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This Just Isn't Right!

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  • L leppie

    Roger Wright wrote:

    I'll be 55 in a couple weeks

    That is indeed a very late time to be bitten be the programmer bug. It only got me at a tender age of 26. You seem very passionate about it, almost like I felt at first, you get to play with LEGO with no limits. I am not sure what to advise, except to keep on doing it, but as a hobby. Perhaps in due time, this hobby can transform into a career. This might even be beneficial as you could probably carry on coding till your brain stops working.

    xacc.ide
    IronScheme - 1.0 RC 1 - out now!
    ((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x))) The Scheme Programming Language – Fourth Edition

    P Offline
    P Offline
    PaulowniaK
    wrote on last edited by
    #9

    leppie wrote:

    That is indeed a very late time to be bitten be the programmer bug. It only got me at a tender age of 26.

    Aged 28, I'm still not "bitten". :( I don't think I ever will be... Wish I had something I was so passionate about. ;) Just don't work yourself to an early permanent zzz...

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • R Roger Wright

      I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

      "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

      B Offline
      B Offline
      Brady Kelly
      wrote on last edited by
      #10

      Roger Wright wrote:

      I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work

      pssst, 2010, C# 4 :cool:

      R 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • R Roger Wright

        I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

        "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

        S Offline
        S Offline
        Simon P Stevens
        wrote on last edited by
        #11

        Roger Wright wrote:

        downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day.

        Just be careful. If it ever becomes anything you sell, and they find out you developed it on company time/equipment/property they might try and claim a share. Personally I keep my out of work projects exactly that. Out of work. Sounds like your having fun though. Glad to hear it. I've always got a programming project on the go. I very rarely ever finish them, but half the fun is the building.

        Simon

        T 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • S Simon P Stevens

          Roger Wright wrote:

          downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day.

          Just be careful. If it ever becomes anything you sell, and they find out you developed it on company time/equipment/property they might try and claim a share. Personally I keep my out of work projects exactly that. Out of work. Sounds like your having fun though. Glad to hear it. I've always got a programming project on the go. I very rarely ever finish them, but half the fun is the building.

          Simon

          T Offline
          T Offline
          Tom Deketelaere
          wrote on last edited by
          #12

          Simon Stevens wrote:

          I've always got a programming project on the go. I very rarely ever finish them

          I seem the have the same problem with my home projects. I start them, get to the hard part (the part that I wanted to research / test / invent a solution for / ...) and after that I just stop, can't seem to be bothered to put a nice GUI around it to make it useful.

          R 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • R Roger Wright

            I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

            "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

            V Offline
            V Offline
            Vikram A Punathambekar
            wrote on last edited by
            #13

            Oh, Roger, I used to think you were in the not-really-a-programmer* category, like me. I thought I wasn't alone, that I had one swell CPian in my wolf-pack** but now you've blown that notion to pieces. * Well, I do write lots of SQL and work with software, but that is far removed from what most people on this site do. ** Check out the wolf-pack speech from the film The Hangover - it's fantastic.

            Cheers, Vikram. (Got my troika of CCCs!)

            R 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • R Roger Wright

              I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

              "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

              N Offline
              N Offline
              Nagy Vilmos
              wrote on last edited by
              #14

              I am paid to write C# and JSOP's love child [aka VB] and at home I am learning java for kicks. Very wierd kicks indeed. I want to do my home stuff in the office, but I also find myself doing work at home.


              Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • R Roger Wright

                I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

                "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

                L Offline
                L Offline
                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #15

                May you grow old but never grow up! :-D

                Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • L leppie

                  Roger Wright wrote:

                  I'll be 55 in a couple weeks

                  That is indeed a very late time to be bitten be the programmer bug. It only got me at a tender age of 26. You seem very passionate about it, almost like I felt at first, you get to play with LEGO with no limits. I am not sure what to advise, except to keep on doing it, but as a hobby. Perhaps in due time, this hobby can transform into a career. This might even be beneficial as you could probably carry on coding till your brain stops working.

                  xacc.ide
                  IronScheme - 1.0 RC 1 - out now!
                  ((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x))) The Scheme Programming Language – Fourth Edition

                  R Offline
                  R Offline
                  Rocky Moore
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #16

                  leppie wrote:

                  It only got me at a tender age of 26.

                  Got me at the ripe age of 18, but hey I only have seven more years until I am 55 ;)

                  Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Coca-Cola In Israel..

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • R Roger Wright

                    I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

                    "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

                    G Offline
                    G Offline
                    Gary R Wheeler
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #17

                    Welcome back to the inhuman race, Roger! :-D

                    Software Zen: delete this;
                    Fold With Us![^]

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • A Abhinav S

                      P.S. The same thing has happened to me since I've taken my membership with CP a little more seriously - I don't eat, sleep or go out. All I can think of is to look for a way to solve Dalek Dave's CCC every day (I've had no luck at it so far).

                      modified on Thursday, December 10, 2009 3:28 AM

                      T Offline
                      T Offline
                      The Sky Winner
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #18

                      By the way before I start solving CCC, I just want to know full form of CCC PLEASE...

