Programming, computer related stuff, etc.

[Sakana]

#/// This is where I ask (dumb) questions about programming, and others are free to do the same!

At the moment I mostly need life advice.. . Appreciate answers on any of the below


1) I made a huge error when I dropped out of a computer science at the age of 18. Now I'm in a field I like, but suits my nerdy, neurotic and introvert personality much less than I imagine a job related to programming would. I'm 28 now and have only recently taken up programming again. Is it complete madness to think about getting an extra degree (in CS) at this point?

2) Do you have any advice w/ regards to how best to learn? Recently I studied a scripting language called mSL very intensely because I had something complicated, but very specific, in mind that I wanted to create. This meant I became fluent in this scripting language relatively fast. Now I'm fooling around with Python, but I don't have anything in mind I need/want to create, so it feels like I'm just reading a lot without coding - aka not really getting anywhere. Should I stop reading until I think of some kind of project?

3) What language should I learn if I want the language to be platform independent and something that is relevant for professional programming? Java?

[brimstoneSalad]

1) No, but it's expensive and time consuming, and you could learn more on your own.

2) Yes, find a project. Something related to veganism.
Web is where it's at; just find a good back-end language.
Ping me by PM if you want to work together.

3) Doesn't matter that much. What matters is fast iteration in development. Foremost, find something with good well documented libraries for whatever you want to do.
Java is slow and cumbersome with regards to execution, but processing power is so cheap for most modest tasks today that unless you're doing something intensive, it doesn't matter.
Minecraft is a good example of something you would NOT want to make in Java. You wouldn't want to do anything physics or chemistry related, like protein folding simulation (you want to use something low level, like manually optimized assembly for that kind of stuff). The back-end for a typical interactive website, though, no-problem. Write in what you're comfortable with.

[Zalek]

#/// This is where I ask (dumb) questions about programming, and others are free to do the same!

1) I made a huge error when I dropped out of a computer science at the age of 18. Now I'm in a field I like, but suits my nerdy, neurotic and introvert personality much less than I imagine a job related to programming would. I'm 28 now and have only recently taken up programming again. Is it complete madness to think about getting an extra degree (in CS) at this point?

Degree will help, but your experience and knowledge can substitute an academic title, specially if you plan to work as consultant. If you can learn by yourself, there are plenty of internet good and cheap video courses. I took some classes from http://www.pluralsight.com and from http://www.lynda.com and there are more classes. If you are not afraid to sin, you can look for torrents of video courses.

3) What language should I learn if I want the language to be platform independent and something that is relevant for professional programming?

Java is platform independent, C# is for Win.
I suggest Java or C#, both languages very much similar. I prefer C# because IMHO Visual Studio is better then Eclipse (I use VS to write in C# and Eclipse to write Java apps for Android).

Zalek

[cidig]

Unless I wanted to code something requiring high effiency , I would stick to python. Incredibly rich. I find this website helpful. http://openbookproject.net/thinkcs/pyth ... index.html

[Neptual]

#/// This is where I ask (dumb) questions about programming, and others are free to do the same!

At the moment I mostly need life advice.. . Appreciate answers on any of the below


1) I made a huge error when I dropped out of a computer science at the age of 18. Now I'm in a field I like, but suits my nerdy, neurotic and introvert personality much less than I imagine a job related to programming would. I'm 28 now and have only recently taken up programming again. Is it complete madness to think about getting an extra degree (in CS) at this point?

Computer Science is a good field to go into. Be warned though computer science is mostly theories and not what most people think for it to be.

2) Do you have any advice w/ regards to how best to learn? Recently I studied a scripting language called mSL very intensely because I had something complicated, but very specific, in mind that I wanted to create. This meant I became fluent in this scripting language relatively fast. Now I'm fooling around with Python, but I don't have anything in mind I need/want to create, so it feels like I'm just reading a lot without coding - aka not really getting anywhere. Should I stop reading until I think of some kind of project?

Well it depends on what you want to do. For really powerful programs look at using C/C++ for smaller projects Java, Python etc.

3) What language should I learn if I want the language to be platform independent and something that is relevant for professional programming? Java?

Well if you're looking for one that will make you the most money take a look at C/C++ and Java. A lot of companies require you to have experience in these.

[Sakana]

Thanks for answers, I'll try and make my first website -- probably something journalistic/satirical about carnism in Denmark or other controversial topics.

I'll try and use PHP, Perl or Javascript to do... something. At the moment I'm entirely ignorant as to what functions scripts could have on such a page.

[Volenta]

As someone who's studying computer science, I also want to give my thoughts.

1) I made a huge error when I dropped out of a computer science at the age of 18. Now I'm in a field I like, but suits my nerdy, neurotic and introvert personality much less than I imagine a job related to programming would. I'm 28 now and have only recently taken up programming again. Is it complete madness to think about getting an extra degree (in CS) at this point?

