Recent Events Discussion (RED) Thread

[ljfa]

I know several people, including me, who learnt to code simply by looking at the Minecraft code. It's not that hard.

*obligatory statement about Mojang's code quality*

Learning to program goes a long way and requires a fair bit of patience. You're basically never done with learning.
But once you can get tangible results, it's great

 

[Strikingwolf]

*obligatory statement about Mojang's code quality*

Learning to program goes a long way and requires a fair bit of patience. You're basically never done with learning.
But once you can get tangible results, it's great

I always tell people that the #1 skill for a programmer is knowing how to learn

You don't need to know a low level language to code high level, you just need some sort of understanding of the concepts, and most of the time, you don't even need that - you just need a working knowledge of how to search and ask StackOverflow when necessary.

True statement...I think that concepts in programming are more important than the actual language you implement them in, but having a nice language for said concepts is nice :3

 

[trajing]

Coding is, first of all, understanding logic and how to break a problem down into its most basic parts. Everything else is just syntax, optimization, and using premade functions when available (making them yourself when they aren't)

 

[Strikingwolf]

Coding is, first of all, understanding logic and how to break a problem down into its most basic parts. Everything else is just syntax, optimization, and using premade functions when available (making them yourself when they aren't)

A great quote I know is "It's art built on top of logic" and it rings true

Another part of it is using different concepts and paradigms to make that easier for yourself

 

[TomeWyrm]

@Strikingwolf I'm actually planning on learning assembly so

I'm well aware that high-level languages are what's hot. If I was planning on making a career out of this, I'd be learning C#, Java, and probably Ruby? But I'm not. I'm learning this to be a better coder for the crap I want to code. That means learning things like Haskell, C, Assembly, Python, PHP, Java, and Flash. Either because the language requires knowledge of important concepts, or because there are projects in the language I want to do. I programmed in C for a little bit a long time ago, and having looked at the code for a lot of other languages, it honestly makes the most sense to me excepting scripting and markup languages like LUA/HTML/XML.

I'm learning C because I like C. I'm learning Java because MC mods. I'm learning Python because it keeps getting recommended to me as a beginner language and because it keeps coming up in neat tools and irc bots that I use and would like to modify. Flash (actually ActionScript, but I call it flash for ease of understanding) I'm learning for a similar reason to Java; there's a hobby/project I'd like to participate in written in ActionScript. PHP because web. As much as web development drives me insane, I'm capable of doing it and would prefer to learn how to do it myself instead of having to pay someone else to do it for me. Haskell I'm learning because of concepts, it's (apparently) a very simple language to learn as long as you can understand a certain low-level concept (I want to say pointers). Assembly I'm learning both for a greater understanding of the lower level concepts and because making teeny tiny programs appeals to the nerd in me.

The more I look at Scala the more it gives me the heebie jeebies, Scala is not something I'm going to be learning if I can help it. Clojure I might though.

 

[Strikingwolf]

@Strikingwolf I'm actually planning on learning assembly so

I haven't learned assembly, but I will mourn for you

I'm well aware that high-level languages are what's hot. If I was planning on making a career out of this, I'd be learning C#, Java, and probably Ruby?

Those are good career programming languages, as well as C++, although I hate C# and I hate Java even more (although it recently got a functional overhaul *parties*).

I'm learning this to be a better coder for the crap I want to code. That means learning things like Haskell, C, Assembly, Python, PHP, Java, and Flash. Either because the language requires knowledge of important concepts, or because there are projects in the language I want to do.

Good choices, but I would replace PHP and Flash with something like Clojurescript, JavaScript, and something like Ruby on Rails.

I'm learning C because I like C. I'm learning Java because MC mods. I'm learning Python because it keeps getting recommended to me as a beginner language and because it keeps coming up in neat tools and irc bots that I use and would like to modify. Flash (actually ActionScript, but I call it flash for ease of understanding) I'm learning for a similar reason to Java; there's a hobby/project I'd like to participate in written in ActionScript. PHP because web. As much as web development drives me insane, I'm capable of doing it and would prefer to learn how to do it myself instead of having to pay someone else to do it for me. Haskell I'm learning because of concepts, it's (apparently) a very simple language to learn as long as you can understand a certain low-level concept (I want to say pointers). Assembly I'm learning both for a greater understanding of the lower level concepts and because making teeny tiny programs appeals to the nerd in me.

Good plans, although the Haskell concept is not at all pointers

More like immutability

The more I look at Scala the more it gives me the heebie jeebies, Scala is not something I'm going to be learning if I can help it. Clojure I might though.

What's wrong with Scala? I see it as a bridge between Java and FP

 

[trajing]

I'm doing this as a hobby, and I'm still learning Ruby.
I learned it in the first place just because I was tired of attempting to mod and so I decided to grab a more powerful scripting language. I still had an installation from my first time messing around with it. Now I'm attempting to write Rust code to call from it because why not? I've read a book on C, but instead of writing my stuff in C, I'm doing it in Rust. Why? I just feel like it. Yes, I am interested in eventually having a career in software development, but all you need to pick up a new language is a knowledge of the concepts. Again, the logic is core. Everything else is just understanding the differences between the languages. Most - if not all - code can be translated from one language to another.