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • A AspDotNetDev

                        Roger Wright wrote:

                        my fridge is empty

                        The trick is to stock up once every week. Don't leave your place again until you are completely out of food.

                        Roger Wright wrote:

                        I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive

                        Just don't go quitting your job now. I find that even at my programming job, I daydream about my more fun home projects. Fun programming is transient and even a fun programming job is not going to be ideal, as you will almost always have something more fun (and probably less useful) to work on. Just keep on losing sleep... that's really the only way. Or retire and start programming for fun fulltime (that's the real dream). :-D

                        [Forum Guidelines]

                        J Offline
                        J Offline
                        josda1000
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #19

                        aspdotnetdev wrote:

                        Or retire and start programming for fun fulltime (that's the real dream).

                        This is the most true statement that has ever been said/written.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • R Roger Wright

                          I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

                          "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #20

                          Roger Wright wrote:

                          and my fridge is empty.

                          If your fridge is empty of beer, you have a serious problem. It is a fact universally acknowledged that a developer with beer writes better code. I suggest you write an app to keep track of your remaining stocks, which shuts down the PC when you open the last can. As one who is of a similar vintage, but has been programming since 1976, for a full time job, I still have that buzz - but just not quite the energy I used to have to keep going until the small hours! But I still sometimes take the laptop to bed to finish a few lines of code (Mrs. Maxxx is exceedingly tolerant!!!) I used to have a (paper) notebook I took everywhere with me. My boss used to be very impressed at how I frequently took notes in meetings. At the time I was writing a version of Missile Command and, had he looked at my notes, he'd have seen algorithms for drawing straight lines and circles, notes on using the keyboard to accelerate a cursor, and plans to have the bases able to move... You could do the same (although these days a wanker-phone may replace the notebook!) It's quite satisfying to have all these notes, which themselves help you plan out the project, and allow you to write more productive code when you finally get keyboard time.

                          ___________________________________________ .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

                          R 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • R Roger Wright

                            I've lived here for almost 18 years, having arrived bankrupt, laid off from a very lucrative career designing missile support systems and managing development projects, and homeless. I worked odd jobs for 12 years waiting for a real job, and finally found one 5 years ago, designing electrical power lines and substations. In my previous life I did a lot of programming, as the devices I designed needed software/firmware to operate. When I first moved here, it was for a brief programming gig doing Paradox DB development in PAL, on a DOS platform. For 15 years I struggled to adapt to the event-driven concepts that Windows imposed and failed utterly to grasp it using C++. I tried over and over, met with nothing but failure, and tried again. Then I picked up a few books on C# and have been playing with it lately, as many of our more patient and helpful members may have noticed. Things started working recently, new paradigns sinking into a brain long canalized in a procedural programming model. I'm having fun with this, at last, and the code I write, for the most part, works for the first time in almost two decades. The bits that don't I've been asking about here at CP and I've been receiving very helpful and insightful answers - that happens how often?:suss: But it's making me nervous... I'm an engineer, fer goshsake, an old one at that! I'll be 55 in a couple weeks and eligible for senior discounts in restaurants. I've got a great job designing neat stuff that doesn't need programming. But I'm finding myself rushing home to fire up the IDE, skipping dinner to write one more small tidbit of code, staying up far too late for an old fart who has to be up every morning at 5 AM. I hit the keys (after my nap, of course) and start coding every night. I don't go out in the evenings anymore, and my fridge is empty. I show up at work groggy, but with plenty of coffee in my belly to keep me functional, and I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work and carrying my project files on a thumbdrive, just in case I get a minute to work on my app during the day. And I have a list of future applications I want to develop in my head; dull meetings, no more, as I have plenty of interesting things to think about during the boring parts. This ain't right! But thanks, guys and gals, for all the help and tolerance you've given so far, and I hope to enjoy in the future... :)

                            "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

                            B Offline
                            B Offline
                            bryce
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #21

                            You're a Nerd Wogger Bryce

                            MCAD --- To paraphrase Fred Dagg - the views expressed in this post are bloody good ones. --
                            Publitor, making Pubmed easy. http://www.sohocode.com/publitor

                            Our kids books :The Snot Goblin, and Book 2 - the Snotgoblin and Fluff

                            R 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • B bryce

                              You're a Nerd Wogger Bryce

                              MCAD --- To paraphrase Fred Dagg - the views expressed in this post are bloody good ones. --
                              Publitor, making Pubmed easy. http://www.sohocode.com/publitor

                              Our kids books :The Snot Goblin, and Book 2 - the Snotgoblin and Fluff

                              R Offline
                              R Offline
                              Roger Wright
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #22

                              I was a nerd long before there was such a word. ;P Why, when I first started programming we had to carve our own CPUs out of little chunks of silicon with Swiss Army knives.

