5 ms·

Ask HN: Are you programming on your holidays?

22 points by hoodoof 11y ago

If yes, what are you building?

fistfuck 11y ago
Always.
CLGrimes 11y ago
Definitely - only time I get to work on my personal projects in between the daily grind.
Geee 11y ago
Yes, I usually get inspired on hobby projects during Christmas time. It's ok to sit home and ok to not do anything work-related, so it's perfect. I started a robot simulator this time. Usually I've done small games and one time I wrote a ray tracer.
edsiper2 11y ago
yeah!
sdegutis 11y ago
Yep! Trying to write my very first programming language[1]. Aiming to have a legit GC (mark/sweep), a legit VM with bytecode (possibly stack-based to start out with), and familiar data types. Oh and I'm doing it entirely in C, because I have a special love/hate relationship with C that never seems to die. It's going slow, but very fun! [1]: https://github.com/sdegutis/Paladin https://github.com/sdegutis/Paladin
- dominotw 11y ago
  I think this explains the popularity of compiler articles on HN these days.
- krat0sprakhar 11y ago
  Any resources that you're using to help you implement this? Looks cool!
  - sdegutis 11y ago
    Sorry for not responding earlier. Setting noprocrast seems to have this as its major drawback, that I can't reply in a timely manner. I don't have many resources. Only these two: - GC tutorial: http://journal.stuffwithstuff.com/2013/12/08/babys-first-garbage-collector/ http://journal.stuffwithstuff.com/2013/12/08/babys-first-gar... - intro to hash tables: http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/pinewiki/C(2f)HashTables.html http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/pinewiki/C(2f)HashTables...
  - sdegutis 11y ago
    Oh wait I have one more resource: - The Implementation of Lua 5.0: http://www.lua.org/doc/jucs05.pdf http://www.lua.org/doc/jucs05.pdf It's not meant as a tutorial, but it's nice as a checklist and a reference.
oldgun 11y ago
Yes. For fun. No serious projects though.
pvinis 11y ago
yes. also advent of code, because i didnt have enough time earlier.
brianbarker 11y ago
If I could get off HN, yes.
dordoka 11y ago
Yes, for fun and some serious stuff as well.
garcore 11y ago
everyday of my life!
- garcore 11y ago
  building a realtime data management system for sites, apps, and themes. using angular, firebase, and codeigniter.
  - coderKen 11y ago
    it was all good till you mentioned codeigniter
fouric 11y ago
Very much so. As a student, I have found that it is much easier to focus on my large personal projects in between terms, when I don't have homework and/or lectures every day to interrupt my coding sessions[1]. Edit: As for what I am building, I am working on a graphics editor written in Common Lisp, partially as a way to verify others' claims about Lisp's efficiency, and partially to see for myself how difficult it is. [1]: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/190891/programmer_interrupted.php http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/190891/programmer_inte...
- markbao 11y ago
  Where do you go?
  - fouric 11y ago
    Portland State University[1], with a major in electrical engineering. PSU is, in general, not a very interesting college, with the exception of TheCAT[2]. TheCAT is, essentially, a small bastion for hackers of all types to gather together and work on various projects (incidentally providing IT support services for the MCECS college), and has been by far the most interesting part of PSU for me. [1]: http://www.pdx.edu/ http://www.pdx.edu/ [2]: https://cat.pdx.edu/thecat.html https://cat.pdx.edu/thecat.html
jyothepro 11y ago
Yes, no programming makes me dull
reuben364 11y ago
Working my way through Software Foundations. Though that might not be considered programming.
markbao 11y ago
Yes, perfect time to catch up on open-source projects.
discreteevent 11y ago
no
mirap 11y ago
Not at all.
rem7 11y ago
All work and no programming makes me a dull boy
- badmon 11y ago
  Yes, definately
namuol 11y ago
Working for a startup, so yes.
zimpenfish 11y ago
Yes, personal projects (but also many other things as well.)
bananaboy 11y ago
Heck yes. I'm supposed to be on holiday at the beach with my fiance but she likes to sleep in so I'm getting some programming in!
hoodoof 11y ago
