Knight Lab Interactive Textbook

An interactive course textbook that runs inside VS Code.

Getting started (Mac)

The installer downloads and sets up several tools.

• Homebrew (and Xcode Command Line Tools, if missing)
• Docker Desktop
• VS Code + extensions
• Course environment (Docker image)

Steps:

1. Download knight-lab-launch.zip and unzip.
2. Right-click install-mac.command and choose Open. Right-clicking triggers the confirmation from macOS to run unsigned scripts.
3. When macOS asks whether you're sure, click Open again.
4. The installer runs on its own for about 10 minutes. Along the way, Docker Desktop, Terminal, and VS Code may each ask for permissions. Approve them when prompted.
5. When it finishes, VS Code opens by itself. Give it about 20 seconds and the textbook shows up with five chapter cards.

Click any chapter to begin. The lesson appears on the left, the starter code on the right.

Getting started (Windows)

The installer downloads and sets up several tools.

• winget (Windows Package Manager, should be built-in for Windows 10/11)
• Docker Desktop
• VS Code + extensions
• Course environment (Docker image)

Steps:

1. Download knight-lab-launch.zip and unzip.
2. Double-click install-windows.bat. If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning ("Windows protected your PC"), click More info then Run anyway.
3. The installer runs on its own for about 10 minutes. It sets up Docker Desktop, VS Code, and the course. Docker Desktop will ask for a few approvals and may prompt to install WSL 2. Approve these when asked.
4. When it finishes, VS Code opens by itself. Wait about 20 seconds for the textbook to show up with five chapter cards.

Click any chapter to begin. The lesson appears on the left, the starter code on the right.

After the first time

That first install is slow because it builds everything from scratch. Every launch after that takes only 5-10 seconds.