Merge pull request #1 from 0hAodha/CT3112-Assignment-01

CT3112 Assignment 01

year3/semester2/CT3112: Professional Skills/assignments/assignment1/presentation/presentation.tex

@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 %! TeX program = lualatex
 \documentclass[]{beamer} 
+
 \setbeamercolor{title}{fg=black}
 \setbeamercolor{frametitle}{fg=black}
+\setbeamercolor{caption}{fg=black}
+\setbeamercolor{caption name}{fg=black}
+
 \setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}
+\setbeamertemplate{itemize item}{\color{black}$\bullet$}
 
 % packages
 \usepackage{fontspec}
@@ -29,12 +34,200 @@
 \usepackage{titlesec}
 
 \author{Andrew Hayes (ID: 21321503)}
-\title{CT3112 Professional Skills: Assignment 01}
+\title{Why Vim is My Favourite Text Editor}
-\subtitle{Overview of My Second Year Software Engineering Project}
+\subtitle{CT3112 Professional Skills: Assignment 01}
 \institute{University of Galway}
 
 \begin{document}
 
+\titlegraphic{\includegraphics[width=3cm]{./images/vim_logo.png}}
 \frame{\titlepage}
 
+\begin{frame}{Introduction}
+    By the end of this presentation, I intend for you to have gained an understanding of:
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   What Vim is and how it works.
+        \item   The benefits of Vim.
+        \item   The drawbacks of Vim.
+        \item   Why I prefer Vim for all my text-editing work.
+        \item   Whether or not Vim might be the right text editor for you.
+        \item   What alternatives there are to Vim.
+        \item   How you can get started with Vim.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What is Vim?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   \textbf{Vim} is terminal-based, modal text editor released in 1991, designed to be minimal \& fast to
+                use.
+        \item   It has a number of fast, mnemonic keybindings that make typical text-editing tasks much faster.
+        \item   A \textbf{terminal-based} text editor is a text-only editor that is ran from the command line or
+                terminal.
+        \item   A \textbf{modal} text editor is one in which there are a number of different \textbf{modes} that the 
+                editor can be in at any one time. 
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}
+    \begin{figure}[h]
+        \includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{./images/screenshot.png}
+        \caption{A Screenshot of Vim Being Used to Write this Presentation (in {\LaTeX})}
+    \end{figure}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What is a Terminal?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   A \textbf{terminal} is a text-based interface for a computer, originating from when computers did not
+                have any graphics.
+        \item   It is typically interacted with via a \textbf{command line}, where text commands are written to start
+                programs.
+        \item   To start Vim from the command line, simply type \mintinline{bash}{vim file_name.txt}
+    \end{itemize}
+
+    \begin{figure}[h]
+        \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{./images/terminal.png}
+        \caption{A Computer Terminal from 1978}
+    \end{figure}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What are the Vim Modes?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   \textbf{Normal mode} (\texttt{ESC}) is for the navigation \& manipulation of the text in the file
+                being edited, via the shortcut keybindings.
+                It is the default mode of the program.
+        \item   \textbf{Insert mode} (\texttt{i}) is for inserting new text. This mode is similar to the
+                default to the default behaviour of a more conventional text editor such as Notepad: text can be typed
+                or removed with the backspace key, and navigation or selection can be done with the mouse or arrow
+                keys.
+        \item   \textbf{Visual mode} (\texttt{v}) is for the selection of text blocks for manipulation, with the
+                selected text being highlighted, similar to selecting text with the mouse in other text editors.
+                Visual mode has two sub-modes: \textbf{visual block} (\texttt{CTRL+v}) \& \textbf{visual line}
+                (\texttt{V}), in which text can be selected either vertically by columns or horizontally by line.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What are the Vim keybindings?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Too many to list here!
+        \item   Navigation in normal mode can be done with the \texttt{hjkl} (direction) keys, which correspond to
+                the left, down, up, \& right arrow keys respectively, allowing quick navigation without removing your
+                fingers from the home row.
+        \item   These direction keys can be combined with numbers to repeat them a certain number of times, e.g.:
+                \texttt{5j} moves the cursor down 5 lines.
+        \item   There are also a number of other direction keys: \texttt{w} to go forward a word of text, \texttt{b} to
+                go back a word of text, \texttt{gg} to go to the start of the file, \texttt{G} to go to the end of the
+                file.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What are the Vim keybindings?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Vim keybindings typically take the form \textbf{action + direction}, i.e. the first key pressed
+                indicates the action to be performed and the second key pressed indicates the direction in which to do
+                it.
+        \item   The most common action keys are \texttt{d} to delete text, \texttt{c} to change text, \texttt{y} to copy
