CINS 142: Introduction to Unix Operating Systems

 WELCOME:

This set of web pages is devoted to the Introduction to Unix course I recently taught at the Community College of Baltimore County. This introductory course focues on the basic principles of Unix operating systems and, with the exception of a few Linux specific topics, is not specific to any one variant. A great deal of the course is spent gaining familiarity with the Unix command line. Unlike Windows, the strength of the Unix OS lies in its wide variety of text-based commands. Students learn to creatively use these commands together with pipes, redirections, and filters to creatively solve problems from sorting files to working with users and the network. They also learn to configure the command line and take advantage of such tools as the command history and shell variables. Toward the end, students are exposed to regular expressions and basic programming concepts through the creation of simple shell scripts. Finally, I try to use the course to demonstate some of the key principles such as processes and hardware management that underly most operating systems. Where possible, I show how both Unix and Windows deal with these tasks.

DESCRIPTION OF MENU ITEMS:

Welcome Return to this page.
Academic Prerequisites A brief descriptrion of the course along with the prerequisite courses or knowledge required to enroll.
Technical Prerequisties The technical requirements necessary to use WebCT. At present this course does not make use of this powerful tool for online learning, but I expect to have some online discussions and the like created in the near future.
Schedule This takes you to a calendar which one can use to check the topics to be covered, the material to be read, the assignments given, and the assignments due, for any given class day. This calendar is subject to change so be sure to check it often.
Support Services A listing of the varous support services available to online and off-line learners.
Syllabus This takes you to an online version of the class syllabus describing the goals, policies, and grading scheme for the course. This page also lists contact information and office hours.
Lessons This takes you to pages which contain notes on the topics covered by the class. These are the same topics linked to under the calendar days and are provided here so you can check them as needed without having to remember which day they were on.
Assign./Labs This page provides a link to each individual lab or assignment given. These are the same assignments as given in the calendar. The due dates here should agree with those in the calendar. If not then e-mail me.
Links This page contains links which the instructor has found useful in learning HTML. Students are encouraged to check these sites if they have questions outside of class.
   
Instructor Bio A brief description of the instructor. Check this out if you are curious or want to know my qualifications or teaching philosophy.
Instructor Home Page Takes you to the instructor's home page where you can find everything (wwithin reason) that you want to know about him.
Email BCH If your browser is set up correctly this button will allow you to send me an e-mail. If for some reason this link setup does not work for you, I may be reached at the following e-mail address: bhoffman@ccbcmd.edu


This page maintained by Brian C. Hoffman
The Community College of Baltimore County
Essex Campus
7201 Rossville Boulevard
Baltimore MD 21237