What to Install
If you're working on a Linux system, you have everything already. If you're working on Windows, I suggest downloading three things:
- MinGW. This gives you GCC, used to compile your C programs. The alternative is to compile your programs remotely on ECF; see below for what to install to do that. (You can also get GCC by installing Quincy, which includes an editor, GCC compiler, and other tools. This is especially recommended if you cannot get gcc to work from the commandline.)
- WinSCP. This helps you connect to the ECF machines in order to transfer files between your Windows machine and the ECF machines. WinSCP also has a nice feature where you can open a file remotely in a text editor, make changes, and save the file, all without having to manually copy files back and forth. You cannot submit your assignments with WinSCP, however; for that, install SSH.
- PuTTY (download
PuTTY.exe). This SSH client lets you get a shell prompt on an ECF machine, from which you can submit your files for a lab. You can also run gcc and other Unix/ECF tools remotely.