 

[trajing]

Ruby on Rails.

Obligatory "Ewww"

 

[Strikingwolf]

I'm doing this as a hobby, and I'm still learning Ruby.
I learned it in the first place just because I was tired of attempting to mod and so I decided to grab a more powerful scripting language. I still had an installation from my first time messing around with it. Now I'm attempting to write Rust code to call from it because why not? I've read a book on C, but instead of writing my stuff in C, I'm doing it in Rust. Why? I just feel like it. Yes, I am interested in eventually having a career in software development, but all you need to pick up a new language is a knowledge of the concepts. Again, the logic is core. Everything else is just understanding the differences between the languages. Most - if not all - code can be translated from one language to another.

All, because turing complete

Also, I do the same thing, I flit from language to language learning concepts, as I am still young and the best thing I can do is get an understanding of all languages before I start to specialize

Obligatory "Ewww"

I know I know

Any other good PHP alternatives that you know of?

 

[trajing]

Any other good PHP alternatives that you know of?

Well, once I get the regex part done, Postcard (I think I have a solution, going to try it out when I get home).

 

[RavynousHunter]

@StrikingwolfIf I was planning on making a career out of this, I'd be learning C#, Java, and probably Ruby? But I'm not.

Why not? Its excellent money and comp-sci jobs are in high demand. At least, that's how it is in the States, dunno how it is elsewhere. The average starting salary of a comp-sci graduate is around $60k a year. Even if I weren't almost naturally geared for code (seriously, I can pick up a new language faster than...most anything), I'd still be going for it because the work's that lucrative.

This is assuming, of course, that you don't already have a lucrative trade...if you do, then disregard my advice. But, seriously, my philosophy with stuff like that is to learn something that can make you money, and do what you enjoy on the side as a hobby, if need be, you'll be a lot better off.

 

[Strikingwolf]

Why not? Its excellent money and comp-sci jobs are in high demand. At least, that's how it is in the States, dunno how it is elsewhere. The average starting salary of a comp-sci graduate is around $60k a year. Even if I weren't almost naturally geared for code (seriously, I can pick up a new language faster than...most anything), I'd still be going for it because the work's that lucrative.

This is assuming, of course, that you don't already have a lucrative trade...if you do, then disregard my advice. But, seriously, my philosophy with stuff like that is to learn something that can make you money, and do what you enjoy on the side as a hobby, if need be, you'll be a lot better off.

I like coding in general

So I have the best of both worlds

 

[RavynousHunter]

It is good to have a job doin what you love...not that I know what that's like because places see my lack of degree and laugh me off, even if I could handily demonstrate the fact I could code rings around most college professors, if given the opportunity.

 

[NJM1564]

It is good to have a job doin what you love...not that I know what that's like because places see my lack of degree and laugh me off, even if I could handily demonstrate the fact I could code rings around most college professors, if given the opportunity.

Well what you do is hack into there brains and wright a simple script to change there minds.

Edit: No, No. Put that axe down that's not what I meant and I was joking in the first place.

 

[RavynousHunter]

Well what you do is hack into there brains and wright a simple script to change there minds.

Edit: No, No. Put that axe down that's not what I meant and I was joking in the first place.

As inefficient as the human mind is at times, I wouldn't be surprised if it had been hacked together in Python or somesuch.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Aand Squiddy is gone again...
View attachment 18495

Pours one out for @CoolSquid

Gonna miss you man ​

 

[gold49]

Damn, that sucks...

 

[Padfoote]

@CoolSquid PM me at some point.

 

[TomeWyrm]

Why not? Its excellent money and comp-sci jobs are in high demand. At least, that's how it is in the States, dunno how it is elsewhere. The average starting salary of a comp-sci graduate is around $60k a year. Even if I weren't almost naturally geared for code (seriously, I can pick up a new language faster than...most anything), I'd still be going for it because the work's that lucrative.

This is assuming, of course, that you don't already have a lucrative trade...if you do, then disregard my advice. But, seriously, my philosophy with stuff like that is to learn something that can make you money, and do what you enjoy on the side as a hobby, if need be, you'll be a lot better off.

The problem is that I doubt I could sustain it as a career that won't drive me homicidal. I've got the skills/talent/temperament. I like programming, I just don't like being forced to program. At all. Hobby great, hobby with deadlines and obligations, sure. "Program me this?" I would rather jump off a bridge wearing lead sneakers. I have to be motivated to code, and money is not a sufficient motivation to get me to code repeatedly.

Also, I'm planning on getting my MD... so I'd say I've got a lucrative in-demand career lined up





I'll be sad to see ya go @CoolSquid. Best of luck!

 

[Strikingwolf]

<3

Done.

Sad to see you go, invite me to the paddy pm?