Software Prerequisites

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Prior to the workshop, it is vital that you install some software on your laptop and create an account at Github by following the instructions below!

There is little time during the workshop to deal with installation problems, so it makes the day run much more smoothly if you arrive with your software already installed.

Bash

Among many other things, Bash allows you to automate dull and boring tasks. We use it during the command line section of the course.

Windows

Bash will be provided as part of the Git for Windows installation as described below.

Mac OS X

The Bash shell is accessed by opening the “Terminal” application. The Terminal application can be found in the “Utilities” folder which is in your “Applications” folder.

Linux

The Bash shell is accessed via the Terminal application.

Text Editor

A text editor is the piece of software you use to view and write code. If you have a preferred text editor, please use it. If you don't have one, we recommend the following.

Windows

Mac OS X

  • Visual Studio Code: Download the Visual Studio Code Mac OS X application.

    If necessary, confirm that you want to Allow the download. When complete, double-click the downloaded file to open it. If you receive a warning that it cannot be checked for malicious code, click Show in Finder and drag "Visual Studio Code" into your Applications folder. From there, right-click it and choose "Open". It should work normally from then on.

  • Nano: See below.

Linux

Nano

Nano is a text editor that is installed by default on Mac OS X and Linux.

You can verify you have nano installed by opening a terminal and entering: 

nano

If nano is not installed, you will receive an error. If it is installed, nano will open (appearing not dissimilar to the terminal window, but with menu items at the bottom of the window).

To exit nano press CTRL+X (you might be prompted you to save or discard modified buffer - just type “N” to exit without saving).

Git

Git is the version control software we will use. It allows you to keep track of your software and the edits made to it.

Create a Github account

You must create a Github account before attending the workshop!

To create an account, go to the Github website and provide your details. It’s quick and it’s free. Once you have your account, you need to install the Git software as described below.

Windows

Download and install Git for Windows. Please note that you can accept the default installation options, with one exception - at the step ‘Configuring the terminal emulator to use with Git Bash’ you must select ‘Use Windows default console window’.

Mac OS X

On Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks and later, Git will be installed automatically the first time you try to run it. Open a terminal and enter:

git

There may be a short delay whilst the installer operates. You can then follow the prompts to install the Apple command line development tools.

On Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and 10.8 Mountain Lion, download and open the Git installer image. Double click the .pkg file and follow the instructions.

If you intend to use an earlier version of Mac OS X, please contact us before the event.

Linux

Install via a terminal like this:

Ubuntu and derivatives:

sudo apt-get install git

Fedora:

su -
dnf install git

Internet Connection

The workshop involves live coding on Zoom, and involves transferring files to and from GitHub using the command line. You will require a relatively stable connection that can handle downloads. Please disconnect from your University VPN before the workshop.

Course Files

We'll be editing some code files as part of the workshop. You can download them using Git. You can do this using the Bash terminal (Mac or Linux) or Git Bash (Windows). Open the terminal and type: 

git clone https://github.com/softwaresaved/swc-ramp-git

If you need to find where you saved the files later, you can open a Bash terminal and type open . (Mac) or explorer . (Windows).

If you want to save your files to a different location, please do not use a University network drive.

Support

If anything fails, please get in touch with your RAMP RSE in the first instance, but if problems persist please contact us before the workshop.

Software Carpentry Source Contact License