.. _Intro:

.. raw:: html

   <script>ODSA.SETTINGS.DISP_MOD_COMP = true;ODSA.SETTINGS.MODULE_NAME = "Intro";ODSA.SETTINGS.MODULE_LONG_NAME = "How to Use this System";ODSA.SETTINGS.MODULE_CHAPTER = "Preface"; ODSA.SETTINGS.BUILD_DATE = "2021-06-01 12:51:47"; ODSA.SETTINGS.BUILD_CMAP = false;JSAV_OPTIONS['lang']='en';JSAV_EXERCISE_OPTIONS['code']='java';</script>


.. |--| unicode:: U+2013   .. en dash
.. |---| unicode:: U+2014  .. em dash, trimming surrounding whitespace
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.. This file is part of the OpenCSF eTextbook project. It was
.. auto-generated by scripts from the OpenDSA eTextbook project.
.. See https://OpenCSF.org for more details. OpenCSF is distributed
.. under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
.. License (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/),
.. Copyright (c) 2019-2021 by Michael S. Kirkpatrick. OpenDSA is
.. distributed under an MIT open source license, Copyright (c) 2012-2021
.. by the OpenDSA Project Contributors.

.. avmetadata::
   :author: Michael S. Kirkpatrick
   :topic: OpenCSF

How to Use this System
======================

**Welcome to OpenCSF!**
OpenCSF is an open source project whose goal is to provide a freely
available textbook for Computer Systems Fundamentals.
OpenCSF is built on the OpenDSA platform, created at Virginia Tech.
The automated build process uses the OpenDSA scripts, but with some
custom modifications to specify formatting features and a more custom
style. In this initial release, OpenCSF contains the text of Computer
Systems Fundamentals, along with interactive question sets. These
question sets are not linked to any particular learning management
system.

**Question Sets:**
Most modules finish with a collection of multiple
choice, True/False, or type-a-number questions.
To get credit for a question set, you will have to
answer some number of the questions correctly (the exact number
required can be different for each question set).
Once you have credit, the interface should indicate this.
You can still get more questions at that point if you would like more
practice.
Above the question on the right-hand side is a counter to indicate
your current number of questions correct out of the total number
needed to complete the exercise.
If you answer a question wrong, your progress toward the completion
threshold will go backwards by one point.
(And you will still have to answer that question before you can
continue!)
Note that once you have been given completion credit for the question
set, you cannot lose that credit by answering more questions, even if
you then get some wrong.

The question sets work by randomly selecting from the questions
available to that set.
Typically, once you correctly answer a question, you will not see it
again (or at least not with the same inputs).
But if you answer it incorrectly (and then clear it with the correct
answer), it might appear again.

The questions will have "hints" that you can use to help you
figure out the answer.
If you take a hint, you will not get credit for that question toward
completing the exercise.
However, you will not lose a point on that question, either.

**Enlarging Equations:**
Math is rendered using the MathJAX library,
which gives you a lot of options on how you can see things.
Most importantly, if you right click on any math equation, you will
get a context menu that includes "Math Settings".
This in turn has a sub-menu named "Zoom Trigger".
With that, you can set zoom to "hover" or "click".
From then on, hovering or clicking (if you had selected one) on any
equation will make it larger.
This can really help with reading some of the equations.