Assignment 2: Composing and Using Regular Expressions

Regular expressions became popular with the introduction of the UNIX operating system in 1960s and its text processing tools such as grep, and ed.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:

1. Define regular expressions and explain their purpose.
2. Provide at least three (3) examples which demonstrate the way regular expressions work. 
3. Suggest four (4) situations where you would use regular expression and explain the benefits of using regular expressions in such situations.
4. Examine the shortcomings of regular expressions and describe at least two (2) situations where using them might be inappropriate.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify and create simple regular expressions. 
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in operating systems.
• Write clearly and concisely about UNIX / Linux topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.