Following are details on how I'll be delivering the COMP 1850 curriculum this term.

My email address is dtanchak@my.bcit.ca, and is the best method to get my attention. I'll be interacting with students via that address so please make a note of it.

Please note that the protocols described here may not be relevant to courses you are taking with other instructors. While there is a lot to read and work through here, it is crucial to your preparedness for the coming online term.

Preparing for the course

• Computer with Windows OR Mac OR Linux operating system
• Administrative permissions on your computer (eg: ability to install new applications)
• Broadband internet connectivity
• Microphone
• Headphones/earbuds
• Webcam
• Secondary monitor (Optional) Some students prefer one monitor for the zoom classroom, and another for writing, and testing their code.

To do before first class:

1. Install the Zoom Client for Meetings application
   Available for most operating systems here:
   https://bcit.zoom.us/download
   You can also learn more about using BCIT's implementation of Zoom here:
   https://kb.bcit.ca/faculty-staff/using-zoom-2982/
   
2. Download and Install Basic Web Development Tools
   Download and install the following (if you know that your computer already has similar applications, you may not need to install some of these):
   • At least ONE modern browser with the latest updates applied:
     • Chrome: https://www.google.ca/chrome/
     • Firefox: https://www.mozilla.org/en-CA/firefox/new/
     • Safari: https://support.apple.com/downloads/safari/
     • Edge: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/
     • Opera: https://www.opera.com/download/
   • ONE syntax highlighting text editor (any will do, but here are some suggestions):
     • Visual Studio Code (VS Studio) (Windows and Mac): https://code.visualstudio.com/
     • Brackets (Windows and Mac): https://brackets.io/
     • Atom Text Editor (Windows and Mac): https://atom.io/
     • Notepad++ (Windows): https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/
     • TextWrangler (Mac OS): https://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/download.html
     • Sublime (Mac, Window, Linux OS): https://www.sublimetext.com/3
   • An File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client application
     • ALL operating systems: https://filezilla-project.org/ (client only)

We will briefly discuss and demonstrate how these applications will be used during our first class. In the meantime, if you are not yet familiar with some of these programs, feel free to explore the associated help docs and tutorials located on the individual websites.