GettingStarted

This topic is meant for new members to the CLforJava project. It gives you pointers to materials, procedures, roles, and tips for being a member of the project team.

The Project

What is it?

This is a multi-year project to develop a new implementation of the Common Lisp language entirely in Java.

Members

The contributing members of the project are all of the students enrolled in CSCI462 and a small number of students on an Independent Study. The faculty member responsible for the project is JerryBoetje. Other consulting faculty participants are members of the AdvisoryBoard.

Materials

There are several book resources required for participation in this project. Some are available on-line. Others must be purchased.

Lisp-related

• Common Lisp the Language, 2nd Edition, Digital Press (available through Amazon). Also available on-line. There is also a tar ball you can put on your machine.
• The Common Lisp HyperSpec. As above, the spec is also available as a tar ball.
• Practical Common Lisp, Peter Siebel, APress. It's also available on line.

All of the CS computers have a copy of Lispworks, an implementation of Common Lisp with a GUI interface. It's our reference implementation. Project members who have their own machines are urged to install a copy. The personal version is freely available.

Java-related

• Java Precisely, MIT Press
• Effective Java, J Bloch , Addison-Wesley

The End Product

A complete implementation of the Common Lisp version 2 that is transparently interoperable with code written in Java.

The Process

1. Register with TWiki. Go to the http://clforjava.cs.cofc.edu/twiki/bin/view/TWiki/TWikiRegistration page and fill in the form. Use your real first and last names (the first can be a nickname if you wish). That gives you access to all of the Wiki. When you have registered, go to http://clforjava.cs.cofc.edu/twiki/bin/view/Main/TWikiUsers and click on your name. That will take you to your page. Upload a picture of yourself to the page (see the link at the bottom of the page). Reference that attachment in your page (there is an open area for it).
2. The Perforce P4V? program is on all of the lab computers. You can get a free copy for your personal computer by going to Perforce. Follow the instruction in the HowTo? secton to configure your P4V? . Then sync the project to your computer (See PerforceVersionControl).
3. Netbeans is installed on all lab computers. You can download a copy from netbeans. Make sure to choose the NetBeans? 6.8 and JDK 1.6 (See IntDevEnv).
4. Set up Netbeans per the instructions in the topic HowTo under "Configuring Netbeans for CLforJava. This will also install and configure the JUnit testing system.
5. Read the Java Coding Conventions and Javadoc coding conventions. The conventions used in CLforJava are different from the ones you are used to.
6. Register with the forum at http://clforjava.cs.cofc.edu/forum/. Please choose your username in the format of FirstLast? . (Example: JohnDoe? ) Please use your real name for the username. This should be the same username for the TWiki. The request has to be approved first, so you won't get access immediately to add new topics (it should just be few hours). But you can freely read anything there.
7. Register at Bugzilla (http://clforjava.cs.cofc.edu/Bugzilla/index.cgi). See DefectTracking for complete details.
8. If you are a student: You are already registered in the Status Reporting blog . By midnight every Friday, you must provide a clear status report of your work from the last week - what you accomplished, what you didn't, are you on schedule or might you get behind shortly without some help, and anything else you think the team needs to know.

Congratulations, you're a CLforJava developer!

Some Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I get a new test class I wrote to run in the SmokeTest? ?
• How do I add a file to Perforce?
• Do I post my Status Report as a comment to the main post, or create a new post through Moveable Type?
• Where can I find examples for using Java inside CLforJava?
• I've heard that writing a test case first makes it easier to write the main class. Is this true?

The Development Environment

• HowTo - quick goodies to configuring the Development Environment and other useful information