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Teh Womenz I'm rolling my eyes right now, just so you know. I'm sure EVERY programmer should really be interested in "teh womenz." OTHER HOBBIES FOR FUCK SAKE

Teh Womenz I'm rolling my eyes right now, just so you know. I'm sure EVERY programmer should really be interested in "teh womenz." OTHER HOBBIES FOR FUCK SAKE Now my head is firmly planted in the palm of my hand. You seriously can't tell them apart they're so embedded. I don't know when that started happening, but it's really quite remarkable. People program as a hobby. It's how a lot of free software gets written. It's how people learn. Here's a simpler guide to "becoming a hacker": 1. Read a tutorial (note: not a big honking book or anything listed on in the article. not yet.) 2. Implement the most simple possible number guessing game 3. Think of ways to improve the game and implement them 4. Get stumped on something, refer to the language documentation, or google as a last resort 5. Repeat 3-4 until you've exhausted all your ideas 6. Find a slightly more ambitious program to write. An address book is a good start. Repeat 3-4 until you have a decent address book program 7. Repeat 6 until you have a handful of small programs under your belt 8. Now pick a book to read, pick the parts that interest you, do the exercises if there are any, and take notes 9. Apply what you've learned to improve your programs; if you notice some marked improvement (readability, performance, your own productivity), retain that theory. if there was nothing gained; repeat this step or abandon it and move on 10. Start building non-trivial programs, forking open source projects, and write more code. Do some coding puzzles once in a while For any new language, start at 1. I am generally against starting with books. Especially for people who are interested in programming but haven't already figured out how to write and compile a few simple programs on their own. These sorts of people aren't even sure that they will like it, so throwing a thick meaty book filled with a whole bunch of nonsensical programmer-speak isn't going to really entice them. I say wait for the books until you've gotten a taste and are committed to learning more. The effect is much more impressive when you just run some code and see the computer "do stuff." That's when you realize it's not rocket-science and anyone can do it. Heck, it's they're really, really not sure... give them Logo or http://docs.racket-lang.org/quick/index.html http://docs.racket-lang.org/quick/index.html Bad ass hackers just do it. Learning all the theory first is just a barrier and a big downer.

krainboltgreene 16y ago
As most, if not all, learning books have you do exactly as you listed I'm not exactly sure why you're against starting with books. I'm sure EVERY programmer should really be interested in "teh womenz." It's humour. Relax. People program as a hobby. It's how a lot of free software gets written. It's how people learn. That's why it says "other hobbies". "Other", as in "in addition to" or "besides this one".
- bmcleod 16y ago
  The problem with "teh womenz" is that up until that point I was thinking of adding that list to a set of programming resources I'm sending to a friend of mine who's been learning programming recently. And sure, she'll have to deal with that kind of attitude eventually, but I'm not going to throw it in with the basic training resources. Talking about "teh womenz" is a good way to end up with a dearth of women in your general vacinity.
  - krainboltgreene 16y ago
    None of the women I've showed this to, up to and including my significant other (whom is learning to program).
- agentultra 16y ago
  As most, if not all, learning books have you do exactly as you listed I'm not exactly sure why you're against starting with books. It's just a rule of thumb. Most books are just crap. I own a lot of them and have read most of them. They're great for programmers. From experience handing them to complete newbies, they're awful. Once you get past the tutorial they turn into a few hundred pages of greek. As well, being even over a hundred pages makes the book an investment for a newbie and most people are lazy. If the book is too thick it'll get lost under papers and forgotten promptly. That being said, not all books are like this. I am considering handing out copies of The Little Schemer to any friend who is interested in programming. It's succinct, well-written, and teaches just one thing -- concepts. It doesn't teach a language, theory, libraries, and list a few example programs. Just one thing. That's enough for a newbie. So that's why I say, just do a tutorial first before you delve into a book. Learn only enough that you can muck around and make a few basic things to impress yourself with and decide whether you're having a good time. It's humour. Relax. It's not really funny. Not because I'm humorless and uptight. It's just not funny. That's why it says "other hobbies". "Other", as in "in addition to" or "besides this one". Misunderstood. Fair enough.

krainboltgreene 16y ago

As most, if not all, learning books have you do exactly as you listed I'm not exactly sure why you're against starting with books. I'm sure EVERY programmer should really be interested in "teh womenz." It's humour. Relax. People program as a hobby. It's how a lot of free software gets written. It's how people learn. That's why it says "other hobbies". "Other", as in "in addition to" or "besides this one".

bmcleod 16y ago
The problem with "teh womenz" is that up until that point I was thinking of adding that list to a set of programming resources I'm sending to a friend of mine who's been learning programming recently. And sure, she'll have to deal with that kind of attitude eventually, but I'm not going to throw it in with the basic training resources. Talking about "teh womenz" is a good way to end up with a dearth of women in your general vacinity.
- krainboltgreene 16y ago
  None of the women I've showed this to, up to and including my significant other (whom is learning to program).
agentultra 16y ago
As most, if not all, learning books have you do exactly as you listed I'm not exactly sure why you're against starting with books. It's just a rule of thumb. Most books are just crap. I own a lot of them and have read most of them. They're great for programmers. From experience handing them to complete newbies, they're awful. Once you get past the tutorial they turn into a few hundred pages of greek. As well, being even over a hundred pages makes the book an investment for a newbie and most people are lazy. If the book is too thick it'll get lost under papers and forgotten promptly. That being said, not all books are like this. I am considering handing out copies of The Little Schemer to any friend who is interested in programming. It's succinct, well-written, and teaches just one thing -- concepts. It doesn't teach a language, theory, libraries, and list a few example programs. Just one thing. That's enough for a newbie. So that's why I say, just do a tutorial first before you delve into a book. Learn only enough that you can muck around and make a few basic things to impress yourself with and decide whether you're having a good time. It's humour. Relax. It's not really funny. Not because I'm humorless and uptight. It's just not funny. That's why it says "other hobbies". "Other", as in "in addition to" or "besides this one". Misunderstood. Fair enough.