Course PM

Goals

Having successfully completed the course with grade E/G/3 or higher, a student should be able to:

• 1. use (at least) Ruby and Python in program development, both as application languages, as embedded languages and scripting tools.
• 2. quickly pick up other dynamic programming languages with imperative core.
• 3. use prototype-based programming languages.
• 4. reason about the effects of choosing a dynamic programming language over a systems programming language (or vice versa), for a project with respect to design, programming, testing, static checking, maintenance, memory, speed and safety.
• 5. reason about the philosophy of the languages used in the course, how this philosophy is affected by language change and additions, enough to interact with communities around dynamic programming languages.
• 6. use metapogramming and reason about the effects of using metaprogramming instead of "traditional programming" in a project.
• 7. analyse her own beliefs and preconceptions about dynamic programming languages, their underlying rationale and criticise them.
• 8. discuss current trends in the programming language developing communities and research community such as gradual typing and relate these to more mature concepts such as duck typing and structural typing.

These goals are examined thus:

• * Assignment one: 1 and 2
• * Assignment two: 1, 3, and 6
• * Assignment three: 1, 4, 7, and possibly 3
• * Take-home exam: 3 and 4-7

Examination

There are four individual points of examination. These are programming assignments (3x1.5 credit) plus the take-home exam (3 credits).

To pass the course you need to complete the four abovementioned points of examination with grade 3/G or above.

Literature Seminars

You may earn points on the take-home exam by attending one to three literature seminars. To attend, you must have read the book in point (Graham, Raymond or Spolsky, see the Literature Seminar page) and be able to participate actively in the discussions. In addition to participating, you will write a short 1-4 page essay about the book.

Each book you read is worth 15% of the total credits. Thus, you may earn up to 45% of the exam credits before the exam.

Programming Assignments

Descriptions of the three assignments can be found on the page "Assignments" to which there is a link on the main page.

The assignments are worth 1.5 Swedish credit each. The assignments require you to use Ruby and Python. The last assignment allows use of other dynamic languages (and systems PLs).

Assignments must be done in groups of two. To be excused, talk to Beatrice, and provide a really good motivation. Furthermore, and in the spirit of pair programming with rotating pairs, you must be in a different group for each assignment.

The solutions for the programming assignments should be presented to a course assistant or to Beatrice before handing them in. Time slots for the presentations will be available during the last week before the deadline, and also on demand earlier on during the course.

Deadlines can be found in each assignment description.

If you hand assignments in late, you cannot score higher than grade E (lowest possible pass).

Exam

The exam will try your knowledge of the course's concepts: the relation between Python and Ruby, the philosophy(ies) of dynamic languages, metaprogramming, code generation, shortcomings of dynamic languages, etc. In short, all the course's contents that is not examined through the programming assignments.

If you have earned bonus points by attending literature seminars, or any other agreement these can be used to "buy" correct answers on the exam. For example, if you have 15% bonus point, you can "buy" one correct answers on the exam (provided these are worth 15% each). You can choose which questions to buy yourself. You may not buy a question partially.

The exam will be published 2012-03-14 08.00 on the course web page.

The exam should be handed in according to the instructions in the exam document.