I'm beginning to explore "C" and "C++" (self study)

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Jul 16, 2005 | 12:20 PM

#31

Greywolf

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From: Drummonds, TN USA

Now I'll have to check up on assembly language, just so I know it means what I think it does.

Why do I keep thinking back to the old paper tape reader machine at "A" school, and all those funky register and shift commands?

I thought I had left "Grey Code" behind forever...

Jul 16, 2005 | 01:07 PM

#32

krewat

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Greywolf

Why do I keep thinking back to the old paper tape reader machine at "A" school, and all those funky register and shift commands?

Check out some of the large IBM's, they are still talking in "punch cards" to terminals and such... 80 column ...

Jul 16, 2005 | 01:16 PM

#33

Howdy

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I went to school with a lot of programmers, (I live in the land of Intel and MS). I know enough programming to know I don't really get into it. Takes a certain mindset to get past the basics and probably 95% of the people that start out wanting to be programmers never get past the introduction. Not that it's that hard (relative), but there's just so much you have to learn and it's kind of boring to most people. The learning never ends.

A simple test: Hand someone a phonebook. Ask them to pick a phone number. Ask them to close the book and hand it back to you. Now spend the next 12 hours finding the corresponding name, without using reverse lookup. If you find it and think to yourself, "that was fun, lets do it again!", you might enjoy programming for a living.

I plunk around with VB sometimes. I dust off my assembly book every once in a while. I still have a C++ compiler someplace, (unfortunately it's the DOS version. I remember thinking when I bought it - Windows is just a fad..

Jul 16, 2005 | 01:26 PM

#34

Greywolf

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I just downloaded Dr Paul Carter's adobe Textbook on Assembly Language, a couple of compiler or compiler extension apps, and the Visual C Toolkit is still downloading from Microsloth even as we sit here, I figure at dialup speeds itll be done by january or thereabouts...

My worst vice is my own curiouosity - I hafta know how things work, or I feel like I'm missing out on something.

Jul 16, 2005 | 01:34 PM

#35

krewat

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Howdy

A simple test: Hand someone a phonebook. Ask them to pick a phone number. Ask them to close the book and hand it back to you. Now spend the next 12 hours finding the corresponding name, without using reverse lookup. If you find it and think to yourself, "that was fun, lets do it again!", you might enjoy programming for a living.

Maybe that's why you don't "get it" ... that analogy is not valid

To stretch that analogy a little, you would be using a text-editor to search for that phone number, and you'd have it in a second.

What you're describing is not programming. Data-mining maybe, but even then, it's not paper-based and the electronic search is miniscule.

Jul 16, 2005 | 02:05 PM

#36

Howdy

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Oh, I get it..

The analogy was used to describe the personality type that make certain people enjoy programming for a living, rather than working as programmers and burning out after a couple years. That's why analogy is a great term.

I can tell by your response that critical thinking and problem solving comes easy to you. Those are perfect attributes for a programmer to have. Only a small percentage of people have both the personality traits and desire to do it long term.

Jul 16, 2005 | 02:10 PM

#37

Greywolf

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From: Drummonds, TN USA

Now there we get into variations of problem solving style.

I'd have picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Next I'd have claimed to be returning that persons call...

"Hello? You were trying to reach me I believe..." Etc...

Or better yet - as soon as the phone picks up at the other end:

"Hello? Who is this? What? No - you called me - I just picked up..."

There is much opportunity to be found in confusion
(Also known as 'Chaos Methodology')
For every china shop, there is a bull with nothing better to do that day...

Last edited by Greywolf; Jul 16, 2005 at 02:19 PM.

Jul 16, 2005 | 02:52 PM

#38

Howdy

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Sounds like you have a firm grasp of confusion, GW...

On a side note...You ever thought of becoming a teacher? You've always seemed to have a youthful perspective with technical overtones. Community colleges are always looking for nerds that can relate.....