CS510PIJ Programming in Java --- Fall 98

Sergio Antoy
office: PCAT 115, 725-3009
e-mail: antoy@cs.pdx.edu
page: http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~antoy/
time & location: see PSU catalog or http://www.ocate.edu/
office hours: yet to be assigned

This course provides an in-depth introduction to Java and its environment. The course is suitable to programmers and technical managers and is intended for students who are already familiar with C++ or with C and have basic notions of object-oriented programming (for example, through course CS 420/520). Students will gain a thorough understanding of the language constructs, the Abstract Windowing Toolkit, and some major libraries. Students will also be exposed to Java related topics such as Object Oriented design, GUIs, the Web and HTML. In addition to a textbook, students will be required to consult appropriate on-line material. Assessement will be based on midterm and final exams and a programming project. This is course is a prerequisite for CS510AJP, Advanced Java Programming, that is generally offered in the spring.

The student who successfully completes this course should: master the language; understand how to use the language to develop object oriented software; be familiar enough with the AWT and the libraries to both code simple applets and easily find the answers to common questions.

Ability to program fluently in a typed, block-structured language such as C, C++, Ada, or Pascal; basic notions of object-oriented design and programming; knowledge of the Unix operating system sufficient to develop programs.

Textbooks: Bruce Eckel, Thinking in Java, Prentice Hall PTR, 1998, ISBN 0-13-659723-8. Class notes are available on line at http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~antoy/Courses/Java/index.html

Midterm and final are close-book, about one hour in length and worth 40% and 50% of the final grade. The project is 10% of the grade.

The Oregon Center for Advanced Technology Education info@ocate.edu (tel: 503-725-2200, fax: 503-725-2201) is in charge of registration, account, parking and other administrative requests. PSU students may also contact the computer science office cmps@cs.pdx.edu (tel: 503-725-4036, fax: 503-725-3211).

The instructor is responsible for course content, organization, and delivery.

The page at http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~antoy/Courses/Java/resources/index.html contains on-line Java-related web resources.

There is a mailing list, cs510pij@cs.pdx.edu, for discussions and information about the course. Send mail to majordomo@cs.pdx.edu to subscribe or unsubscribe.

A tutor, see http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~tutors, phone 725-4023, e-mail tutors@cs.pdx.edu, and Warren's list at http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~warren/lists.html may help you, if you have problems with majordomo.

The textbook, over 1000 pages long, is an excellent tutorial and reference resource. However, a 10-week course is too short to follow the textbook material in a straight line. The lectures are based on the on-line material that enables students to quickly use the language and work on a practical project.

The lectures will tentatively follow this schedule

Week 1 & 2: Introduction and basic elements of the Java language
Week 3 - 7: Libraries and the Abstract Windowing Toolkit
Week 8 & 9: Advanced language features (threads, interfaces, packages)
Week 10: Some advanced topic(s) to be determined


The midterm will occur during lecture number 5 or 6 and will be followed by a presentation of the solution.

The final takes the place of the 11^th lecture.