I was going to write an article about how pointers aren't confusing
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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
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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
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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...
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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
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...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
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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?
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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
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The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
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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
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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
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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
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I'd say the links it returns are the pointers, but you do you. :)
Real programmers use butterflies
honey the codewitch wrote:
links it returns are the pointers
So is Google a pointer factory, or a pointer dictionary?
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
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honey the codewitch wrote:
links it returns are the pointers
So is Google a pointer factory, or a pointer dictionary?
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
That's a fantastic question. :-D
Real programmers use butterflies
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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
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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
honey the codewitch wrote:
to enjoy the freedom they bring you rather than fearing the danger they present.
True for so many things! :laugh:
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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!
My antivirus started to ring bells with that link. Just in case, don't visit it. https://static.searchiq.cc/js/2.2.57/sa.js Name of the thread: JS:Trojan.JS.Downloader.DOY Really sad if we can't trust the links of other old CPians in the lounge to webs that shouldn't be dangerous :sigh: :sigh: :sigh:
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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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
look forward to see your this article!:rose:
diligent hands rule....
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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
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Pointers are evil... ...evil is fun.
"In testa che avete, Signor di Ceprano?" -- Rigoletto
But they're so cute and cuddly. Especially my precious little void*. Who's a good little typeless pointer? YOU ARE!
Real programmers use butterflies
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My antivirus started to ring bells with that link. Just in case, don't visit it. https://static.searchiq.cc/js/2.2.57/sa.js Name of the thread: JS:Trojan.JS.Downloader.DOY Really sad if we can't trust the links of other old CPians in the lounge to webs that shouldn't be dangerous :sigh: :sigh: :sigh:
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
weird, it passed out over zealous web nanny on my office computer. I removed the link and put the wikipedia link instead. :thumbsup:
I'd rather be phishing!