+                (or \textbf{yank}) text, and \texttt{p} to paste text.
+        \item   The action keys are combined with direction keys, e.g. \texttt{dG} deletes all the text from the cursor
+                to the end of the file, \texttt{y5w} copies the next 5 words to the clipboard, etc.
+        \item   If you're trying to get the hang of Vim keybindings, the most important one for you to know is
+                \texttt{u} to undo the last action you performed, in case you made a mistake!
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What are the benefits of Vim?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Lightweight \& minimal.
+        \item   Speedy text editing with countless keybindings \& shortcuts.
+        \item   Easy integration with other command-line programs.
+        \item   Endlessly extensible through its configuration file (found at \mintinline{shell}{~/.vimrc})
+        \item   Lots of community-developed plugins to extend its functionality even further.
+        \item   It's very easy to quickly record a \textbf{macro} to perform an option repeatedly.
+        \item   Standard on most modern UNIX-like systems; if you use a Linux-based system or MacOS, you likely already
+                have it installed!
+        \item   Most IDEs have a Vim mode, allowing you to use the Vim keybindings in many other programs too.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What are the drawbacks of Vim?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Steep learning curve: there are so many keybindings that almost nobody knows them all.
+        \item   No graphics support: because it's terminal-based, there is no way to display an image inside Vim.
+        \item   Only works for plaintext editing: can't be used to edit Word documents or PowerPoint presentations.
+        \item   Very minimal by default: it requires a lot of configuration to bring it to feature parity with a modern 
+                IDE.
+        \item   Requires some knowledge of the terminal: not suited for people who have no technical background.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{Why I prefer Vim}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   I spend most of my time on my computer editing plaintext code files, so the speed gained from using the 
+                Vim keybindings is invaluable.
+        \item   As a Linux user and programmer, I spend a lot of time in the terminal, so having a terminal-based editor 
+                is very convenient for me.
+        \item   Often for internship work, I will have to remotely connect to a server to edit its configurations and
+                the only text editor available is Vim.
+        \item   I enjoy the fine-grained control over the program's behaviour that the Vim configuration file affords
+                me.
+        \item   I think it looks cooler than other text editors!
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{Is Vim right for you?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Vim is right for you if spend a lot of time editing plaintext files, using the terminal, or remotely
+                accessing servers and you don't mind its steep learning curve. 
+                If you want fine-grained control over the behaviour of your text editor, and the ability to endlessly
+                extend it, then Vim is a good choice.
+                It helps a lot if you have a technical background, but anyone can learn Vim!
+        \item   Vim is not right for you if you rely heavily on graphical editors, e.g. Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, if
+                you don't want to spend time learning the keybindings, or if you want a text editor that is feature-rich 
+                out of the box without any customisation.
+                If you rarely use the terminal in your day-to-day life, then a terminal-based text editor likely is not
+                suitable for your workflow.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{What alternatives are there to Vim?}
+    Similar text editors to Vim include:
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Emacs
+        \item   Vi
+        \item   Helix
+        \item   Kakoune
+    \end{itemize}
+
+    More conventional text editors include:
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Notepad
+        \item   Atom
+        \item   VSCode
+        \item   Fully-featured IDEs such as Eclipse or Intellij.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{How can I get started with Vim?}
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   Download \& install Vim from \url{https://www.vim.org/download.php}
+        \item   Open a terminal emulator / command prompt on your computer.
+        \item   Enter \texttt{vim file\_name.txt}, substituting \texttt{file\_name.txt} for the path to the file you
+                want to edit / create, and start editing!
+        \item   To get a more in-depth tutorial of how to use Vim, run the command \texttt{vimtutor} from your command
+                prompt to start the tutorial.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\begin{frame}{Summary}
+    By now, I hope that you have gained an understanding of:
+    \begin{itemize}
+        \item   What Vim is and how it works.
+        \item   The benefits of Vim.
+        \item   The drawbacks of Vim.
+        \item   Why I prefer Vim for all my text-editing work.
+        \item   Whether or not Vim might be the right text editor for you.
+        \item   What alternatives there are to Vim.
+        \item   How you can get started with Vim.
+    \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
 \end{document}

year3/semester2/CT3112: Professional Skills/assignments/assignment1/report/report.tex

