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Getting Started (Advice For Beginning Coders)
Matt Pritchard.io ^
| March 4, 2016
| Matt Pritchard
Posted on 03/05/2016 11:57:50 AM PST by OddLane
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1
posted on
03/05/2016 11:57:50 AM PST
by
OddLane
To: OddLane
Rules for Coding:
1. Be born in India or China
2. Obtain questionable degree in computer science at unaccredited university in your home country
3. Obtain H-1b visa
4. Make manager write down software requirements
5. Blindly follow requirements
6. Do not ask questions. That could be viewed as insubordination.
7. If a requirement is ambiguous make the safest guess possible as to what it means. The guess that results in the least amount of code.
8. If two requirements seem contradictory, follow both if possible, or choose the one that results in the least amount of coding.
9. If the code you generate doesn't work the way the manager wanted plead with him that you followed the requirements to the T so it can't be your fault.
10. Hand off code to one of the few remaining US coders to fix any mistakes.
To: OddLane
thank you for posting this! my #1 son is embarking on this ship and i believe he is showing signs that this may be the thing that he can excel at. i forwarded this to him and hope he benefits from it.
3
posted on
03/05/2016 12:09:27 PM PST
by
corkoman
To: who_would_fardels_bear
Coding in many compilable languages is relatively easy. The secret I found when learning is to take things you know and then write code to perform on a computer. I learned way back in the days of Fortran and Cobol.
4
posted on
03/05/2016 12:10:38 PM PST
by
UB355
(Slower traffic keep right)
To: OddLane
Watch youtube’s Rich Hickey video - The value of values. You will be far superior to the factory coders and will ultimately not end up hating your life.
5
posted on
03/05/2016 12:11:17 PM PST
by
epluribus_2
(he had the best mom - ever.)
To: OddLane
Learning to code is exceptionally difficult I didn't find it exceptionally difficult and I did it for over 30 years since getting my Comp Sci degree in 1984.
What it takes is perseverence, practice and attention to detail.
Find a bunch of source code for the language you want to learn and spend a few days pouring over it (several unique programs, not just 1) then spend a few days or a week or 2 practicing it and you should start to get comfortable with it.
Follow that up for about 3-6 months and you should have it down pat.
6
posted on
03/05/2016 12:12:36 PM PST
by
HeartlandOfAmerica
(How can God bless a country that's BUTCHERED 53 million babies?? Almost as many as ALL killed inWWII)
To: OddLane
This is good advice. Be ambitious, but be realistic and prepare yourself. Until Sesame Street presents a puppet show to teach basic coding, it will remain a bit of a mystery for the average person. “I code you, You code me, We code happy families!”
To: HeartlandOfAmerica
Oh sorry. find a basic book about it, or in these internet days, find a website on probably the C programming language and spend some time going through it. You don't have to get REAL deeply into either book or website, it's just to get you started after all.
I say C because once you have the C language down, you can parlay that into many different languages in the future.
8
posted on
03/05/2016 12:18:27 PM PST
by
HeartlandOfAmerica
(How can God bless a country that's BUTCHERED 53 million babies?? Almost as many as ALL killed inWWII)
To: OddLane
To: OddLane
Having OCD seems to help :-)
Programming seems easy to me.
I started out with a notebook and a programming manual.
As I discovered how to do things I added the code to my notebook and soon it was all intuitive.
10
posted on
03/05/2016 12:19:27 PM PST
by
Bobalu
(I'm spitting on my hands, and hoisting the black flag!)
