The fox-goose-corn example is a classic conundrum which we use to get students thinking about problem solving. This section shows that hacking is dangerous because it leads to blind or uninformed search, then shows how to use preliminary analysis to solve the problem. If you'd like to try out this example, download a program which you can execute under Windows (3.1, 95 or NT). Back on your PC, from your Windows Run box: run foxzip to unarchive the files it contains, then run foxgoose to start it up. (The zip file is about 3.9MB.)

You can also view this section on the web, using the Authorware Shockwave Player plug-in. If you've already downloaded and installed it, you're all set. If not, you'll need to download and install it. Once you've done so, you may need to restart your browser or reboot your machine. (Sorry, it depends on how your machine and browser are set up!) Then you'll be able to run this and other material that have been installed on this web site. Note: The Shockwave player needed for this multimedia is not the Director or Flash Shockwave plug-in that is now pre-installed in some browsers but rather the Authorware Shockwave Player. Click on the button to download the Authorware Shockwave player.

Get Authorware Shockwave

The Shockwave code for this chapter comes in two flavors, for fast and slow connections. The fast version, recommended for Ethernet connections, preserves most of the quality of the original material (except for the video, from which a few frames have been selected), while the slow version gives up some quality in graphics, etc., to facilitate transmission via dial-in modem.

fast
slow

There are two more examples available pertaining to the problem solving theme:
1) A complete new chapter, The Software Development Cycle, is now available and viewable directly on the web.
2) Finally, there's an example from Chapter 13: Object Oriented Software Engineering.

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