Course modules
- Module 0: Getting Started with PicoCluster — Connecting, shell commands, and editing files.
- Module 1: C and Performance Basics — Compiling C, timing programs, and memory locality.
Text editors
Nano is a good place to start. Vim and Emacs are also useful if you want to try a different editor. Pick one and get comfortable opening, editing, and saving files; you do not need to learn all three.
| Editor | Where to start | Practice in the terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Nano | Nano manual and shortcut reference | Open nano notes.txt. Ctrl+G opens help. |
| Vim | Getting started and the Vim tutor | Run vimtutor for a hands-on introduction, if installed. |
| Emacs | Guided tour | Open emacs, then press Ctrl+H, release the keys, and press T to start its tutorial. |
The online references may describe a newer version than the one installed on the cluster. Use the editor’s built-in help for its available shortcuts. If an editor or tutorial command is missing, let me know.
C and the command line
- learn-c.org — Short exercises you can run in your browser.
- GNU C reference — Look up C syntax and language features.
- GCC options — Reference for compiler flags.
For help with an installed command, try man ls or man gcc. Press Q to leave the manual page.
Parallel programming and supercomputing
We will use these later in the course:
- OpenMP documentation
- TOP500 — Information about large supercomputers around the world.