[Noisebridge-discuss] [Noisebridge-announce] Programming for Poets, Thursday May 6

Tue May 4 19:59:47 UTC 2010

I will probably be recording the audio for myself, but not video. Here is a
sample email that I have sent out to participants who have enrolled (to give
a better feel for the approach on this topic)...

---  (Note pre-enrollment *is* a requirement (i.e., just let me know you're
going to show before you do) --

NOTE: Please note that due to a schedule conflict with one of our members, I
kept trying to move the meeting from the original time at 6 pm until 5 pm.
However, we still did not get the room reservation for 5 pm. Therefore, the
meeting time is still at 6 pm. One of our attendees will need to leave
early.

WHO: You
WHAT: Subversion Training/Lab
WHEN: 5-May (tomorrow) starting at 6 pm
WHERE: 321 (Conference Room); Stanley Hall; UC Berkeley
WHY: Because successfully using version control is a very important skill if
you ever work with others when coding

PREPARATION: Please bring a computer with wireless access (a network
connection is needed to participate in this lab). Also have the subversion
client installed on your computer.

You can test to see if the program is installed on your computer. Go to
either a Terminal Window (Linux/Mac OSX) or a Command Prompt (windows) and
type this command: "svn help". If you see a large screen of help text, then
you have all that you need installed. If you instead see, "Command not
found" or a similar message, you will need to install or configure this
program. The program can be downloaded from:
http://subversion.apache.org/packages.html

Setting up this program varies between operating systems and this may need a
little research. Please do your best first. If you're absolutely stuck, I
can personally help you. But, *PLEASE* do this BEFORE class starts. I won't
have time to help if this is not setup before class.

We will be using a Linux environment/command line tools during class. So, if
you have a Graphical User Interface (GUI) instead of the command line,
that's okay -- but we'll be using the command line in class and you should
too.

FINAL STEPS IN PREPARATION: You should now have a laptop with network access
and have the subversion client software installed and configured. I have
created a repository for your use in class. Please try to access the
repository now. Here are some very basic steps for you to follow:

1) To first verify that your account is working, first go to a web page:
    http://subversion.glenjarvis.com
2) Now, you should be prompted for your username and password. I have made
this your first name (for both username and password). This is a scratch
system, so we are not highly concerned about security:
    username: <username>
    password: <password>
3) You should see a page with a README.txt link on it.

Now we know that your account is working, we wish to actually check out the
repository using the subversion program that you previously installed and
configured.

4) Go to a terminal window (where we will be working primarily) and type
this command:

    svn checkout http://subversion.glenjarvis.com

    This will also ask for your username and password like in step 2. Note
that it will assume the username is the same as the system that you're
logged into. If this isn't your first name (and it is doubtful that it is),
simply press enter and you will be asked what username you wish to use.
Enter your username and password.

    The output would look something like this (my username is 'glen' for
this repository):

prompt> svn checkout http://subversion.glenjarvis.com
Authentication realm: <http://subversion.glenjarvis.com:80> Subversion -
svn_training
Password for 'gjarvis':
Authentication realm: <http://subversion.glenjarvis.com:80> Subversion -
svn_training
Username: glen
Password for 'glen':
A    subversion.glenjarvis.com/README.txt
Checked out revision 1.

5) You now have a directory called "subversion.glenjarvis.com." Inside of
that directory is a file called README.txt. Open that file, and send me back
the "secret phrase" so that I know you are set up and completely ready for
class. If you are already comfortable with subversion, please don't make any
changes to this repository as it may confuse other students. We will be
making changes together in class.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

This class is a *very* informal lab setting. I don't really have any slides
prepared. I will do my best to gage the classes understanding and
sequentially make scenarios for you to go through that will help you build
these skills. I will explain core concepts as we need them. The skills that
you can expect to learn (and not learn) were listed in the previous email
that you responded to. This is an introductory course - some people may be
behind your progress. Bring something to work on or browse the internet if
you're too far ahead. The idea is that we, as a group, step through each of
the pieces until we understand.

My understanding of the material is necessary (of course), but not
sufficient. Just because I know the material or even explain the material is
not a measure of the success of the class. In other words, what is "said" is
not a measure of our success, but what is *understood* is. This means I will
need your help to gauge what is understood so that we can move on to the
next pieces.

We had incredible success last time we did this - but it was more
experimental and very small. Additionally, even though we were covering a
small amount of material, almost the entire class was straggling because
they wanted to know more.

This type of course depends *completely* upon the attitude and personalities
of the participating members. So, it's hard to predict how successful this
will be on our next round.  I do believe, however, that if we prepare in
advance (per this email), come with open minds, participate and genuinely
want to learn as a group, this will be a very successful use of all of our
time.

Warmest Regards,

Glen Jarvis

On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 12:50 PM, Steve Camuti <mrcamuti at gmail.com> wrote:

> Any chance this will be recorded in some way? I've already made commitments
> to go to a midweek comedy show at this exact time, but am SUPER Interested
> in the approach / topic.
>
> -Steve
>
> On May 3, 2010, at 3:51 PM, Jonathan Foote wrote:
>
> > If you would like a gentle introduction to programming, come on by
> > Noisebridge this Thursday at 8:00.
> > We'll be starting with some simple animations with processing. It will
> > be fun and low-stress.
> >
> > Details: https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Programming_for_Poets
> > Location: 2169 Mission St (at 17th), SF CA 94110
> > _______________________________________________
> > Noisebridge-announce mailing list
> > Noisebridge-announce at lists.noisebridge.net
> > https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-announce
>
> _______________________________________________
> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>

-- 
Whatever you can do or imagine, begin it;
boldness has beauty, magic, and power in it.

-- Goethe
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