Homework 2 - Exploring Different Operating SystemsCSE/INFO 100, Winter 2006 Homework

Objectives

Different operating systems obviously have differences. But they also always have similarities since they function similarily. In this assignment, you will explore the similarities and differences of Windows and Mac OS X.

Preparation

You might want to review the work you did in Lab 1 and Lab 2 before doing this assignment.

To complete this assignment, you must have access to two computers: a Windows machine with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, and a Macintosh with Mac OS X. Both Windows and Macs are available on-campus in the general-access computing labs:

You may also do this work anywhere else where you have access to both a Mac with Mac OS X and a Windows machine withWindows 2000 or Windows XP.

You will be using both styles of computer to do this assignment. We suggest that you start with the machine that you are more familiar with and use it to answer the first part of the assignment. Then switch to the other machine and complete the comparison.

Getting started

You will not be handing anything in on paper for this assignment. Instead, you will create a text file using a text editor program and write your answers into that file. You will hand in the assignment by uploading the answer file to a directory on Dante.

You will be using TextWrangler, which is installed on all of the MGH and Odegaard labs. Find it by going to Applications > TextWrangler. It can also be downloaded free from http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/index.shtml though this should be unnecessary for this assignment

NOTE: Do NOT use Microsoft Word for any part of this assignment.The purpose of this assignment is to switch software when moving to different machines, and so use the more primitive text editors listed below. (It is possible to use MS Word under both Windows and Mac X, but not for this assignment.)

Questions (20 points total)

Start with a machine running the operating system that is most familiar to you. If you are familiar with Windows, use the Windows machine. If you are familiar with Macs, use the Mac.
1. Open up a text editor program (such as Notepad or WordPad on Windows, or TextWranger on the Mac). At the top of the file write your name, student ID, section number and "Homework 2". Now save this file somewhere on the local machine. Use the file name hw2.txt. If you do not use the name hw2.txt, we will not be able to find or grade your assignment.

Write your answers for the remaining questions in the file you created.

(1 point)
2. Start a web browser (e.g. Safari on the Mac, Internet Explorer on Windows, or Firefox on either operating system).Go to your UW personal homepage (that you activated in Lab 1).

For question 2, answer the following:
  • What is the title (from the title bar) of your home page?
  • What is the URL (in other words, the address) of your home page?
  • Which operating system and browser did you use for this question?
(3 points)
3. Start one of the secure file transfer (SFTP) programs (such as SSH or Fugu). Use it to connect to your account on the machine named "dante". Using the file transfer program, explore your directorieson dante and make sure you understand how they are structured.

In Lab 2 you should have created a directory called fit100. Inside fit100 there should be a directory inside called lab2. Inside the lab2 directory there should be a file called testFile.txt. Now, find the file testFile.txt.

Use the Propertiescommand (SSH) or the Get Info command (Fugu) to view information about the text file that you createdin Lab 2. For question 3, write down the number of bytes contained in the file testFile.txt.

(2 points)
4. Download the text file that you created in Lab 2 to the local machine.Open the file using a text editor. Notice the name ofthe editor you are using.

At the top of the file, add a line of text that says"The name of the first text editor used on this file is <editor name>."Save your file and close the text editor.

(2 points)
5. Using the secure file transfer program, navigate to your fit100 directory. Create a new directory inside fit100 called hw2. You will use this directory to store the files you create in this assignment.

Save the file hw2.txt and close the text editor. Now, open the hw2 directory in your file transfer program and upload the two files you are working with: the file hw2.txt and the modified version of testFile.txt.Make sure that the hw2 directory contains these two files.

Note that you now have two versions of testFile.txt on dante. The original, unmodified version in the directory fit100/lab2/ and the version you modified in the directory fit100/hw2/.
Now log off of the first machine and log on to a machine of the unfamiliar type. If you were using Windows, now use a Mac. If you were using a Mac, use Windows.
6. Using a text editor, open a new text file. At the top of the file, write your name, student ID, section number, and "Homework 2, part 2". Save this file using the file name hw2part2.txt.

You will write your remaining answers in this text file.

(1 point)
7. As you did in question 2, start a web browser. The browser you used in the first part may or may not be available in this operating system. Either way, try to use a new browser.

Using the browser,explore the web until you are relatively comfortable using it and can navigate around. Take notes as you go to remind yourself of differences and similarities between the two browser programs.Go to your personal student home page.

For question 7, answer the following:
  • What is the title (from the title bar) of your home page?
  • What is the URL (in other words, the address) of your home page?
  • Which operating system and browser did you use for this question?
(2 points)
8. As you did in question 3, start one of the secure file transfer programs (e.g.,SSH or Fugu)and connect to your account on dante. Using this program, explore your dante directory structure again. Take notes as you go to remind you of differences and similarities in the operation ofthe two file transfer programs.

Open the fit100 directory, and then the hw2 directory. You should see the two files you created in the first part of this assingment: your answer file (hw2.txt) and the modified testFile.txt.

Using the Properties command (SSH) or the Get Info command (Fugu) inspect the text file that you createdin Lab 2 and updated in question 4 above. For question 8, write down the number of bytes in the modified file. Is it larger or smaller than the original file?

(2 points)
9. Download the modified testFile.txt to the local machine thatyou are currently logged in to.Open the file using a text editor. Notice the name ofthe editor you are using.

Add another line of text to the file that says"The name of the second text editor used on this file is <editor name>."Save the file to disk, then upload it back to your fit100/hw2/ directory on dante. If you are asked to overwrite the file on dante, do so. This will replace the original file with your modified version.

(2 points)
10. In your file hw2part2.txt, write down the following items:
  • Two features of the Macintosh applications that are almost identical to the same features in the Windows applications.
  • Two features of the Macintosh applications that are quite different from the related features in the Windows applications.
  • Which of the two operating systems did you prefer, and why?
A sentence or two explaining each feature is sufficient.

(5 points)
11. To finish up, write the date and time of day at the end of your hw2part2.txt file, save the file and close the text editor. Upload hw2part2.txt to the fit100/hw2/ directory. This directory should now contain three files:
  • hw2.txt, the first part of your assignment
  • hw2part2.txt, the second part of your assignment
  • testFile.txt, the modified version of the file from Lab 2
Verify that your files are in the right place by going to http://students.washington.edu/yourNetID/fit100/hw2/. The three files should appear there. Click on each of these files to make sure that they contain the correct text.

What to turn in

This assignment is turned in online. Your assignment is considered "handed in" if it is accessible from the web at http://students.washington.edu/yourNetID/fit100/hw2/. It's very important that you make sure that these files can be accessed from this web address and that they have the correct file names. If we can't get to your files, we can't grade them.

Verify that your files are in the right place by entering the above address in your browser. The browser should show a list of the files you've uploaded. For full credit, your hw2 folder should contain the following files:

Be sure your name, student ID, and section identifier are at the top of both of your answer files.