Week 5
Exercises on WIG
- Using some standard language, implement a CGI script that makes
the
Python form on slides 6-7 work to produce the output
on slide 12. (This form is simply generated from by a WIG service
called Python containing a session
called Questions ; it has nothing to do with the
language.) Provide a link to it running on your homepage.
Motivation: you will generate CGI scripts as the output of your
WIG compilers, and so you might want to experiment with or even just
find out about the different options you have. For example, by
default you will target C, but if you are feeling more adventurous you
can target PHP. In the past, some groups have even built little stack
machines. If you simply don't care and the default C target sounds
good to you, just don't spend any time on this question.
- Now implement a WIG service for the
Python form. Use
a previous WIG compiler binary to compile it, following these directions. Provide a link to it running
on your homepage.
Motivation: it is critical for you to get the existing WIG
compilers up and running, and to get basic Hello World-like WIG
programs working and installable. It is expected that this question
will expose some development environment problems.
- Where unclear, what do the environment variables on slide 9
contain, and what is the syntax for possible values? It is acceptable
to copy and paste from online manuals.
Motivation: trying to understand the specific process by which
clients interact with servers and servers interact with scripts helps
demystify some of the communication magic. If you simply don't care,
just don't spend any time on this question.
- The game of NIM consists of some number of piles of matches, for
example 7 piles of 5 matches each. Each player must in turn remove
any number of matches from a single pile. The winner is the one that
removes the last match. Implement a WIG service that allows clients
to play against a server. The client should be able to select whether
the server uses an optimal or non-optimal strategy, and you should
have an initialization mechanism for determining the number of piles
and the number of matches in each pile. Publish the game on your
homepage and provide a link to it.
Motivation: help familiarize you with the WIG language and
improve your WIG benchmark programs due for the next milestone. If
you want to limit your example to the simplest NIM implementation
possible with a fixed number of piles and a naive server playing
strategy, that's fine; however, you will probably discover more things
about programming in WIG if you try to do this question more fully.
For example, you could let multiple clients play not only against the
server but also each other at the same time, and you could also
arrange for multiple different groups of clients, much like tables at
poker or bridge tournaments. (What happens if a player gets up?)
- For each security issue on slide 36, give an example scenario
where a violation would be catastrophic. (For fun, the more
ridiculous your scenario the better; online banking fraud does not
count as ridiculous.) Outline an implementation for each of the given
solutions.
Motivation: help you think about security issues in
client-server programming and possible solutions; your WIG compilers
will implement these solutions. If you simply don't care, just don't
spend any time on this question.
- Read through the code on slides 37-44. You should understand what
each line of C code does and how it relates to the input WIG program.
What parts of this code are unclear?
Motivation: help you start thinking about code generation, and
find out from you early on what's unclear about the output programs.
If your compiler generates C-based CGI code, it will end up resembling
this.
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