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I'm fully on board with this way of working. If you only use one language for a long time, though, don't you think you're better served by avoiding breaking fo

I'm fully on board with this way of working. If you only use one language for a long time, though, don't you think you're better served by avoiding breaking for flow as much as possible?

jeffreyrogers 11y ago
You'll just learn the syntax automatically in that case.
a3n 11y ago
Write a lot of code, and you'll remember the things that you happen to be doing whether you're trying or not. The rest, look it up (because you have to after all). For me, with the small brain that I have, trying to learn and remember everything about a language is a waste of time that is better spent building whatever's in front of me. I think the original question was about exams, which is an unnatural thing, and nothing to optimize a lifetime for. Write as much code as you can, study however is most effective for you, and empty your brain when you lay your pencil/keyboard down.
mbrutsch 11y ago
My somewhat faulty short-term memory retains the information once it's in active use. I reckon it's like some sort of "brain cache with garbage collection". For example, I've been in Ruby for the last 3 years, and I don't have to google syntax as often as I did 2 years ago. Compare that with my last gig, writing pawn software. I used to know pawn laws quite well, now I'd be hard pressed to recall mush of that info.
jerf 11y ago
In all seriousness, is there anybody here who can seriously stand up and say that after working with a language for, say, three months, they still have frequent problems with the syntax of the language? I don't mean "I occasionally have to look up an obscure corner case", or "After working with X for three or four days I do need a moment to recall Y's syntax if I switch back", but literally after working with a language for a couple of months they have trouble typing a syntactically correct statement. I do a lot of Perl programming at work, and even after literally 10 years with it it still does, every once in a while, manage to surprise me. (This is, IMHO, a fairly damning criticism, but that's a well-beaten horse.) But I don't particularly have to think about the simple act of writing a single statement and haven't for a long time. It seems to me there's a debate here going on about a total non-problem.
- jghn 11y ago
  Me. I just poste elsewhere in this subthread so will spare the details but I'll stand up and say that. It's not every simple thing but there are some bits that for whatever reason manage to never stick in my head
mod 11y ago
I sometimes intersperse lines of pseudo-code if I don't already know what the syntax is, then go back and implement it properly when it looks like I've got everything else in place.

I'm fully on board with this way of working. If you only use one language for a long time, though, don't you think you're better served by avoiding breaking for flow as much as possible?

jeffreyrogers 11y ago

You'll just learn the syntax automatically in that case.

a3n 11y ago

Write a lot of code, and you'll remember the things that you happen to be doing whether you're trying or not. The rest, look it up (because you have to after all). For me, with the small brain that I have, trying to learn and remember everything about a language is a waste of time that is better spent building whatever's in front of me. I think the original question was about exams, which is an unnatural thing, and nothing to optimize a lifetime for. Write as much code as you can, study however is most effective for you, and empty your brain when you lay your pencil/keyboard down.

mbrutsch 11y ago

My somewhat faulty short-term memory retains the information once it's in active use. I reckon it's like some sort of "brain cache with garbage collection". For example, I've been in Ruby for the last 3 years, and I don't have to google syntax as often as I did 2 years ago. Compare that with my last gig, writing pawn software. I used to know pawn laws quite well, now I'd be hard pressed to recall mush of that info.

jerf 11y ago

In all seriousness, is there anybody here who can seriously stand up and say that after working with a language for, say, three months, they still have frequent problems with the syntax of the language? I don't mean "I occasionally have to look up an obscure corner case", or "After working with X for three or four days I do need a moment to recall Y's syntax if I switch back", but literally after working with a language for a couple of months they have trouble typing a syntactically correct statement. I do a lot of Perl programming at work, and even after literally 10 years with it it still does, every once in a while, manage to surprise me. (This is, IMHO, a fairly damning criticism, but that's a well-beaten horse.) But I don't particularly have to think about the simple act of writing a single statement and haven't for a long time. It seems to me there's a debate here going on about a total non-problem.

jghn 11y ago
Me. I just poste elsewhere in this subthread so will spare the details but I'll stand up and say that. It's not every simple thing but there are some bits that for whatever reason manage to never stick in my head

mod 11y ago

I sometimes intersperse lines of pseudo-code if I don't already know what the syntax is, then go back and implement it properly when it looks like I've got everything else in place.