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
     \raggedright
     \footnotesize 
     Name: Andrew Hayes \\
-    E-mail: \href{mailto://a.hayes18@universityofgalway.ie}{a.hayes18@universityofgalway.ie}  \hfill\\   
+    E-mail: \href{mailto://a.hayes18@universityofgalway.ie}{\texttt{a.hayes18@universityofgalway.ie}}  \hfill\\   
     ID: 21321503 \hfill
 \end{minipage}
 \begin{minipage}{0.4\textwidth} 
@@ -70,64 +70,102 @@
 \end{center}
 \hrule
 
+\section{Preparation \& Planning}
+The first thing that I considered when I was planning this presentation was my role as a presenter: what information do
+I want to convey, and how best to convey it? 
+After I had chosen my topic (why Vim is my favourite text editor), I asked myself the 6 question: Why, Who, Where, When,
+What, \& How.
+Most of the time I spent on this presentation was on the preparation \& planning.
+I tried to follow the 5:1 ratio: since my presentation was to be 20 minutes long, I prepared for just over 100 minutes.
+
 \begin{itemize}
-    \item   The role of the presenter.
+    \item   ``\textbf{Why} am I making this presentation? What is it's purpose?''
-    \item   Preparation \& Planning: Why, Who, Where, When, What, \& How.
+            I decided that the purpose of my presentation would be to inform someone about what Vim is, how it works,
-    \item   Structuring the content for maximum impact:
+            and whether or not Vim might be the right text editor for them.
-            \begin{itemize}
+            I wanted to inform \& empower the listener to facilitate them beginning their own journey using Vim as their
-                \item   Introduction to the topic.
+            text editor.
-                \item   The middle part.
+    \item   ``\textbf{Who} is this presentation for?''
-                        \begin{itemize}
+            I decided that I wanted my presentation to be accessible to all people, not just those with a Computer
-                            \item   Aligned with the introduction.
+            Science background. 
-                            \item   Main topics.
+            This informed a lot of my decisions throughout the presentation as to how much detail to go into: I wanted
-                            \item   Each main topic has sub-topics.
+            to make sure that anybody could listen to and follow along with my presentation if they were interested in
-                            \item   Logical sequence.
+            it.
-                                    \begin{itemize}
+    \item   ``\textbf{Where} will this presentation be delivered?''
-                                        \item   What are the main points I need to address?
+            The constraints of this assignment dictated that the presentation be submitted as a pre-recorded video,
-                                        \item   What does the audience need to know first/second etc?
+            meaning that I could not have any audience participation or Q\&A sessions.
-                                        \item   What do they need to know by the end?
+            Because there could be no audience interaction in my presentation, I felt that it was important I made sure
-                                        \item   Are my main points structured in a logical/coherent way?
+            my presentation wasn't just a boring ``death by PowerPoint'' slide after slide of plain text, so I decided
-                                        \item   What evidence will I use to support these points?
+            to regularly switch from the presentation slides to a practical demonstration, to keep it engaging \&
-                                    \end{itemize}
+            interesting for the listener.
-                        \end{itemize}
+    \item   ``\textbf{When} will this presentation be delivered?'' 
-                \item   The conclusion.
+            Unfortunately, due to the pre-recorded nature of the presentation, I have no control and no knowledge over
-            \end{itemize}
+            when the audience would be seeing my presentation.
-
+            If I did have control over this, I would pick the morning-time, when the audience is most awake, alert, \&
-            The presentation should be written in the following order:
+            interested so the risk of me boring them or the information going over their heads is at its lowest, but
-            \begin{enumerate}
+            since I didn't have control, I had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
-                \item   Purpose \& Objective.
+            I had to assume the audience would be bored, hungry, \& tired when viewing my presentation, so I aimed to
-                \item   Middle: main content.
+            make it as engaging, concise, and interesting as I possibly could.
-                \item   End: Summary, conclusions, \& recommendations.
+    \item   ``\textbf{What} do I want to present?''
-                \item   Beginning: Introduction/Opening.
+            Once I knew what my purpose, audience, and constraints were, I needed to consider what information I
-            \end{enumerate}
+            actually wanted to present to the audience.
-
+            I decided that I wanted a short, pithy, \& concise overview of the subject, with minimal digressions and
-            The content should be logical \& understandable. Use storyboards/maps.
+            plenty of practical examples \& demonstrations, as I felt that this fit my purpose the best.
-            Go from simple to complex, presented incrementally, concisely, \& in order.
+    \item   ``\textbf{How} do I want to present my information?
-            Use chronological ordering.
+            As I was limited to a pre-recorded video, I unfortunately was not able to walk around a stage to make my
-            Have clear sections \& headings to provide structure.
+            presentation more visually interesting or something similar.
-            Lead from one point to another.
+            I had to focus my effort on the appearance of my presentation slides and the manner in which I conveyed
-
+            information.
-    \item   Effective delivery techniques.
+            I decided to keep my slides as minimal as possible, only inserting images where I thought it was important
-            \begin{itemize}
+            and avoiding putting huge walls of texts on the slides, just bullet points.
-                \item   Clarity.
+            I decided not to use many images as I wanted to keep the slide deck short, and I felt that me switching to
-                \item   Brevity.
+            demonstrations regularly would make up for the lack of colour in my slides, instead allowing them to be
-                \item   Concision.
+            streamlined and filled with only the most important \& relevant information.
-            \end{itemize}
+            Since there was no camera on me, just the audio from my laptop microphone, I tried to speak clearly \&
-    \item   Stages of the communication process
+            loudly, and tried my best to avoid lip-smacking or saying ``uhhh'' excessively to allow for a more pleasant
-            \begin{itemize}
+            listening experience.
-                \item   Encoding.
-                \item   Transmission.
-                \item   Decoding.
-                \item   Feedback.
-            \end{itemize}
-    \item   Barriers to effective communication:
-            \begin{itemize}
-                \item   Language barriers.
-                \item   Cultural barriers.
-                \item   Technology barriers.
-            \end{itemize}
 \end{itemize}
 
