ASSIGNMENT: Digital Archaeology - Creating BMP Files by Hand

⚠️ Important Note: This is an optional assignment designed to give you a deep understanding of how computers store data at the most fundamental level. In modern software development, we use programming languages and libraries to handle file formats automatically - you'll never need to manually type hex codes in your career! However, understanding these concepts will make you a better developer and help you appreciate what's happening "under the hood."

Why This Assignment Exists: Many modern developers work with images, files, and data formats every day without understanding how they actually work at the binary level. This knowledge helps with debugging, performance optimization, and understanding why certain file operations behave the way they do.

Welcome to Digital Archaeology!

In this assignment, you'll go back to basics and create an image file entirely by hand, byte by byte. No Photoshop, no Paint - just you, a hex editor, and binary data.

Your Mission: Create a 4×4 black and white checkerboard bitmap (.bmp) file using only a hex editor.

What You'll Learn:

• How binary file formats work at the fundamental level
• Little-endian vs big-endian byte order
• File headers and metadata structure
• The relationship between bits, bytes, and pixels
• Why modern tools and libraries are so valuable!

Getting Started:

1. Download the complete tutorial from course materials
2. Choose and install a hex editor (recommendations provided)
3. Follow the step-by-step guide
4. Submit your working .bmp file 

Need Help?

• Check the troubleshooting guide first
• Post in the help forum (with screenshots!)
• Contact instructor if still stuck

Purpose: Learning Experience (No Grading) 

Remember: Every byte matters! Take your time and double-check each value.

If you prefer video based over reading you can checkout the video guide here: