Programming in C++
 Bernd Mohr 

This page attempts to answer questions regarding the audio-visual lecture of the course "Object-oriented programming in C++". The lecture is available on DVD and on the  world wide web. For further questions or error reports please contact  Maik Boltes ( m.boltes@fz-juelich.de).

Software Requirements

The presentation is based on HTML and the multimedia description language  SMIL with extensions for the RealPlayer software from  RealNetworks.

In order to play the audio-visual lecture you will need at least the RealOne Player or preferably the newer RealPlayer Version 10.5 from RealNetworks. This software is included on the DVD. You can also download it directly from  RealNetworks (select the RealPlayer button at the top of the page and follow the link for the free player!). RealPlayer Version 10.5 is much more stable and is available for the Windows operating system while Version 10.0 is also suitable for Linux.

The recommended operating system is Windows since the presentation with its full range of functions can only be played smoothly and stably on Windows. The presentation has been tested on Windows 98 and ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and also on Linux. It should also run on all other platforms where the above software is available. The slimmed-down version of the presentation should be used on Linux. Nevertheless the image formation takes longer and the font is not as smooth on Linux as on Windows.

To view the HTML pages you may use most of the current browsers, for example the  Internet Explorer. For a nicer appearance the browser should be able to interpret Cascading Style Sheets 1.0 and on Windows the screen fonts should be smoothed (Display Properties → Effects → Smooth Screen Fonts). The browser must permit the execution of scripts for the RealPlayer and the Flash Player.

The answers to the exercises can be most easily viewed with the Flash Player, which is also included on the DVD or can be downloaded from  Macromedia. However, this player is already installed on most systems. If the Flash Player is not installed, and the user does not wish to install it, then a version is also available for the RealPlayer. However, this means that a new Codec must first be downloaded, which is done automatically on Windows when the first attempt is made to play a discussion, but requires a network connection.

The text version of the lecture notes can be viewed with the Acrobat Reader, which is also included on the DVD or can be obtained from  Adobe.

Hardware Requirements

On computers with a clock speed below 400 MHz the video will not run smoothly and the synchronization of video, audio, slides and text may not be perfect. The size of the main memory should be at least 128 MB.

For audio you need a sound card and loudspeakers. Of course, the DVD can only be played on computers with a DVD device.

The minimum screen resolution is 1024 by 768 pixels with at least 16 bits of colour depth.

Networking Requirements

In order to view the full lecture on the internet ( urn:nbn:de:0001-00111) you need a bandwidth of at least 500 kbps to the German science network G-WIN. Depending on your connection speed, the transfer will take a while to buffer the first seconds of the video and after jumping within the presentation.

When viewing this lecture on the internet, and if the data rate is below 500 Kbps but above 50 Kbps, the video is disabled and only the audio part of the lecture will be available. This restricts the use of the presentation to the extent that you cannot see the interaction of the lecturer with the slides.

If not automatically recognized, the connection capacity can be adjusted in the RealPlayer under Tools → Preferences → Connection → Bandwidth.

Unfortunately, due to the complex presentation and the frequently fluctuating bandwidth, there are a number of problems in viewing the presentation on the WWW. It is generally recommended that only the version with limited functions should be used via the internet. If the reproduction is still unsatisfactory take a look here for other suggested solutions or order the moderately priced DVD.