Before completing the pre-work reading, tutorials, and exercises, you must install the required software components. Note that just this core set of tools will require 15GB+ of disk space, and you might end up needed at least that much more for your exercises and projects during the bootcamp; we recommend starting with 50GB of disk space free.

For best results, perform all of the environment preparation steps in the order listed.

We recognize that many of these installation steps are complicated, and can fail in unanticipated ways. We’re committed to doing all we can to help students succeed, and this includes helping resolve any installation issues. However, it’s the student’s responsibility to ask for help in a timely fashion—i.e. with sufficient time to address the issue prior to the start of the bootcamp. As a rule, we will not be able to dedicate time in class to installation of the tools listed here.

Also, please note that the final step in environment preparation, “Meet with instructors for environment preparation review”, is one of the critical milestones in the pre-work: If a student has not completed that step by at least one week prior to the start of class, and has not contacted us regarding issues that are delaying or preventing completion—and particularly if we are unable to reach that student to check on their progress—the student may be dismissed from the bootcamp prior to orientation.

Important note on OneDrive for Windows users

We strongly recommend that your bootcamp directory not be included in the folders synchronized via OneDrive (or via any other continuous backup tool). Further, issues arising from OneDrive conflicts will not be considered grounds for deadline extensions on assignments, tests, or projects. During the environment preparation phase of the pre-work, instructors will make every effort to help students modify their OneDrive configuration (if applicable) to avoid such conflicts, but it is each student’s individual responsibility to ensure that their system configuration (including OneDrive and other cloud backup/synchronization services) is set up and maintained in accordance with the requirements of the bootcamp.