+\subsection{Structuring}
+I wrote my presentation in the following order:
+\begin{enumerate}
+    \item   Purpose \& Objective.
+    \item   Middle: main content.
+    \item   End: Summary, conclusions, \& recommendations.
+    \item   Beginning: Introduction/Opening.
+\end{enumerate}
 
+After I had my purpose \& objective determined, I set to writing the ``middle part'', or the slides that would
+constitute the bulk of the information in the presentation.
+I also loosely scripted the demonstrations that I wanted to perform, and when I wanted to perform them, which I had as
+cue cards off-screen.
+\\\\
+Then, once I had my content completed, I wrote a conclusion / summary of all the information that I had presented, and
+wrote a slide where I recommended whether or not the listener should use Vim, and some alternatives that they might be
+interested in.
+I decided to move the slide in which I explain how to get set up with Vim at the very end of the presentation, just
+before the summary, as I felt that it was important to tell the audience whether or not they should be interested in
+setting up Vim for their own use before telling them how to set it up.
+I believe that this ensured that I maximised the audience engagement and retention, and maintained chronological
+ordering.
+\\\\
+I also considered the barriers that might exist to effective communication: language, cultural, \& technological.
+In particular, I tried to minimise the technological barriers, as I was speaking about a program that was typically only
+used by programmers \& computer scientists, so I wanted to make sure the information was presented in a way that was
+accessible to everyone.
+\\\\
+Finally, once I had all other content written, I wrote the introductory slides to the topic, which was much easier now
+that I knew exactly what content I was introducing.
+In the past, I wrote the introductions first, and then had to go back and edit them as my content changed, so writing
+the introduction last was a real game-changer for me, and something that I will continue to do into the future.
+\\\\
+My goal was to make the content logical, well-structured, \& easy to follow, starting with simple introductory concepts,
+and slowly progressing to the complex in an incremental manner.
+I tried to give each slide a clear \& concise heading to provide structure to the presentation and to make each point
+flow smoothly \& logically to the next point
 
+\section{Presenting}
+When I was presenting my slides, I wanted to make sure that I was providing more information than just reading off the
+slides, so I added extra information \& demonstrations as I saw fit as I went along, in a loosely-scripted manner.
+I tried to ensure that my information \& speech was clear, concise, and as brief as possible without being too short to
+convey the information clearly.
 \end{document}