I was going to write an article about how pointers aren't confusing
-
Until I realized in the process of trying to explain them that they probably are. Just because I find something intuitive doesn't mean I can make it intuitive to others. :doh: The secret with pointers is to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present. Aside from that, the rest is details.
Real programmers use butterflies
My confusion with pointers started very early this morning, since I read the subject as, 'printers aren't confusing.' Time for coffee...
-
Until I realized in the process of trying to explain them that they probably are. Just because I find something intuitive doesn't mean I can make it intuitive to others. :doh: The secret with pointers is to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present. Aside from that, the rest is details.
Real programmers use butterflies
I tried to explain them to an IBM systems programmer but for some reason he would not accept the concept. Even though all the code he worked with (assembler) made use of base registers. His main beef was "C is a high level language so it shouldn't need them".
-
My confusion with pointers started very early this morning, since I read the subject as, 'printers aren't confusing.' Time for coffee...
-
Until I realized in the process of trying to explain them that they probably are. Just because I find something intuitive doesn't mean I can make it intuitive to others. :doh: The secret with pointers is to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present. Aside from that, the rest is details.
Real programmers use butterflies
This site already has quite a few articles about pointers. I haven't read any of them, but some have been favorably received. Maybe looking at some of them would give you ideas as to what more you could say.
Robust Services Core | Software Techniques for Lemmings | Articles
The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. -
I tried to explain them to an IBM systems programmer but for some reason he would not accept the concept. Even though all the code he worked with (assembler) made use of base registers. His main beef was "C is a high level language so it shouldn't need them".
Except C is a "mid-level" language, and nobody considers it a high level language who has actually used "high-level" languages. It's funny when people form strong opinions around their misconceptions. Human beings in general are ridiculous creatures. :laugh:
Real programmers use butterflies
-
Until I realized in the process of trying to explain them that they probably are. Just because I find something intuitive doesn't mean I can make it intuitive to others. :doh: The secret with pointers is to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present. Aside from that, the rest is details.
Real programmers use butterflies
Do they allow fiction writing on CP?
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27. JaxCoder.com
-
Do they allow fiction writing on CP?
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27. JaxCoder.com
What's so confusing about them? They point to a memory location. Think of an address as an index into a big array of bytes. No big. =)
Real programmers use butterflies
-
Except C is a "mid-level" language, and nobody considers it a high level language who has actually used "high-level" languages. It's funny when people form strong opinions around their misconceptions. Human beings in general are ridiculous creatures. :laugh:
Real programmers use butterflies
-
Until I realized in the process of trying to explain them that they probably are. Just because I find something intuitive doesn't mean I can make it intuitive to others. :doh: The secret with pointers is to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present. Aside from that, the rest is details.
Real programmers use butterflies
They're not confusing at all. ( I removed the link ) use the wikipedia instead : [Pointer (dog breed) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointer\_(dog\_breed))
I'd rather be phishing!
-
honey the codewitch wrote:
Human beings in general are ridiculous creatures.
Yeah, just look at a few naked ones. :laugh:
And, as any hungry lion or tiger can tell you: "They're slow. No claws. No fangs. And you don't even get much hair stuck in your teeth."
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
-
What's so confusing about them? They point to a memory location. Think of an address as an index into a big array of bytes. No big. =)
Real programmers use butterflies
In a way, back to what you noted in your original post: How different people just see and understand things differently. Way back in elementary school (do they still have that?) I was exceptionally good in math, and by second grade, reading. Science was a joy. Handwriting, to this day, childlike. Also, despite being able to express myself bother verbally and in written prose with some eloquence (when the mood shines), when being taught grammar (as in parts-of-speech), the more they taught the less I knew. Associating names and faces, and pure memorization in general is a horror for me - but I know where things were in (for example) a 60,000 line application I wrote some many years ago. I had no trouble with C pointers because I learned assembly, first. I've heard that normally it can be quite a thing to grasp for learning C for those who haven't been elsewhere introduced. The point (ah yes, yet another pun) is that we all get dealt a hand and play those cards as best we can - at least for some of us. So - and this works out well for us as we're a herd-species - we all have different expertise and shortcomings that, when melded within the group, form a gestalt.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
-
What's so confusing about them? They point to a memory location. Think of an address as an index into a big array of bytes. No big. =)
Real programmers use butterflies
...and that, right there, is pretty much all you need to know. For some reason I was overthinking the whole thing when I started learning about them. And it's only like 2 years into college that I finally wrapped my head around the whole, basic, fundamental idea. Never had a problem with them since. That being said, I haven't done anything pointer-related in over a decade...
-
Until I realized in the process of trying to explain them that they probably are. Just because I find something intuitive doesn't mean I can make it intuitive to others. :doh: The secret with pointers is to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present. Aside from that, the rest is details.
Real programmers use butterflies
-
...and that, right there, is pretty much all you need to know. For some reason I was overthinking the whole thing when I started learning about them. And it's only like 2 years into college that I finally wrapped my head around the whole, basic, fundamental idea. Never had a problem with them since. That being said, I haven't done anything pointer-related in over a decade...
I think that's a common trap. It doesn't help that misusing them causes faults because I think that makes them intimidating but all a fault is is an unhandled exception. Fear is a huge stumbling block to growth. It doesn't help that I've seen lots of articles (not necessarily here) rag on pointers and state that they're scary in so many words, probably from authors that never got comfortable with them themselves. A lot of times it's no different than accessing an array.
Real programmers use butterflies
-
Until I realized in the process of trying to explain them that they probably are. Just because I find something intuitive doesn't mean I can make it intuitive to others. :doh: The secret with pointers is to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present. Aside from that, the rest is details.
Real programmers use butterflies
The most famous pointer of them all is ... Google. How? Well, given a search string, Google points us to the location(s), meaning website(s), where that search string is present. Agree?
-
The most famous pointer of them all is ... Google. How? Well, given a search string, Google points us to the location(s), meaning website(s), where that search string is present. Agree?
Amarnath S wrote:
Well, given a search string, Google points us to the location(s), meaning website(s), where that search string is present. Agree?
If you're lucky... :doh:
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
Anonymous
-----
The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
-----
Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.
Mark Twain -
The most famous pointer of them all is ... Google. How? Well, given a search string, Google points us to the location(s), meaning website(s), where that search string is present. Agree?
I'd say the links it returns are the pointers, but you do you. :)
Real programmers use butterflies
-
What's so confusing about them? They point to a memory location. Think of an address as an index into a big array of bytes. No big. =)
Real programmers use butterflies
Pointers are powerful and easy to use can lead to disaster when not used correctly, as can be seen when trying to debug a pointer problem.
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27. JaxCoder.com
-
Pointers are powerful and easy to use can lead to disaster when not used correctly, as can be seen when trying to debug a pointer problem.
I'm not sure how many cookies it makes to be happy, but so far it's not 27. JaxCoder.com
Yeah. There is that. It's easier to use them correctly though if you understand them intuitively. These days most of my pointer problems are caused by things i forget to initialize. :doh:
Real programmers use butterflies
