Official Course Outline
Resources
Subject Description
Working in a Linux environment requires knowledge of the availability and use of both text and visual-based tools. This subject will introduce students to the wealth of software products available for the Linux platform, with the emphasis on free software. Students will learn how to acquire, install, configure and use software including multimedia, communication, file management and document creation. Students will also be introduced to mark-up and scripting languages used in conjunction with the software covered.
Credit Status
1 credit in the LUX program
Prerequisites
Meet admission requirements for LUX
Specific Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
- Explain different software licensing models
- Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of particular software within its type group
- Download, install, un-install and configure Linux applications
- Use package management software and Fedora repositories including Livna
- Transfer files over a network
- Effectively use Linux office productivity tools
- Create various types of documents, including web pages, manual pages and business presentations
- Effectively communicate electronically with others and use collaboration software
- Use Linux software to create and view multimedia content
- Create, use and maintain simple scripts/source/configuration files
- Convert between different file types and use file compression tools
Topic Outline
Linux Application Overview - 5%
- Software licensing
- Package management software and Fedora repositories
- File checksums
Graphics Applications - 10%
- Graphical file formats
- Digital camera and scanner support
- Image editing
- Image library management
- Charts and graphs
- Dynamic graphic generation
Office Productivity - 10%
- Word processing
- Spreadsheets
- Business presentation creation and delivery
- Desktop publishing
- Specialized documents
- Printing
Document Creation - 15%
- Text documents
- Manual Pages
- Web pages
- LaTeX
- Word processing
- Business presentations
Browsers - 10%
- Browser overview
- Comparison between file and web browsers
- Security and privacy issues
- Plugins
- XML Feeds
- Text-only browsers
Electronic Communication - 10%
- Internet mail
- Blogs and wikis
- Instant messaging
- IRC
- VOIP
- The role of encryption
Finding and Moving Files - 10%
- File system tools
- Network protocols
- WWW downloaders
- FTP clients
- BitTorrent clients
- Other
Multimedia Software - 10%
- Multimedia file formats
- Codecs
- CD and DVD playback
- CD/DVD creation and backup
- Multimedia players
- Audio and video capture and editing
File Formats - 15%
- File format overview
- Compressed files
- XML
- Formatting and conversion utilities
- File conversion
- Cross-OS file porting
Games - 5%
- Standard window manager games
- Other free options
- Emulation
Modes of Instruction
2 hours of interactive lecture per week and 2 hours lab time per week.
Prescribed Text
None required. Use freely-available on-line resources.
Reference Material
TBA
Supplies
None required. Having access to Fedora Linux off-campus would be an asset.
Promotion Policy
To obtain a credit in this subject, a student must:
- Achieve a grade of 55% or better on the final exam
- Satisfactorily complete all assignments
- Achieve a weighted average of 55% or better for the tests and final exam
- Achieve a grade of 55% or better on the overall course
Modes of Evaluation
- 1 final exam worth 40%
- 1 midterm test worth 30%
- 10 labs worth 10%
- 2 assignments worth 10% each
Academic Regulations
Students are responsible for being aware of college regulations in the Academic Policy Handbook.
Seneca Academic Policy - Cheating and Plagiarism Cheating and/or plagiarism are offences which will not be tolerated by the College. Such offences occur when a student violates the procedures governing the administration of examinations, tests or other means of evaluating student achievement in a subject or program.
Pending Approval By: Evan Weaver, Chair
College Policy Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: The College will provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities in order to promote academic success. If you require accommodation, contact the Counselling and Disabilities Services Office at ext. 2900 to initiate the process for documenting, assessing and implementing your individual accommodation needs.
All students and employees have the right to study and work in an environment that is free from discrimination and/or harassment. Language or activities that defeat this objective violate the College Policy on Discrimination/Harassment and shall not be tolerated. Information and assistance are available from the Center for Equity and Human Rights at Ext. 2078 or via e-mail at Human.Rights@senecac.on.ca.