updated software chapter for sp25

Signed-off-by: Konstantin Läufer <laufer@cs.luc.edu>

Author: klaeufer

source/80-software.rst

@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ Appendix: Course Software
 -------------------------
 
 
-.. todo:: Not current! Under construction for spring 2025!
-
 
 You can choose either or both of the following options.
 
@@ -29,26 +27,22 @@ Cons
 - requires good network connection
 - might lack some code completion features
 - free plan might be underresourced (CPUs, RAM, disk space, etc.)
+- lack of integration with external GUI-based tools
 
 
-Gitpod (recommended)
-""""""""""""""""""""
-
-Gitpod is a cloud-based development environment based on Visual Studio Code running on Ubuntu LTS.
+GitHub Codespaces (recommended)
+"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
 
-To launch, visit `gitpod.io <https://gitpod.io>`_ and log in using your GitHub account.
+GitHub Codespaces is a cloud-based, containerized development environment based on Visual Studio Code running on Ubuntu LTS and closely integrated with GitHub.
 
-- The first time around, create a new workspace and paste the URL of the GitHub project you want to work on in the new workspace; you can also select a project from the dropdown menu.
-- After that, your GitHub landing page will show your workspace(s); inactive workspaces are deleted after a certain amount of time.
-- For each new workspace, using the installed `SDKMAN! <https://sdkman.io>`_, perform a one-time installation of java and `sbt <https://www.scala-sbt.org/1.x/docs/Installing-sbt-on-Linux.html>`_; 
-- In case your workspace no longer recognizes the `sbt` command, reinstall via the command
+To use Codespaces, 
 
-  .. code-block:: console
+- log into using your GitHub account and navigate to the desired repository
+- look for the blue "code" button and open the drop-down menu
+- select the Codespaces tab
+- create a new Codespace for this repo or open an existing one already linked to this repo
 
-    sdk install sbt
-
-- Install the VS Code extensions listed below.
-- Now you should be able to work on the project by following the instructions in the readme.
+For more information, please refer to `this reference <https://docs.github.com/en/codespaces>`_.
 
 
 Locally installed development environment
@@ -60,15 +54,15 @@ This option will give you an advanced development environment with code completi
 Pros
 """"
 
-- provides powerful capabilities, including code completion
+- provides powerful capabilities, including code completion and refactoring
 - does not require network connection once installed
 
 
 Cons
 """"
 
 - might be slow on older machines
-- need to maintain on each machine you use
+- need to maintain on each machine you use, but can use *settings sync* to keep settings and extensions consistent
 - it can be challenging to match the versions of the various packages
 - GitHub account access might be tedious to configure
 - possible difficulty managing coexisting Java versions
@@ -77,14 +71,14 @@ Cons
 Required packages
 """""""""""""""""
 
-- `Java 17 LTS recommended <http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/>`_ (newer versions might have compatibility issues with certain sbt plugins)
+- `Java 21 LTS recommended <https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/#java21>`_
 - `Git <http://git-scm.com/>`_ distributed version control system (usually preinstalled on Mac OS and Linux)
 
   - recommended installation option on Windows: *Use Git and optional Unix tools from the Windows Command Prompt*
   - optional on any platform, especially when not an IDE: `some GUI-based Git client <https://git-scm.com/downloads/guis>`_
 
-- `sbt <https://www.scala-sbt.org/1.x/docs/Setup.html>`_ Scala build tool
-- *Mac and Linux users are strongly encouraged to use* `SDKMAN! <https://sdkman.io/>`_ *to manage their Java, sbt, VisualVM, and other command-line development tools.*
+- `Maven <https://maven.apache.org/>`_ build and dependency management tool for the Java ecosystem
+- *Mac and Linux users are strongly encouraged to use* `SDKMAN! <https://sdkman.io/>`_ *to manage their Java, Maven, VisualVM, and other command-line development tools.*
 
 
 Choices of local development environments
@@ -93,18 +87,16 @@ Choices of local development environments
 - `Visual Studio Code <https://code.visualstudio.com/>`_ (recommended for PlusCal/TLA+ development, supports Java development)
 
