Been coding for 25 years. I still feel the same sense of wonder as I did all those years ago. Began with Fortran and now a days I dabble in JavaScript and Java.

Been coding for 25 years. I still feel the same sense of wonder as I did all those years ago. Began with Fortran and now a days I dabble in JavaScript and Java. I’ve coded in a bunch of languages, COBOL, Pascal, C, and Haskell, not to mention Bash. One thing I vividly recall is coding in paper and pen. Back in those days, the computer time was limited and we didn’t have access to all those debugging tools. It meant I would think of the entire logic in mind and then write it on paper and even execute it using sample inputs. While it was cumbersome I developed this skill of mentally executing a code which helps immensely in debugging. It also helps me being able to keep track of business logic and architecture for longer term so that I could refactor or debug while taking a walk or while lying awake in bed. One code I vividly remember is calculating determinant of a matrix. I was trying to figure it out when my friend outlined the algorithm to me. I quickly opened a book and began coding. After couple of days of trial and error I got it right covering al the edge cases. I still feel proud of that! Later I learned that that method is quite old and even has a name, LU Decompisition!!