Downloading Tools

To get started with CSCE240, you’ll need to set up a few essential tools on your computer. These include a C++ compiler, and a style checker to ensure your code meets course standards. This guide will walk you through downloading and installing everything you need for a smooth development experience.

Apple Users

You can find different tools at Homebrew. At the terminal you can install what you need with the following commands:

brew install gcc
brew install make
brew install cpplint

• gcc is for the C++ compiler
• make allows you to build your programs through a makefile
• cpplint is the linter that checks for Google Style compliancy

Note

Macs already have the clang C++ compiler installed, and that compiler will be invoked with the g++ command. So, to use the newly installed gcc C++ compiler, you’ll use the command g++-## where ## is the version number of the gcc compile.

You can use gcc --version in your terminal to see which version you have. The following command uses version 14 to compile a file called hello.cc:

g++-14 -Wall -std=c++17 hello.cc

Linux Users

You can enter the following commands in the terminal to setup the tools you need for this course:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install build-essential python3 python3-pip
sudo pip3 install cpplint

• sudo apt update is to update the list of available software and package versions
• sudo apt upgrade installs the latest versions of all installed packages
• sudo apt install build-essential python3 python3-pip installs essential build tools, Python 3, and its package manager, pip
• sudo pip3 install cpplint for checking C++ code against Google’s style guide

Windows Users

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) lets you run a full Linux environment directly on your Windows 11 or 10 computer—without needing to set up a separate computer or install Linux as your main operating system.

1. Search Windows

   In the search bar enter windows features and click on the Control Panel tool:

   

2. Opt-in To Linux

   Scroll down and check Windows Subsystem for Linux, and restart your computer:

   

3. Download from Microsoft Store

   Search for ubuntu lts in the microsoft store, download it, and go through the installation process in the terminal:

   

   Note

   You may be asked to download some Windows fixes, and may have to restart your computer

4. Create User and Download Tools

   Create a username and password, as you’re creating your password you won’t see any characters typed, this is a security feature in Linux.

   Use the following commands to setup the tools you need for class (they are the same as the Linux section):

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt upgrade
   sudo apt install build-essential python3 python3-pip
   sudo pip3 install cpplint

   sudo apt update is to update the list of available software and package versions

   sudo apt upgrade installs the latest versions of all installed packages

   sudo apt install build-essential python3 python3-pip installs essential build tools, Python 3, and its package manager, pip

   sudo pip3 install cpplint for checking C++ code against Google’s style guide

5. Create Course Files

   If you open Windows File Explorer, you should now see a folder for Ubuntu:

   

   Open the Ubuntu folder and then open the folder called home. In that directory you should see a folder named after your username, go ahead and open that folder. This is where your Ubuntu terminal opens.

   To open your Ubuntu terminal open your Windows terminal, click on the down arrow, and select Ubuntu:

   

   In your username folder, you can create a folder to hold all the course files. I created a USC folder, then a CSCE240 folder to store my files. This is in case I use Linux for other courses or projects.

   

   Tip

   Remember to cd into the course folder when you open your terminal.