Faculty of Computer Science logo הטכניון - מכון טכנולוגי לישראל Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Технион - израильский технологический институт ألتخنيون - معهد تكنولوجي لإسرائيل
02340122 - מבוא לתכנות מערכות 02340122 - Introduction to Systems Programming 02340122 - Введение в Программирование Систем 02340122 - مقدمة لبرمجة أنظمة
  קיץ 2002-2003Summer 2002-2003Лето 2002-2003صيف 2002-2003  

שאלות ותשובות Frequently Asked Questions Вопросы и Ответы أسئلة وأجوبة

I'm doing the course again, can I transfer my HW grades?

No you cannot. There are no exceptions.

Is it true that there is a lot of work in this course?

Yes, there is quite alot :)

So probably you will postpone some of the homeworks, right?

Wrong.
No homework will be postponed during the semester. This is a matter of principle, so there is really nothing to do about it.

Where can we work ?

you can work on the PC Farms (rooms 018,021), HP Farm (room 016) and Sun Farm (room 014). You should first open your t2 account (as explained in the tirgulim booklet) . You can get your PC password from the advisors. In both UNIX Farms, in order to login the user must write his/her login name, which is her/his ID number without the first and last digits, and with an 's' at the beginning. The password is the same as the user had on T2 on the first week of the semester. During the semester, changing the password on T2, does not affect passwd in Taub Unix computers. From any computer you work on, make sure to connect to t2 computer (telnet t2).

How do I register to the course mailing list?

Just do nothing, you are automatically registered. If you do not receive emails, contact the TA in charge.

Where can I find the printout of my work ?

All the printouts with the grader remarks can be found in exercises return room (near the "mazkirut").

How to use graphic tools on T2

You can use graphic tools (debuggers, editors etc.) on t2 from the work stations .
To do so, you should follow the following procedures:
login into the station.
run hostname . This program prints the name of the station. i.e. a possible name may be sf187
run xhost +t2.technion.ac.il
telnet to t2 (telnet t2).
run setenv DISPLAY station_name.cs.technion.ac.il:0 where station_name is the name of your station (following the previous example: setenv DISPLAY sf187.cs.technion.ac.il
now you can run any graphic application installed on t2. run it from the window you used setenv in.
example for graphic applications:
ddd - a debugger.
xxgdb - a debugger
xemacs - a great text editor

I wrote everything as we were taught, but the exercise doesn't compile! what to do??

Try until it compiles

But I tried many days already, and I get strange errors messages from the compiler, what can I do?

Try more, use the internet to find information, manage by yourself, you can do it

On the exam front page is written that we can use any stuff. Can I use laptop too??

No, you can't use laptop, neither palm and even no cell phones!

I want to know the exact formula of the factor! why don't you let me ?

Follows is a discussion with one of Matam students about the question whether or not the formula of the factor should be released to the students: (student's messages are in bold face)

Yaniv,
This message:

"To answer 99% of your questions: Yes there was a factor, No, we do not give its formula. ;-) have a nice day"

Is not fair at all - although I got a good grade, I feel like you and Kimchi laugh in my face! and the " (-: " sign just make this feeling stronger....

I did very hard work this semester (like 99% of the students) and I have the right to know how you calculate my final!

Look - I was in your TIRGULIM all this semester, and I had only good things to say about you - especially the TIRGUL HAZARA. I also attended Kimchi's lectures and think he is good lecturer. I don`t understand why you had to destroy the good impression??

Hi,
First; congratualations that you have received a good grade.

About the factor - the exact formula of the factor is rarely given to the students (personally, I do not remember even one such case) - this is not personally against you or against this specific semester; it is a matter of policy.

I do not see anything that is not fair about it. You got your exam grade at hands, you got your homeworks grades and you got your final, the factor was positive - I really do not see anything unfair here.

The reason I included that note, is that indeed, it saves me 99% of the work in answering emails after publishing the grades, and the ":-)" is there because it's funny that two simple answers, answer 99% of the questions :)
A little sense of humor doesn't hurt anyone :)
Good night,
Yaniv


Yaniv.

thank you for Hyper-speed response...
this is my first year in Technion. I did only 13 courses. 9 of them finished with factor. only in one (physics 1m) the factor is TAALUMA... but as you spent more time then me in this institute, you know that all this faculty is TAALUMA.... now you are in the same place...

I dont understand what the policy here? what do you have to hide? I have my homework grade. I have my exam grade. now I want to know how those two numbers combine to my final grade. I think I should know that after all the work I did. I don't know the word in english for ZILZUL, and actually, you are the last person in the Technion that I can think of in such word... but in the end, I can' calculate my final grade in two courses from 13 I took.... and in one of them, all the staff was one big ZILZUL...

please, this is more than appropriate to publish the way you calculate my final grade.
thank you.


Hi,
Listen - there is no disrespect here - you see it all wrong.

Since I see now that you are new - I'll give you a short introduction to factors.

The exact formula of the factor is meaningless.

Factors were invented because of one simple reason - it is impossible to write two identical exams. Since we cannot write identical exams, we cannot be fair by definition. The institute could not continue in a state where such unfairness exist, and when grades are so dependent on specific exams.

So - in order to balance, and make up for the difference in exam difficulties, the factor was introduced. It is a mechanical tool used for fairness reasons.

Exams may be harder than usual, but they can also be easier - so factors can go both ways, and negative factors make the exact same sense as a positive ones (but regarded differently by the students; human fault).
For the same reason, the myth that a factor from Moed A must also take place in moed B is, indeed, a myth. Each exam is judged by itself.

Many times you will see, that the exact factor is not released to the students. Since students are not aware of the course history, they do not know about the details of the exams, in short, they do not know anything about all the many things affecting the factor, you cannot give them the formula. Questions such as - "why you multiplied by 1.89 and not by 1.9 ? I would have passed!" - are saved from us.

You have all the data you need - your exam grade, is how you actually performed. Your HW grade. You can view your final grade as the grade you would have received had we written the exam in the accurate difficulty level of the average of previous semesters (which we cannot do).

Do you now understand that the formula itself is meaningless?

Let me know,
Yaniv


Dear Yaniv

First - as I said, you are the last person that the word ZILZUL connect to. I appriciate you for writing 35 lines of explanation at 1:30 after midnight.

I still don't agree with you, but after this long detailed answer, I feel uncomfrtable to continue this discussion....

I still believe that students must know how their achieves in homework and exam become their final grade. the main point of your explanation is: "Trust us. you can be sure we gave the best factor to this specific exam. We won't give you the formula, but believe us, this is the best possible formula to this exam difficulty.".

Yes, I'm new in the Technion but not in life - I never accepted such answers. (When I worked in ***** they told us something similar: "You keep bring as much sales as possible, and we will calculate your salary in a way we can't explain to you...).
I think you should straight a line with ALL the other courses, and publish the exact way you make our final. but as

I said, I appreciate you for the previous answer and I will understand if you won't answer this time.
Thank you


Hi,
Don't feel uncomfortable, really, it's not a problem, we're just having a discussion.

About "trust ua" etc.; again you see it wrong - it's not a matter of trust. You as student CANNOT comment on the factor, since you just know nothing. You cannot look at a formula and say - it's fair or it's not fair, because you don't know the details of all the history of the course.

It's not that you are stupid, and because of that you cannot do it - you just can't because you don't have all the data; it will only confuse you.

It is not the situation in all courses, and even if it was, I do not see myself obliged to go along the current, if the current is running in the wrong way.

Have a nice day,
Yaniv