                              "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

                              C 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • L Lost User

                                Roger Wright wrote:

                                and my fridge is empty.

                                If your fridge is empty of beer, you have a serious problem. It is a fact universally acknowledged that a developer with beer writes better code. I suggest you write an app to keep track of your remaining stocks, which shuts down the PC when you open the last can. As one who is of a similar vintage, but has been programming since 1976, for a full time job, I still have that buzz - but just not quite the energy I used to have to keep going until the small hours! But I still sometimes take the laptop to bed to finish a few lines of code (Mrs. Maxxx is exceedingly tolerant!!!) I used to have a (paper) notebook I took everywhere with me. My boss used to be very impressed at how I frequently took notes in meetings. At the time I was writing a version of Missile Command and, had he looked at my notes, he'd have seen algorithms for drawing straight lines and circles, notes on using the keyboard to accelerate a cursor, and plans to have the bases able to move... You could do the same (although these days a wanker-phone may replace the notebook!) It's quite satisfying to have all these notes, which themselves help you plan out the project, and allow you to write more productive code when you finally get keyboard time.

                                ___________________________________________ .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

                                R Offline
                                R Offline
                                Roger Wright
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #23

                                _Maxxx_ wrote:

                                a developer with beer writes better code.

                                I find that, with maturity, scotch is a much more reliable lubricant.

                                _Maxxx_ wrote:

                                I used to have a (paper) notebook I took everywhere with me.

                                Me, too. In fact, a lot of people looked unkindly on me when I sat in a bar writing up database schema and access procedures, and didn't think I was friendly. Either that, or they felt obligated somehow to interrupt me every five minutes because I wasn't having enough "fun." Ignorant yokels...:mad:

                                "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

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                                • V Vikram A Punathambekar

                                  Oh, Roger, I used to think you were in the not-really-a-programmer* category, like me. I thought I wasn't alone, that I had one swell CPian in my wolf-pack** but now you've blown that notion to pieces. * Well, I do write lots of SQL and work with software, but that is far removed from what most people on this site do. ** Check out the wolf-pack speech from the film The Hangover - it's fantastic.

                                  Cheers, Vikram. (Got my troika of CCCs!)

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                                  Roger Wright
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #24

                                  Fear not, Vikram. I'm quite certain I will never be a real programmer - I'm just in it for the excitement and sex appeal.

                                  "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

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                                  • T Tom Deketelaere

                                    Simon Stevens wrote:

                                    I've always got a programming project on the go. I very rarely ever finish them

                                    I seem the have the same problem with my home projects. I start them, get to the hard part (the part that I wanted to research / test / invent a solution for / ...) and after that I just stop, can't seem to be bothered to put a nice GUI around it to make it useful.

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                                    Roger Wright
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #25

                                    I find the hard part is the fun part - doing the math, designing the algorithms, etc. The GUI bit is boring and hard to keep interesting. Once the core functionality works, it's hard to stay focused long enough to make it pretty. Besides, I'm a lousy graphics designer. :-O

                                    "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

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                                    • B Brady Kelly

                                      Roger Wright wrote:

                                      I'm toying with the idea of downloading VS 2008 Express at work

                                      pssst, 2010, C# 4 :cool:

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                                      Roger Wright
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #26

                                      I've done enough free beta testing for a lifetime, and with MS products, it's a never-ending beta test as it is. Besides, why would a stumbling amateur want to confuse himself trying to learn two different tools at the same time? :doh:

                                      "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

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                                      • L leppie

                                        Roger Wright wrote:

                                        I'll be 55 in a couple weeks

                                        That is indeed a very late time to be bitten be the programmer bug. It only got me at a tender age of 26. You seem very passionate about it, almost like I felt at first, you get to play with LEGO with no limits. I am not sure what to advise, except to keep on doing it, but as a hobby. Perhaps in due time, this hobby can transform into a career. This might even be beneficial as you could probably carry on coding till your brain stops working.

                                        xacc.ide
                                        IronScheme - 1.0 RC 1 - out now!
                                        ((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x))) The Scheme Programming Language – Fourth Edition

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                                        Roger Wright
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #27

                                        You misunderstand - I have no aspirations for a career in programming. I did that thirty years ago when DEC/IBM/HP ruled the Earth, and dinosaurs wore blue suits and neckties. I just like to do some things with software when it's appropriate, and like to do it myself. :-D

                                        "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

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                                        • A Abu Mami

                                          Roger Wright wrote:

                                          my fridge is empty

                                          Make sure the fridge is stocked with Guinness.

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                                          Roger Wright
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #28

                                          My first choice, too! :-D But it's far too expensive for a regular diet, and a $15 bottle of scotch lasts me a long time. I just have to remember to refill the ice trays every night before bed.

                                          "A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"

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