To: HeartlandOfAmerica
11
posted on
03/05/2016 12:20:23 PM PST
by
Kirkwood
(Zombie Hunter)
To: who_would_fardels_bear
11. You are not paid to write comments or document anything.
12
posted on
03/05/2016 12:21:18 PM PST
by
central_va
(I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
To: OddLane
![](http://www.collectoons.com/imgtoon/701/702/20100101_121507chode.gif)
the first day of computer logic the prof said "Look in front of you, look behind you, look to the left of you and to the right of you, because by graduation day, four of the five of you won't be here..."
he was right
13
posted on
03/05/2016 12:22:56 PM PST
by
Chode
(Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -w- NO Pity for the LAZY - Luke, 22:36)
To: OddLane
> From: "Jim Coplien"
> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:03:56 -0600
> To: Lalita Jagadeesan , god, tball
> Subject: a program for your flow and testing tools
>
> /*
> * seriously -- run it :-)
> */
> #include
> main(t,_,a)
> char *a;
> {
> return!0 > 1,t > main(2,_+1,"%s %d %d\n"):9:16:t<0?t<-72?main(_,t,
>"@n'+,#'/*{}w+/w#cdnr/+,{}r/*de}+,/*{*+,/w{%+,/w#q#n+,/#{l+,/n{n+,/+#n+,/#\
> ;#q#n+,/+k#;*+,/'r :'d*'3,}{w+K w'K:'+}e#';dq#'l \
> q#'+d'K#!/+k#;q#'r}eKK#}w'r}eKK{nl]'/#;#q#n'){)#}w'){){nl]'/+#n';d}rw' i;#\
> ){nl]!/n{n#'; r{#w'r nc{nl]'/#{l,+'K {rw' iK{;[{nl]'/w#q#n'wk nw' \
> iwk{KK{nl]!/w{%'l##w#' i; :{nl]'/*{q#'ld;r'}{nlwb!/*de}'c \
> ;;{nl'-{}rw]'/+,}##'*}#nc,',#nw]'/+kd'+e}+;#'rdq#w! nr'/ ') }+}{rl#'{n' ')# \
> }'+}##(!!/")
> :t<-50?_==*a?putchar(31[a]):main(-65,_,a+1):main((*a=='/')+t,_,a+1)
> :0 > "!ek;dc i@bK'(q)-[w]*%n+r3#l,{}:\nuwloca-O;m .vpbks,fxntdCeghiry"),a+1);
Supposedly, it prints out "The Twelve Days of Christmas". There are websites which claim to parse it. I've never tried it.
14
posted on
03/05/2016 12:22:58 PM PST
by
grey_whiskers
(The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
To: OddLane
The text books and video teach the basics. That’s the problem the basics are not really what you need to know, The advanced stuff is learned thru experience.
15
posted on
03/05/2016 12:23:35 PM PST
by
central_va
(I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
To: Chode
People that say programming is easy probably don’t do it for a living.
16
posted on
03/05/2016 12:24:46 PM PST
by
central_va
(I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
To: HeartlandOfAmerica
C is great but doesn’t teach you a dang thing about object oriented programming.
17
posted on
03/05/2016 12:26:20 PM PST
by
central_va
(I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
To: central_va
Step at a time. I found C easy, then stepped up to C++
18
posted on
03/05/2016 12:28:26 PM PST
by
HeartlandOfAmerica
(How can God bless a country that's BUTCHERED 53 million babies?? Almost as many as ALL killed inWWII)
To: central_va
![](http://www.collectoons.com/imgtoon/701/702/20100101_121507chode.gif)
pretty much... if it was easy, anybody could do it
19
posted on
03/05/2016 12:29:41 PM PST
by
Chode
(Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -w- NO Pity for the LAZY - Luke, 22:36)
To: OddLane
Yep, coding is easy!
Watch this:
echo hello world
I just “coded” something!
Oh, you say, you want something more difficult than that, say a spreadsheet program like Excel? Maybe an automatic toll payment system for a state tollroad systen? Oh, I guess not just any “coder” to could make one of those, could they?
In graduate school, I taught beginning FORTRAN back when that was one of the most advanced programming languages in the world. In every class of mine, there was one or two where I could see the light bulb go off and I could tell that they had the “programmer” gene; about half could limp along and complete assignments with about a dozen statements; but the rest were simply lost.
20
posted on
03/05/2016 12:29:50 PM PST
by
catnipman
(Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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