Computer and Software Setup

Computer requirements

To complete this course, you will need a portable computer. It does not have to be anything fancy or have any particular operating system. Bring it to class every day. There are lots of power outlets in the classroom, so charging shouldn’t be an issue.

For students enrolled in the course at UF, you will do most of your work on the universities computer cluster, HiPerGator. An account will be created for you and we will walk through everything in class, so don’t worry. There are still some applications that will make it easier to work as noted below.

For people not enrolled in the course

If you are working through this course outside of a formal class, the content is freely available on this site and the main thing you need is a Linux environment and Python. Both of these are already present on a Mac and you are set. For Windows users, I recommend installing the Ubuntu Windows Subsystem for Linux (free from the Microsoft App Store) and Anaconda for Python 3.7 or later (free from https://www.anaconda.com/). The main thing not available through the website are quizzes.

Software

Everything we do in class, could be done with UF Research Computing’s Open on Demand environment, which is accessible from your web browser at: https://ood.rc.ufl.edu/

That said, I personally find some of the software noted below more reliable and feature rich.

If you have a Windows Computer

1. A text editor:
   1. Microsoft VS Code: This is what I use. It has many extensions that are quite helpful. It is also free.
      • One of the nice features of VSCode that we will make heavy use of is the integrated GitHub Copilot AI coding assistant.
2. An ssh client to connect to remote servers, like HiPerGator
   1. As part of the course, you will learn to use git. While you do not need to install git on your computer, it may be helpful. If you do install git, there is a program called Git Bash that can serve as your ssh client. You can download and install git from here: https://git-scm.com/
   2. BitVise is another ssh client that works well. It also has an SFTP client and one nice feature is that once you authenticate, you can login multiple times without having to re-authenticate.

If you have an Apple Computer

1. You already have the ssh client: Terminal is installed at /Applications/Utilities/Terminal (The Applications folder, then Utilities, and the application called Terminal).
2. A text editor:
   1. Microsoft VS Code: Is what I use. It has many extensions that are quite helpful. It is also free.
   2. BBEdit is a longtime favorite. It is available in the Apple App Store or here. The free version is fine for what we will do in class, you do not need to purchase the paid version.
3. You may also want to install git on your computer, but it is not required. If you want to install it, download from here: https://git-scm.com/ . On a Mac, I suggest using the Binary Installer as the easiest method to get started.