I have 10 clear days in which I can dedicate myself to programming. Also seeing Star Wars and watching a few videos and a little computer gaming, but mostly programming.
ocfx 11y ago
I'm learning Blender, drawing,and Ableton Live
krapp 11y ago
Yes. I'm getting my personal site together and trying to get a head start on a game project (more or less a clone of the classic Berzerk[0]) since I kind of sort of want to do the game a month challenge but given how slow I tend to be, seriously doubt I'll make it. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berzerk_%28video_game%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berzerk_%28video_game%29
- hoodoof 11y ago
  I loved Berzerk - I remember playing the arcade version. Not much to it by todays standards but imagination filled in the rest.
rloc 11y ago
Yes, last time I coded maybe half of a real estate android app.
andy_ppp 11y ago
Yes! I have been listening to a load of podcasts a few of which make me extremely worried someone is onto my idea so I'm coding like mad. However, looking at it objectively, I think to pull off the execution of this project it will probably take 1-2 months of fulltime work. Anyone know where I can get, say, a hundred grand to help me start a business... If only. :-)
- hoodoof 11y ago
  What's your idea? Even a vague pointer to the field that it is in?
  - andy_ppp 11y ago
    It's about making money from the Internet :-D
charlieegan3 11y ago
Yeah, taking the time to tidy up my personal site as well as learning some Go. Had my last exam before Christmas so I've got a lot of catching up to do from a busy term without side projects.
badmon 11y ago
Yes, I'm learning python and flask.Trying to write a simple webapp
TheHideout 11y ago
I'm working on the successor to my gothic RPG: Manor of the Damned! ... Think legend of zelda (SNES) meets Castlevania. :D http://www.TheHideoutGames.com http://www.TheHideoutGames.com
letstryagain 11y ago
Always programming. During holidays I like to get familiar with new technologies to see what they offer. Exploratory programming I guess you could call it.
- e_d_g_a_r 11y ago
  Yep!
wwkeyboard 11y ago
I'm working through stockfighter.io, lots of fun!
tasdev 11y ago
Opposite to everyone here - it's a big, fat no from me. I'm taking the 10 days to spend time with my family and finish some books. I'm always on the feeds and seeing what's happening, but it is, in my opinion, very important to down the tools and have a break. It's the same reason I don't code on vacation.
bobsky 11y ago
Selection bias, many enthusiastic "Yes" replies here, but consider those who are offline/vacation aren't here to reply "No". For your productivity and health, it's important to unplug and enjoy holidays - http://qz.com/485226/this-is-what-365-days-without-a-vacation-does-to-your-health/ http://qz.com/485226/this-is-what-365-days-without-a-vacatio... For those that replied "Yes" wonder if the majority are from the United States, being it's the only "Rich Country" that does not require employers to provide paid vacation time - http://cepr.net/publications/reports/no-vacation-nation-2013 http://cepr.net/publications/reports/no-vacation-nation-2013
- Anilm3 11y ago
  I agree that it's important to unplug every once in a while, but for some, programming is like reading. As an analogy consider a lawyer reading legal documents all day at work and going back home and reading a novel, it's exactly the same for me, working on my own projects is exciting and enjoyable.
dplgk 11y ago
iOS UI test automation using python, node and objective-c
FennNaten 11y ago
Yes I am! Nothing serious though, mostly explorations of some tech stacks and tools that I don't have the courage to try out in the evening after work. But in the end I may boot up something non-trivial to wrap all up, if a find an interesting idea.
dllthomas 11y ago
Yes, improving my household management software and toying with building a shell.
bbody 11y ago
I am not building anything in particular, but catching up on some online courses that I've been trying to complete all year.
nextweek2 11y ago
I wish. My family is consuming my time and/or my hardware currently. I have gotten to the point of buying a new laptop today. Just so I get my macbook back. On the plus side my family seem happier. We're all well fed and I've socialised more this month than I have all year.