   - need to install the actively developed `TLA+ extension <https://github.com/tlaplus/vscode-tlaplus>`_
-  - if you see false syntax errors in your Java source editor in an sbt project, try disabling the "Extension pack for Java" and related extensions for your current workspace
-  - if you're not seeing arrows in the source file for running the tests, try importing the build in Metals (big "M" near the bottom of the leftmost column)
   - see below for recommended VS Code extensions
 
 - `IntelliJ IDEA CE <https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/>`_ integrated development environment (alternative for Java development)
 
-  - has an unofficial TLA+ plugin
+  - has unofficial Alloy and TLA+ plugins
   - check specific prerequisites for your platform
   - for the following steps, make sure you have no projects open and are looking at the welcome window as in the attached screenshot
-  - *JDK configuration*: IntelliJ IDEA > Configure > Project Defaults > Project Structure > Platform Settings > SDKs > + > JDK > navigate to the installation directory of your Java 17 JDK > OK
+  - *JDK configuration*: IntelliJ IDEA > Configure > Project Defaults > Project Structure > Platform Settings > SDKs > + > JDK > navigate to the installation directory of your Java 21 JDK > OK
 
-- conventional text editor (OK for general development but not recommended for working with PlusCal/TLA+, though one can use them with the standalone `TLA Toolbox <http://lamport.azurewebsites.net/tla/tla.html>`_)
+- conventional text editor (OK for general development but not recommended for working with Alloy or PlusCal/TLA+, though one can use them with the standalone `TLA Toolbox <http://lamport.azurewebsites.net/tla/tla.html>`_)
 
   - Emacs
   - vim
@@ -114,12 +106,17 @@ Choices of local development environments
 Recommended Visual Studio Code extensions and settings
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
+For consistency across VS Code installations, including Codespaces, enable settings sync using your GitHub or Microsoft/LUC account.
+
 Install via the extensions tool in the VS Code toolbar:
 
-- Scala/Metals - required for sbt-based Java projects
-- You should also disable the official Microsoft or Red Hat Java extensions while working on sbt-based Java projects
-- `TLA+ Nightly <https://github.com/tlaplus/vscode-tlaplus>`_ - required for model development and checking 
-- Conceal - recommended for nicer rendering of mathematical symbols in TLA+ (see `here <https://github.com/tonsky/FiraCode/wiki/VS-Code-Instructions>`_ and `here <https://github.com/coq-community/vsc-conceal>`_ for instructions)
+- Live Preview
+- Live Share
+- Extension Pack for Java
+- Alloy
+- Alloy VSCode
+- TLA+
+- Conceal, recommended for nicer rendering of mathematical symbols in TLA+ (see `here <https://github.com/tonsky/FiraCode/wiki/VS-Code-Instructions>`_ and `here <https://github.com/coq-community/vsc-conceal>`_ for instructions)
 
 When running VS Code locally, autosave isn't on by default, and you need to save your files manually: When there is a solid circle on the file's tab, it's not saved yet. 
 I strongly recommend turning on autosave so your local instance of VS Code works the same way as browser-based instances:
@@ -142,7 +139,7 @@ GitHub
 - Get the `GitHub Student Developer Pack <https://education.github.com/pack/join>`_ using your official ``@luc.edu`` address. This will give you free unlimited private repositories.
 - Find and follow a few practitioners you respect. For example, I follow `these developers <https://github.com/klaeufer/following>`_. You'll probably recognize a number of them.
 - Review `these notes <https://guides.github.com/activities/contributing-to-open-source>`_ to understand the community-based development process.
-- For credit toward class participation, create some meaningful `GitHub issues <https://guides.github.com/features/issues>`_ and/or `GitHub pull requests <https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests>`_ for one or more of our `course examples <https://github.com/lucproglangcourse>`_. (Make sure to navigate to the original repos as these forks do not have their own issue trackers). These can be functional or nonfunctional enhancements, requests for clarification, etc.
+- For credit toward class participation, create some meaningful `GitHub issues <https://guides.github.com/features/issues>`_ and/or `GitHub pull requests <https://help.github.com/articles/using-pull-requests>`_ for one or more of our `course examples <https://github.com/lucformalmethodscourse>`_. (Make sure to navigate to the original repos as these forks do not have their own issue trackers). These can be functional or nonfunctional enhancements, requests for clarification, etc.
 - To enhance your visibility in the professional community, start doing the same for some open-source projects you are interested in.
 
 You may find both of these cheat sheets useful: