Hacker’s Toolbox¶
Lots of very smart people start as a CS major with little to no programming experience. Then they stumble upon HacSoc and hear all these people talking about things they may not know about (Linux, git, about a hundred different programming languages, etc). It can be really intimidating.
If you are in this situation, know that you aren’t behind at all!
We learn these things through time and experience. Classes don’t teach them all. Some classes may even expect Linux, C, or Git experience, without even having taught you them before. Skills like these are very practical, but they’re not exactly what “Computer Science” is about. They’re all just part of the hacker’s toolbox.
This section is an intro to the sorts of practical tools you may find yourself needing in classes or the real world. While we can’t promise to have complete information, the goal is to have enough to get you started and understand how to learn more on your own. You can always ask for help on Slack or the mailing list.
Recommended way to go through this section: Follow through the first few articles, up to Git. From there, see about doing your Java or Data Structures homework on Linux! Once you’re comfortable doing this, you can begin learning other languages and technologies.