It related the funny comment in my mind as something like: "If you call your self programmer and don't knew any English you will be bagging my groceries sooner or later." or "Go find another profession if you can't speak English." and I would agree on it.
I like being sober. It gives some kind of quality to life that I can't really put my finger on... it is like running life from console way less colors but so much more control.
I would have never learned MFC, get a grip on events and later learn how to do stuff in C/C++ if I had not learned VB6. I think my first VB was that one that had all user interfaces in toolbars like GIMP. I know CMD BASIC 2.0, 7.0, Simons Basic II, Spectrum's BASIC, LOGO, QBasic GWBasic...(oh who would remember them all...), SmallBasic, I have original IBM XT motherboard with BASIC built in BIOS (I think still hand made chips before Japanese polished first automatic machines for connecting silicon with CPU pins), there are bunch of other BASICS I don't remember any more (old small calculators, and god knows what else) but that is irrelevant. I still maintain code I wrote in VB6 like only 7 years ago and I am not going to rewrite it in C# (I use for ASP.NET). I worked as civil engineer and without AUTO CAD VBA and LISP I would have clicked my ass of way more than I did and with VBA. I also wrote and application that have earned me an "elite" title in 2h and 15 minutes... Regarding other languages I use(d) (PHP, and several script languages including JavaScript), Turbo Pascal, C, C++, assembly and they do require much more tears because I did not only learn those languages, my brains had to restructure them selves and I am professionally degenerated. I see C and C++ in cars, refrigerators and even girls... :omg: ... ... BUT I DON'T LOOK DOWN ON MY FIRST **** COMMODORE 64 BASIC V2.0 **** 64K RAM SYSTEM 38911 BASIC BYTES FREE READY. :cool:
I like being sober. It gives some kind of quality to life that I can't really put my finger on... it is like running life from console way less colors but so much more control.
modified on Saturday, February 19, 2011 3:16 AM
Programming in VBA is very useful. I did some for ACAD, Word and Excel. It's easy, all you have to do is press F1 and learn few new commands. Still, overworked people can't do that. Or people that use drugs. Or people that hate their bosses for some reason. Or just too comfortable and arrogant people...
I like being sober. It gives some kind of quality to life that I can't really put my finger on... it is like running life from console way less colors but so much more control.
Depending on what you are programming, what is demanded from you and how good you want to be. You may pass by knowing nothing more but only how to manipulate data with your language if you are making a business application or something duckt taped for some rip off company, but you will never be able to create for example a good driver or code OS or anything that can be used as infrastructure necessary for databases, internet servers etc. to exist. Knowing all you listed and actually being able to use those things are two separate issues. If you are not patient and can't visualize, can't manipulate and mutate data, remember crucial things when they are needed it's not going to help you much. It is like saying: "I knew all mathematical operations, I knew 12.000 digits of Pi and I can translate your problem in to 4 (earth) languages and therefore I can solve any problem you throw at me." The thing is you either get it or you don't. Just because in past there were hardcore people actually made stuff that worked and made it easier for beginners, it does not mean that anyone can go and do hardcore. To do hardcore you have to be hardcore (learn and work until you fall a sleep and forget about drugs). Doing hardcore stuff does imply draconian coding/learning/debugging cycles. It does however imply job well done and job well done consists of great code, great documentation, simple user interface with advanced options where needed but hidden and pleasant to see user interface. User interface comes at the end of development cycle. Giving a user an application and trying to implement his/her ideas as far as possible while introducing my own and in less and in than 10 cycles of user testing and me coding for a small app, user interface ends up all of the above. Of course having and intelligent user that understands what application is suppose to do (not how it's built) is essential for obvious reasons - if you built a dog house and test it with fishes now one is going to be happy except worms and maybe grass too if you remembered to test outside and add water at the same time :)
I like being sober. It gives some kind of quality to life that I can't really put my finger on... it is like running life from console way less colors but so much more control.
modified on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 8:33 PM
We programmers are such a strange kind... I am almost in same position... I got angry once and I told my boss "From now on I am only working three hours per day" and he said "Finally you are going to work same as everyone else, we will see for how long will you will stick to that." I quit few days later... but that is just a part of the story to be completely honest.
I like being sober. It gives some kind of quality to life that I can't really put my finger on... it is like running life from console way less colors but so much more control.