How to Start your FYP / URECA / UROP / Project?

1 See me for a chat. Please drop by my office after consulting my online weekly schedule. Give me a call before you do to make sure I am in.

2 You will be given a single login/password to login to this site and the subversion repository. Your login will be emailed to you, and your initial password will be sms to you.

3 Please change your password once you login to this site. I will be using the collector (tab) to track your FYP progress, the repository will serve as the source code & documentation storage.

4 A subversion repository will be created in your name for you to access with URL

https://svn.mosuma.com/r4000/doc/reports/bs/{yourloginname}

5 Install all the necessary tools for your FYP project. You must install the following bare minimum set of tools (see FAQ)

a Ubuntu Linux or cygwin (on windows)

• If you are fortunate to be assigned to the DB Lab, once you installed Linux on a dedicated machine, you can leave it on and running, and remotely ssh into it (via VPN from outside NTU), and work on it without even physically going to the DB Lab!
• If you are assigned to any other lab or center, you are out of luck. Better to work on your own PC than to waste time there. Why? Singapore's rulebook mentality means that in those labs, officially
  • you are not allowed to install anything on a Windows machine because they are shared.
  • If you are lucky enough to install Linux or get an account on a Linux cluster, you are not allowed to install anything outside your home directory.
  • Some labs allow you to install Linux, but you are not given the root password. That means if you want anything installed, the lab technician must physically sit beside you and do that for you. This is a huge waste of your time.

A simple analogy is a car mechanic apprentice learning with a car that has its hood sealed shut. So all he/she can do is to touch the surface of the car, without knowing anything about the inner workings of a car.

In fact, the vast majority of SCE labs/centers have long forgotten that the sole reason for their existance is to serve the students. Sounds familiar? On the contrary, they enjoy tying student's hands and feet by designing self-serving rules to simplify their management by minimizing their work.

b OpenOffice 2.1 or higher

c Subversion client

• Windows users are strongly encouraged to download "Tortoise SVN":http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/ after you have tried the command line tools

6 Download FYP template from the "documents" tab. Start writing your report! Yes, the earlier you start, the less painful it is. And it will be a breeze for you towards the end of the FYP, by when the report would have been finished!

7 For the first 2 weeks, you should do the configuration of tools, and also a survey of your FYP project. Write down your survey results in your FYP report Chapter 2. Then start defining your problem in Chapter 3, along with its proposed solutions. Don't worry about the content and structure, it can always be modified later.

8 Make sure you read my FAQ on plagarism! There is also a sample posted outside my office. Do not copy or lift any material! The penalty for doing so is FYP failure and/or termination from University.

9 Start getting use to SVN and checking in your FYP report to the SVN repository

https://svn.mosuma.com/r4000/doc/reports/bs/{yourloginname}

10 Later on, I will email you on where you can check in your source code and documentation. In principal, large files should always be checked into the repository. Use email only for logistic (e.g. scheduling demo/meetings) and generic (non-technical) questions. All technical questions/updates should be done through you assigned collector issue.

11 Arrange for a suitable time to meet face to face

• once a week during term time
• twice a week during holidays

12 Make sure you update all (by browsing your issue, and clicking on the "Follow up" option to add a comment) collector (see "collector" tab) issues assigned to you

• once a week on or before every Sunday 11:59 pm.

FYP students who fails to update their issues promptly for more than half of the 52 weeks (or duration of FYP) of a year would have effectively failed their FYP.

13 Please update your personal info, especially mobile phone number, whenever necessary through the website addressbook