Computing Setup (2026)

This guide covers the initial setup for our 2026 computing environment, focusing on VS Code, GitHub Copilot, and R.

1. Create a GitHub Account

If you don’t already have one, sign up at github.com/signup.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Required before applying for the Student Developer Pack. 1. Go to github.com/settings/security 2. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). 3. Use an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator) or SMS.

3. Add Your Name & Address to Billing

This helps verify your identity — no payment info required. 1. Go to github.com/settings/billing/payment_information 2. Add your name as it appears on your student ID. 3. For address, you can use the university address: Wellman Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720

4. Apply for GitHub Student Developer Pack

The Student Developer Pack gives you free access to GitHub Copilot and other tools. Apply at: education.github.com/pack

Berkeley-Specific Tips

School: Select “UC Berkeley” from the list.
Email: Use your @berkeley.edu address.
Location: Enable location sharing when prompted.
Browser: Use Firefox or Chrome (Safari often blocks location sharing).
Student ID photo: As long as your billing info name matches your ID, you’ll be approved.

5. Install VS Code

Download from code.visualstudio.com and install it for your operating system.

6. Install Extensions

The following VS Code extensions are required or highly recommended for this course. To install them, open the Extensions view in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X), search for the extension, and click Install.

R (by Yuki Ueda): Support for the R language.
Air (Posit): The next-generation extension for R and Python from Posit.
Quarto: Support for Quarto documents (.qmd).
Shiny: Tools for developing Shiny applications.
Docker: Support for working with containers.
GitHub Copilot: AI-powered coding assistance. (Requires GitHub Student Pack approval).
Continue: An open-source AI assistant for VS Code.

Additional Setup for R

After installing the R extension, it’s recommended to install the languageserver package in R:

install.packages("languageserver")

7. R Setup

Ensure you have R installed on your machine. You can download it from cran.r-project.org.

8. Python Setup (Miniconda)

Some R packages and many AI tools require a Python environment. We recommend installing Miniconda, a minimal installer for conda.

Download the installer for your OS from the Miniconda website.
Run the installer and follow the prompts.
When asked, we recommend letting the installer initialize Miniconda by running conda init.