Help with Java Programming Project. Get GF off my back plz

[Azkarin]

My girlfriend had a Computer Science project due using NetBeans IDE 5.5.1 with JDK 6.0. She wasn't supposed to discuss this with other class mates but of course they all did. She handed it in today and she is worried that she'll get caught for cheating. I tell her she won't and she doesn't believe me. Anyone that has any knowledge in this area that can back me up would be appreciated. Below is what she is afraid of:

She opened her project on different computers (one being hers, one being mine, and the third being another students in the class). She is worried that somehow they'll match up IP addresses (AFAIK JDK/NetBeans doesn't store info like this).

A bunch of students emailed their projects back and forth and she is worried that although she never had her program and another student's opened at the same time she'll still get caught.


Thanks again for any help. She can't stop worrying over everything and it drives me nuts.

[GSDragoon]

If she's really your friend, you'd be better off trying to help her with her cheating problem. Cheating only hurts you in the long run.

[Azkarin]

If she's really your friend, you'd be better off trying to help her with her cheating problem. Cheating only hurts you in the long run.

By cheating I don't mean stealing code or methods, etc. They just talked/showed how they each did it. How to extract data, the logic behind what they did. She wrote everything by herself just had some guidance.

[Vinen]

If she's really your friend, you'd be better off trying to help her with her cheating problem. Cheating only hurts you in the long run.

By cheating I don't mean stealing code or methods, etc. They just talked/showed how they each did it. How to extract data, the logic behind what they did. She wrote everything by herself just had some guidance.

That is cheating based on your original information.

[RustyMetal]

If she's really your friend, you'd be better off trying to help her with her cheating problem. Cheating only hurts you in the long run.

+1 on that

Not sure what your friend's major is, but if it's programming and you need to look other peoples project your probably not going to make it too far. My 4 years in comp sci, I used the book for the class and google.

[Kaylia]

If she's really your friend, you'd be better off trying to help her with her cheating problem. Cheating only hurts you in the long run.

+1 on that

Not sure what your friend's major is, but if it's programming and you need to look other peoples project your probably not going to make it too far. My 4 years in comp sci, I used the book for the class and google.

Searching on google or your asking your friend sitting next to you is the same. >_> Copy pasting without understanding is what any programmer should avoid.


To answer OP, I think your gf is paranoid if she is worried about getting busted when her code is different. I could understand if she literally copy paste long part of the code, but I doubt any sane teacher would check IP access, then compare the algorithm of both program (assuming it's complex enough to allow different solution)

[Chicomagiko]

In b4 Devek and his "google is the shit for code" speech.

[Kaylia]

How is google shit? I don't remember every damn library on top of my head, and I'm sure as hell not buying a new book every time I use another language/library.

[Chicomagiko]

lern2comprehend

[The Blackrose]

How is google shit? I don't remember every damn library on top of my head, and I'm sure as hell not buying a new book every time I use another language/library.

There's a difference between "shit" and "the shit."

[Kaylia]

lern2comprehend

Missed the "the". Get over it.

[Maguspk]

They won't actually check for cheating unless they notice an obvious reuse of code and exact variable names and shit.

Talking about code is wrong if the professors say it is but they can't really prove you cheated, and if she understands the concepts they can't really talk to her alone and see if she really understands what she coded because she did. Just don't make a habit of relying on other people to get your code done like some friends I know who come to me the day before a project is due and such. I've just stopped answering their calls when they're last minute. That's beside the point though, just don't worry about being caught because you didn't really do anything so wrong. She needed help, got it, and finished on her own as far as I'm concerned. It's not the best way to do it according to the professors but that's how alot of people learn.

I know I wouldn't be half as good as I am at coding now if I didn't have code to look at (did alot of programming over the summer on a software engineering achitecture team) and people to bounce off of. Talking about problems you encounter and overcoming those problems are what make a great programmer. You can't be a great programmer by simply reading shit unless you are nigh perfect, you can be a great programmer however if you encounter problems, figure out how to fix them (whether it be through critical thinking/tracing/debugging or bouncing ideas off another person whether they be specific/theoretical/abstract).

[Charla]

Magus said the important parts. All they ever bothered to do with me was run it through an automatic comparison algorithm to catch code similarities. Sniffing around people's IP logs and stuff is waaaay too much trouble for a professor to bother going through just to preserve his own (slightly backwards imo) rule about no discussion.

[Osede]

Discussing homework is cheating? I don't know wtf the professor is thinking... But copying from each other is cheating thought.

The only real deal of cheating in "discuss" between students is that, some (or more) studens always want to discuss with other students because they know they can just get the stuff from others without think too much. Well, usually this kind of stuff I will only show my unfinished work... which kind of the code is impossible to run. But I don't think there is any problem if students discuss between each other to find out why they fail to run the code, and write the code by themselves.

Or the best way, show your code that with mistake to the professor and ask him why...

I know there is some professor that doesn't like students to discuss homework, but who give the fuck. And amazingly, some my friends also afraid that professor saw us doing homework together =.=

[MisterBob]

Discussing homework is often cheating here as well, its not rare.

No IDE nor Java stores the IP, its just source code in the end.

However, at least at my school (RPI), they have incredibly complex anti-cheating software that can easily compare your code with others for similarity. Foolish things like changing variable names or slightly re-ordering things will do absolutely nothing to stop them from catching you. I've seen cheaters get caught when their code didn't look like it matched at all, but the software broke it down and showed exactly that it did. Honestly, whoever designed it is pretty impressive.

[Aerin]

Ya I go to Digipen, and the only things they use there to see if you're cheating really is a code comparison tool, which does just what some people above me have said.

I've never heard of any professor at any school looking through IP's

[Azkarin]

Thanks guys. That's exactly what I told her but she continued to worry. I showed her the thread and she's calmed down. I appreciate it.

[Norelco]

Most professors don't even grade homework assignments themselves anyway. That's what TA's are for. And they're even less likely to check IP addresses unless they are uber-geeks.

[Deadhands]

The few times we nailed people for cheating were when it was blatantly obvious. The way I graded assignments for my prof was usually to compile it, run it then give it a once over to see why some of the stuff failed to give them partial credit if they were close. If things failed the same way or looked too similar then we'd look harder otherwise we didn't care much. Near the end of my time TAing for him we started talking about using MOSS I think it was called which I believe would do a batch diff on source code and I want to say on the compiled assemblies as well.

For her I'd just recommend being careful about emailing stuff, printing stuff, etc. If a TA or prof sees that they will not be happy and might start to press her on things. Discussing algorithms at my college was never considered cheating, discussing and showing actual code was.