$Id: final-topics.txt,v 1.1 2009/08/08 02:29:30 cheon Exp $

		      Topics for CS 3331 Final Exam

This exam covers Chapters 7, 8, 11, and 12 of the textbook, as well as
all the mid-term questions (and similar ones).

REMINDERS

This test is closed-notes and closed-book. However, you may bring 1
page (8.5 X 11) of notes (both sides). Your notes must be your own,
they must be hand written, and they must be turned in with your
test. This test is to be done individually, and you are not to
exchange or share materials with other students during the test.

If you need more space, use the back of a page. Note when you do that
on the front.

This test is timed. Your test will not be graded if you try to take
more than the time allowed. Therefore, before you begin, please take
a moment to look over the entire test so that you can budget your
time.

For diagrams and programs, clarity is important; if your diagrams or
programs are sloppy and hard to read, you will lose points. Correct
syntax also makes some difference.

TOPICS

In the following, topics marked with + are more important than those
marked with -. Topics marked with ++ are almost certain to be on the
test, in one form or another. In general, skills needed to solve the
test problems are more or less like those required for the homework.

Designing Classes
  - Explain the roles of public and helper classes? Why do you want to
    organize your classes into public vs. helper classes?
  - Discuss different ways of organizing helper classes?
  + Know the guidelines of designing classes.
  + What does it mean to "separate (modules) through interfaces"?
  + Know the canonical forms of public classes.
  + Explain the difference between value equality and (object) identity
    equality.
  + Explain the contract of the equals methods, i.e., the properties
    that an implementation of the equals method has to satisfy.
 ++ Know to write the equals methods for classes, e.g., by using
    the templates discussed in class.
  + Explain the contract of the hashCode method.
 ++ Know to write the hashCode methods, e.g., by using the template
    that is discussed in class.

Design by Contract
  + What is DBC, and what are the benefits of using DBC?
  + What are precondition, postcondition, and invariant?
  + What are the meaning of normal and exceptional postcondition?
  - Know to write informal DBC contracts in JML
 ++ Know to write formal DBC contracts in JML, such as formal
    precondition, postconditions, and invariants.
 ++ Write JML assertions by using JML extensions to Java expressions,
    such as quantifiers (\forall and \exist) and the \old expression.

Design Patterns
  - What are design patterns?
  - What is a generic (or reusable) component? How does it help when you
    write code?
  + Know to refactor programs and eliminate duplicate code, e.g., by
    using inheritance or delegation.
  + Know to refactor or generalize existing programs to come up with
    generic (reusable) components.
 ++ Know the following GoF design patterns:
    Abstract Factory
    Factory Method
    Singleton
    Adapter
    Composite
    Decorator
    Iterator
    Observer
    Strategy
    Template Method
 ++ Know when and how to use the above-mentioned design patterns.
 ++ Write a program that uses above-mentioned design patterns.

Object-Oriented Application Frameworks
  + What is an application framework? Name a few examples.
  + Describe some of important characteristics of frameworks.
  - How do frameworks differ from conventional OO library classes?
  - How do frameworks differ from design patterns?
  - Know the difference between AWT and Swing.
 ++ Write a GUI application or an applet that uses Swing components
    (or widgets) such as buttons, labels, combo boxes,
    check boxes, list, scroll bars, text fields, text areas,
    panels, frames, and dialogs.
  + Know how to layout elements of containers by using such 
    layout managers as border layout, card layout, flow layout,
    and grid layout.
  + Describe the event handling mechanism of Swing framework;
    explain underlying concepts such as event, event source, and
    event listener (or handler) and how they interact with each
    other.
 ++ Write event handling code for a given event.
  + Use an anonymous inner class, esp. in writing event
    handling code.
  + Understand the collection interfaces such as Collection,
    Set, List, and Map. What are benefits of defining such 
    collection interfaces in addition to providing implementation
    classes?
  - Explain why several different implementations are provided for
    the same collection interface, e.g., ArrayList and LinkedList 
    for the List interface?
  + Know how to use various collection interfaces and classes.
  - Write code that enumerates over a collection by using 
    iterators.
  + Understand the concept of ordering, natural ordering, and
    arbitrary ordering.
 ++ Know to define a natural or arbitrary order among objects; 
    i.e., write a class that implements the interface Comparable
    or Comparator.
  - Understand the class hierarchy of I/O framework, 
    in particular, byte streams and character streams.
  + What are the benefits of using the Decorator pattern in
    implementing the I/O framework?
  + Know how to use various I/O streams.

Concurrent Programming
  - What are threads?
 ++ Know how to create and control threads.
  + Know how to make a method (or a block of code) atomic.
  + Explain the difference between competition and cooperative 
    synchronization.
  + Write cooperative synchronization code; i.e., implement guarded 
    suspension.

Network Programming
  - Know the different roles of server vs. client sockets.
  + Know APIs of sockets and be able to use them to write a simple
    network program.
  - Explain the remote method invocations (RMI)
  - Tell the difference between local and remote objects.
  - Explain the concept of serialization and deserialization.