Midterm Study Questions

Here are some study questions for the our midterm.

Update: Added the answer to the questions

1. What are the three prime directives?

• The system accomplishes a useful task
• An external user can install and use the system
• An external developer can understand and enhance the system

2. Give one example of a basic Collection class and describe it

• Sets: no duplicates and add works differently
• SortedSet: traverses elements in their "natural order"
• List: Ordered collection and like an array with flexible size
  

3. Give three examples of our class Java Coding standards.

• 2 space indent
• No tabs, only spaces.
• Left curly brace on preceding line; right curly brace on its own line
• 100 columns of text maximum maximum
• JavaDoc layout standards

4. What are some advantages of using Ant vs. Make.

• Java-based
• xml is simpler than a Makefile
• Built in Java support and its tools
• Easier to extend in a portable manner

5. Why do we have to run Ant once in order to import distribution files to an IDE.

• So that Ant downloads the necessary libraries needed

6. Write a sample Ant Target code.

<target name="TestTarget"
        description="Target that does nothing.">
</target>

7. What are some advantages of Git over SVN.

• Allows users to work productively even when not connected to a network
• Makes most operations much faster since no network is involved
• Allows participation in projects without requiring permissions from project authorities
  
• Avoids relying on a single physical machine. A server disk crash is a non-event with distributed revision control
  

8. What is the difference between White box and Black box testing.

• White box testing tests the implementation of the code where it accepts an input and produces the appropriate output
  
• Black box testing tests the expected output given the input

9. What are the three classic CM problems and describe them.

• Double Maintenance: prevents multiple copies of the same file and must be updated independently
  
• Shared Data problem: allows two or more developers access the same file/data
• Simultaneous Update: Must prevent clobbering when two updating the same file at the same time
  

10.What are some properties that defines an OSS.

• Free Redistribution
• Source code availability
• Derived Works