22 points by hoodoof 11y ago

If yes, what are you building?

fistfuck 11y ago

Always.

CLGrimes 11y ago

Definitely - only time I get to work on my personal projects in between the daily grind.

Geee 11y ago

Yes, I usually get inspired on hobby projects during Christmas time. It's ok to sit home and ok to not do anything work-related, so it's perfect. I started a robot simulator this time. Usually I've done small games and one time I wrote a ray tracer.

edsiper2 11y ago

yeah!

sdegutis 11y ago

Yep! Trying to write my very first programming language[1]. Aiming to have a legit GC (mark/sweep), a legit VM with bytecode (possibly stack-based to start out with), and familiar data types. Oh and I'm doing it entirely in C, because I have a special love/hate relationship with C that never seems to die. It's going slow, but very fun! [1]: https://github.com/sdegutis/Paladin https://github.com/sdegutis/Paladin

dominotw 11y ago
I think this explains the popularity of compiler articles on HN these days.
krat0sprakhar 11y ago
Any resources that you're using to help you implement this? Looks cool!
- sdegutis 11y ago
  Sorry for not responding earlier. Setting noprocrast seems to have this as its major drawback, that I can't reply in a timely manner. I don't have many resources. Only these two: - GC tutorial: http://journal.stuffwithstuff.com/2013/12/08/babys-first-garbage-collector/ http://journal.stuffwithstuff.com/2013/12/08/babys-first-gar... - intro to hash tables: http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/pinewiki/C(2f)HashTables.html http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/pinewiki/C(2f)HashTables...
- sdegutis 11y ago
  Oh wait I have one more resource: - The Implementation of Lua 5.0: http://www.lua.org/doc/jucs05.pdf http://www.lua.org/doc/jucs05.pdf It's not meant as a tutorial, but it's nice as a checklist and a reference.

oldgun 11y ago

Yes. For fun. No serious projects though.

pvinis 11y ago

yes. also advent of code, because i didnt have enough time earlier.

brianbarker 11y ago

If I could get off HN, yes.

dordoka 11y ago

Yes, for fun and some serious stuff as well.

garcore 11y ago

everyday of my life!

garcore 11y ago
building a realtime data management system for sites, apps, and themes. using angular, firebase, and codeigniter.
- coderKen 11y ago
  it was all good till you mentioned codeigniter

fouric 11y ago

Very much so. As a student, I have found that it is much easier to focus on my large personal projects in between terms, when I don't have homework and/or lectures every day to interrupt my coding sessions[1]. Edit: As for what I am building, I am working on a graphics editor written in Common Lisp, partially as a way to verify others' claims about Lisp's efficiency, and partially to see for myself how difficult it is. [1]: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/190891/programmer_interrupted.php http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/190891/programmer_inte...

markbao 11y ago
Where do you go?
- fouric 11y ago
  Portland State University[1], with a major in electrical engineering. PSU is, in general, not a very interesting college, with the exception of TheCAT[2]. TheCAT is, essentially, a small bastion for hackers of all types to gather together and work on various projects (incidentally providing IT support services for the MCECS college), and has been by far the most interesting part of PSU for me. [1]: http://www.pdx.edu/ http://www.pdx.edu/ [2]: https://cat.pdx.edu/thecat.html https://cat.pdx.edu/thecat.html

jyothepro 11y ago

Yes, no programming makes me dull

reuben364 11y ago

Working my way through Software Foundations. Though that might not be considered programming.

markbao 11y ago

Yes, perfect time to catch up on open-source projects.

discreteevent 11y ago

mirap 11y ago

Not at all.

rem7 11y ago

All work and no programming makes me a dull boy

badmon 11y ago
Yes, definately

namuol 11y ago

Working for a startup, so yes.

zimpenfish 11y ago

Yes, personal projects (but also many other things as well.)

bananaboy 11y ago

Heck yes. I'm supposed to be on holiday at the beach with my fiance but she likes to sleep in so I'm getting some programming in!

