AVOID THIS FUCKED UP CLASS AT ALL COST!!! The syllabus and Eggert's teaching is horrible because he's trying to squeeze AT LEAST 2 quarters worth of contents into 10 weeks. The autograder policy he implemented makes this class a fucking nightmare. Yes. one typo will make you get a zero on ALL subsequent keystrokes even if you got them right. I spent like 10 hours for each assignment trying to redo my dribble files again and again just to make the autograder accept my attempt even though I understood how does emacs really work. This class needs a reform ASAP and I don't think Eggert is a great lecturer.

Be prepared for one of the hardest courses you will ever take (but you may know that already -- it's a pretty standard Eggert class). The workload is very rough, where homeworks will take you on average 12 hours/week to complete (according to Eggert himself).

That all being said, this was one of the most interesting CS courses I've taken. You truly do get exposed to the entire field of programming languages and will definitely learn not only languages, but ways to think about code and programming. The assignments, while rough, provide great introductions to all programming styles and languages. Eggert's lectures are also (usually, sometimes not) pretty insightful. Take this course if you want a thorough exposure and experience with programming languages.

This class is actually so horrible lol. The material covered is so crucial to being a programmer and I think this class has an insane amount of potential, but Eggert's teaching philosophy kills it. On HW, you basically get thrown into the deep end on purpose because programmers are supposed to be able to pick up new technologies on the fly. Well, unless you're one of the smartest people in the class, this approach will really just teach you that cheating is necessary for success. Tests are literal RNG as he picks random moments (often incredibly irrelevant ones) from lecture to turn into terribly phrased, often ambiguous questions. Although I did very well on the final and poor on the midterm, I strongly believe that neither of those tests were even a remotely accurate representation of what I knew or what was covered in class/projects. The one highlight of this class is the group project, I had a good group and found it the most fun and rewarding thing I have done at UCLA. Overall though, get ready for the relentless stress this class brings, and pray that you are smarter than your classmates as this is a pretty competitive class in terms of grading.

I feel like I learned nothing. Class was too hard for no reason. Averages for test were around 45%. No regrades allowed for finals. TAs graded tests completely wrong.

Finally passed this class. I only need a D- to get my degree, so this grade exceeds my expectations.

Eggert 131 is fantastic, but come prepared for war. His teaching style is brilliant if you can keep up - his lectures are packed with insights and you'll learn more than most courses combined. The only catch is the workload. I started this class when I was 20 years old. I'm 24 now. The assignments are intense and time-consuming - this isn't a class, it's a lifestyle change. Quality comes at a cost. Just know what you're signing up for.

genuinely one of the best professor's i've ever had, and i'm not even a cs major lol

This class took years off my life. An absurd amount of work if you do it legit

Oh Eggert. Sweet sweet Eggert. The grade lottery I am playing right now and don't know where I'll come out on the other side. Needless to say, the midterm was horrid. I cannot wait for the final (to be even worse). I like his lecture style, I don't find the information to be presented in a way that's hard to handle, but where I draw the line is the labs being worth abyssmally little percentages and taking hours on end. I know this is for our benefit, but if I'm putting in the effort to get a good grade on the lab, I wish it mattered more. Another thing. The project. THE project. Basically zero guidance on where to start and what you need to know. It follows the Standard Eggert Model: self teach. But I literally pay so much money for these classes that there is zero point to self teach. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have gone to college. Simple as that.

I don't know why people keep giving this class a bad review. It's a great class and I learned a ton from Eggert!

I think as it is with all Eggert classes, he bins you on the final based on ur project grades. So make your project grades are very high (other wise you'll suffer more than the bad project grade!)