wife instead of trying to add on last minute optimizations.

What will I do next week?

Next week I plan on finishing all of my projects early and enjoying a lovely valentines day with my wife. Other than that I have the usual plan, class readings, studying, and making steady progress on projects that are down the road.

What was your experience in learning the basics of C++?

I was fortunate enough to take Operating Systems with Gheith, which means that I had a lot of experience of C++ prior to taking this course. However, this was my first time formally learning the language, some things that I had to change because the gcc compiler told me so, began to make sense. I only wish that I had taken this class on C++ prior to being thrown into the deep end with several hundred lines of C++ code a week while in OS.

Tip of the week?

Start early, finish strong. Obvious? Yes, but it is worth noting that the semester is just starting, so getting an early start doing everything the right way from the beginning of the semester, is always a good game plan going forward. It allows you to have a little extra slack and leeway when things get rough on the later half of the semester. However, be cautious not to rely to heavily on a strong start, you still need to keep going until you finish the race that is this semester. Keep going strong, and have a good week!

~ Brian Dyck