hoodoof 11y ago

I have 10 clear days in which I can dedicate myself to programming. Also seeing Star Wars and watching a few videos and a little computer gaming, but mostly programming.

ocfx 11y ago

I'm learning Blender, drawing,and Ableton Live

krapp 11y ago

Yes. I'm getting my personal site together and trying to get a head start on a game project (more or less a clone of the classic Berzerk[0]) since I kind of sort of want to do the game a month challenge but given how slow I tend to be, seriously doubt I'll make it. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berzerk_%28video_game%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berzerk_%28video_game%29

hoodoof 11y ago
I loved Berzerk - I remember playing the arcade version. Not much to it by todays standards but imagination filled in the rest.

rloc 11y ago

Yes, last time I coded maybe half of a real estate android app.

andy_ppp 11y ago

Yes! I have been listening to a load of podcasts a few of which make me extremely worried someone is onto my idea so I'm coding like mad. However, looking at it objectively, I think to pull off the execution of this project it will probably take 1-2 months of fulltime work. Anyone know where I can get, say, a hundred grand to help me start a business... If only. :-)

hoodoof 11y ago
What's your idea? Even a vague pointer to the field that it is in?
- andy_ppp 11y ago
  It's about making money from the Internet :-D

charlieegan3 11y ago

Yeah, taking the time to tidy up my personal site as well as learning some Go. Had my last exam before Christmas so I've got a lot of catching up to do from a busy term without side projects.

badmon 11y ago

Yes, I'm learning python and flask.Trying to write a simple webapp

TheHideout 11y ago

I'm working on the successor to my gothic RPG: Manor of the Damned! ... Think legend of zelda (SNES) meets Castlevania. :D http://www.TheHideoutGames.com http://www.TheHideoutGames.com

letstryagain 11y ago

Always programming. During holidays I like to get familiar with new technologies to see what they offer. Exploratory programming I guess you could call it.

e_d_g_a_r 11y ago
Yep!

wwkeyboard 11y ago

I'm working through stockfighter.io, lots of fun!

tasdev 11y ago

Opposite to everyone here - it's a big, fat no from me. I'm taking the 10 days to spend time with my family and finish some books. I'm always on the feeds and seeing what's happening, but it is, in my opinion, very important to down the tools and have a break. It's the same reason I don't code on vacation.

bobsky 11y ago

Selection bias, many enthusiastic "Yes" replies here, but consider those who are offline/vacation aren't here to reply "No". For your productivity and health, it's important to unplug and enjoy holidays - http://qz.com/485226/this-is-what-365-days-without-a-vacation-does-to-your-health/ http://qz.com/485226/this-is-what-365-days-without-a-vacatio... For those that replied "Yes" wonder if the majority are from the United States, being it's the only "Rich Country" that does not require employers to provide paid vacation time - http://cepr.net/publications/reports/no-vacation-nation-2013 http://cepr.net/publications/reports/no-vacation-nation-2013

Anilm3 11y ago
I agree that it's important to unplug every once in a while, but for some, programming is like reading. As an analogy consider a lawyer reading legal documents all day at work and going back home and reading a novel, it's exactly the same for me, working on my own projects is exciting and enjoyable.

dplgk 11y ago

iOS UI test automation using python, node and objective-c

FennNaten 11y ago

Yes I am! Nothing serious though, mostly explorations of some tech stacks and tools that I don't have the courage to try out in the evening after work. But in the end I may boot up something non-trivial to wrap all up, if a find an interesting idea.

dllthomas 11y ago

Yes, improving my household management software and toying with building a shell.

bbody 11y ago

I am not building anything in particular, but catching up on some online courses that I've been trying to complete all year.

nextweek2 11y ago

I wish. My family is consuming my time and/or my hardware currently. I have gotten to the point of buying a new laptop today. Just so I get my macbook back. On the plus side my family seem happier. We're all well fed and I've socialised more this month than I have all year.