What brimstoneSalad said. It's a great, and still growing, field with a future. If this is what you really like, go for it.

2) Do you have any advice w/ regards to how best to learn? Recently I studied a scripting language called mSL very intensely because I had something complicated, but very specific, in mind that I wanted to create. This meant I became fluent in this scripting language relatively fast. Now I'm fooling around with Python, but I don't have anything in mind I need/want to create, so it feels like I'm just reading a lot without coding - aka not really getting anywhere. Should I stop reading until I think of some kind of project?

Python is a great choice if you're interested in a scripting language.

What you absolutely shouldn't do in this field, is just reading and not coding. You have to get your hands dirty if you want to master it. Not that you shouldn't read: you really should, but it's extremely important to actually get some experience (it's like learning to swim).

Something you can do to start off programming:
- You can look around whether someone you know wants a website, or app or something.
- Think about something you're doing a lot by hand (manually), and see if it can be automated.
- Take a look at simple open-source projects (maybe on Github), and see if you can fix a bug or add a feature (and maintain it).
- Or just make something you actually want. Maybe a game, or a tool to organize stuff, or whatever.

3) What language should I learn if I want the language to be platform independent and something that is relevant for professional programming? Java?

Java is a great language if you want platform independence because of the JVM which runs on all sorts of platforms. JavaScript is also still growing, and extending it's platform reach (as a multi-platform solution to mobile apps, Node.js, etc.).

But do keep in mind that JavaScript doesn't have a very good language design. It's important to understand the concepts, practices and principles behind your code, so you don't have your mind strangled within one particular language.

What matters is fast iteration in development.

I know Agile is currently big and for good reasons, but don't get to worked up by it. See which methods fits best with your project. How strange it may sound, some projects are actually better done with a waterfall model. Software development methodology is important, but it's not the most important thing for a beginner.

Java is slow and cumbersome with regards to execution, but processing power is so cheap for most modest tasks today that unless you're doing something intensive, it doesn't matter.

The last part is most important. Java performance isn't really an issue for most usages. But don't underestimate the JVM by saying it's slow. It's slow compared to C, sure, but there has been done a lot over the years to increase performance. The trade-offs of doing things like memory management yourself is most of the times not worth the trouble.

I prefer C# because IMHO Visual Studio is better then Eclipse (I use VS to write in C# and Eclipse to write Java apps for Android).

Although I recognize that the IDE is a big part of your language decision, don't just choose a language merely because of the IDE it comes with. I agree that Eclipse isn't all that great, but I guess you missed out on the major popularity increase in IntelliJ IDEA by Jetbrains. (Android development today is also done in a Jetbrains IDE; Android Studio)

Well if you're looking for one that will make you the most money take a look at C/C++ and Java. A lot of companies require you to have experience in these.

That's not true. Those are very popular languages which lots software developers know: that's not where the money lies. Learn COBOL and go maintain legacy systems if you want money. But be prepared to get a boring life.

[Sakana]

Ty for input :p

I will try and use Python to make scripts for common manual tasks I do.

Btw, anyone is free to post whatever they've created. Would be kinda interesting

[Sakana]

I recently installed Ubuntu after finallly getting enough of Windows' general awfulness (a BSOD was the final straw )

So far it seems great! Though, for some reason it appears I can't do certain charcaters, like (at) and backslash

Anyone know a good IRC client for Linux, or have any other general tips? I used mIRC a lot in Windows. Think I'll miss that one

[PrincessPeach]

I recently installed Ubuntu after finallly getting enough of Windows' general awfulness (a BSOD was the final straw )

So far it seems great! Though, for some reason it appears I can't do certain charcaters, like (at) and backslash

Anyone know a good IRC client for Linux, or have any other general tips? I used mIRC a lot in Windows. Think I'll miss that one

You'll learn a lot of programing with Ubuntu ! Did you un instal your windows os ? You could have had both operating systems on the same computer. Right now I am on my XP computer but I can also log into to Ubuntu if I want

Now that youtube has switched to HTML5 you wont run into as many problems because you'll have to manually instal java which may be new to you (not java but going through the command prompt to instal/download things)

As far as coding it's like learning a language if you don't use it you'll lose it..
This site has a lot of javascript and PHP on top of the html and css ...
You talked about learning Java..
Learning java is different than learning javascript or php or internet based languages..
So really you have to find out what you want and stick with it!
You need to learn HTML and CSS before you dive into anything more extreme.

The best way to really learn code is to hit ctrl u on your computer and you'll see all the code right there now it's trying to understand it
I've been coding since 98' ... Coding and computer programming are completely different though