Lab 1 feedback (UPDATE: How not to use Eclipse)

Just saw the following in the comments:

Just wanted to let you know, The lab was of no use. The TA's didn't help at all in the lab. I couldn't complete the lab in the given time and there were only two TA's and we were divided into 2 labs so we couldn't get enough time. If it keeps going the way it is then I won't learn much sir.

Sorry to hear that! I stopped by the lab and thought the TA was working very hard to answer questions.

The lab is there for you guys to learn.  So what's the general impression of the lab? Good, bad? What suggestions do you have for improvement?

UPDATE: People are having issues with Eclipse.  Fair enough, Eclipse is confusing and I personally don't use it.  When I do examples in class, I do everything on the command line, which is much easier in my opinion.

Here's how to write, compile, and run Java from the command line:

Step 1: Make a directory for your project, e.g. myproject, and change to that directory (this step is optional, but makes things cleaner for you):

mkdir myproject

cd myproject

(omit the mkdir command if the directory already exists)

Step 2: Write your java class, e.g. MyClass.java, using a text editor.  In class I use nano (there are lots of alternatives if you don't like nano):

nano MyClass.java

Repeat Step 2 for each class you need to write.  Make sure all your classes are in the same directory (e.g., myproject).

Step 3: Compile your java classes, e.g., for MyClass.java:

javac -cp . MyClass.java

Repeat Step 3 for each class you wrote, although if you compile the right class java will figure out the dependencies and compile everything for you.  Go back to step 2 if you need to fix errors.

The "-cp ." option tells the java compiler to look in the current directory for all needed class files.

Step 4: Run the java class containing the "main" method, e.g., for MyClass:

java -cp . MyClass

 Some more useful Unix commands: ls (list files), rm (remove i.e. delete), cp (copy).