Software

It will be really worth your time to set you computer up for class. The tools you need are discussed at Tools.

Here are some steps that I used to set up a new Windows laptop for working on class projects. This can give you a sense of how to get the things on the Tools page setup on your machine. It will probably be different for you. If you have a Mac or are running Linux, I can’t provide as much help.

1. Make sure that you’ve already installed Firefox and/or Chrome.

   • I generally use Firefox as my web browser, and Chrome for programming (just to keep the two separate).
   • You need at least one of these web browsers to test programs for class.
   • Make sure they are up to date.

2. (optional) Install Atom from https://atom.io/ - or some text editor.

3. Install Node from https://nodejs.org/en/

   • I let it install all of the build tools.
   • You will want Node because its helpful for getting JavaScript tools. We will not be using it directly for class.

4. Install useful Node packages

   • npm install -g http-server
   • npm install -g jshint
     • I picked jshint, but could have used eslint
     • eslint is fancier and more flexible, jshint works out of the box

5. Install Visual Studio Code https://code.visualstudio.com/

   • see the Visual Studio Code (VSCode) for CS559 page for more thoughts on this
   • add JavaScript support (by clicking on “JavaScript” on the Customize screen)
   • I also added support for TypeScript and Python, since I use those for things beyond class
   • I recommend going through the “Interactive Playground”
   • If you open up the extensions page (File/Preferences/Extensions), you can add other Extensions
     • Debugger for Chrome (or Firefox, or both)
     • live server
     • jshint (eslint seems to come by default)
     • add “Shader Languages Support for VS Code”

6. Download GIT for Windows https://git-scm.com/download/win

   • other systems have it installed already
   • you might get this when you install other tools

7. (optional) Set up private keys for GIT

   • This will save a lot of typing of passwords as you work
   • The GitHub guide https://help.github.com/articles/working-with-ssh-key-passphrases/ can help you get started (and explains things well for a Mac)
   • http://guides.beanstalkapp.com/version-control/git-on-windows.html has hints
   • https://www.cgranade.com/blog/2016/06/06/ssh-keys-in-vscode.html has hints (although, I didn’t know you could use ssh-keygen to create keys for putty, I used puttygen)
   • I often use putty/pageant, but openssh might be easier (and it comes with GIT). OpenSSH requires you to type your passphrase all the time, rather than just the first time. Also SourceTree requires putty.
   • Using openssh
     • use ssh-keygen
     • look at the .pub file it created, and put that on GitHub
     • check that you can clone something
   • Using puttygen
     • use puttygen (it comes with SourceTree)
     • be sure to save the keys
     • copy the public part of the key from the UI
     • paste the public key into GitHub
     • set the GIT_SSH environment variable to wherever plink.exe is
     • I had to use the “official” version of GIT for this to work, but it did (even in VSCode)

8. (optional) Install SourceTree https://www.sourcetreeapp.com/

   • this is optional - I find it easier than the command line
   • warning: it uses putty for SSH, which may be a little confusing, but I actually prefer it (since I can use putty for all SSH - include GIT inside VSCode)
   • SourceTree has its own internal version of GIT, which can save you from having to install regular GIT. I find it’s usefull to have both (so you get the GIT command line). If you use the internal GIT, you may need to update it.