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If you want to have fun, dig into some subfield of computer science, like databases, ray tracing, etc. Something that has been studied rigorously. There, knowle

If you want to have fun, dig into some subfield of computer science, like databases, ray tracing, etc. Something that has been studied rigorously. There, knowledge actually compounds and builds on itself, rather than being thrown out every two years for no gain. Build something small and see if the subject gels with you. If it does, go deeper. If it doesn't, try another one and see if it works. Once you find something you like, you can start self-studying more with books and harder projects. "But it's hard!" That's the point: surmounting the challenge is where the fun comes from. And then you have skills that 90% of devs don't even attempt because they believed it was "hard."

adql 4y ago
> There, knowledge actually compounds and builds on itself, rather than being thrown out every two years for no gain. That's most of fields. Webshit development is very much exception here, although one with a lot of market share.
- elil17 4y ago
  I think that is exactly what they are saying.
didgetmaster 4y ago
The OP is a bit ambiguous about where they want the project to go. If the whole point is to just have 'fun' while learning something new, then there are many different directions you can go with no accountability except to yourself. Pick any area of personal interest and start prototyping. It can be really fun to create something that does something nothing else does or does some common thing much faster or better than other solutions. Even if no one else uses it, it can be rewarding in its own right (i.e. a hobby). If, on the other hand, you want to actually build something that you hope other people will try, adopt, give feedback, and (heaven forbid) actually pay you something for your trouble...then that is hard. You have to worry about things like what operating system or browser it runs on. If you want the project to also be rewarding to many other people, then all the business processes come into play (finding market fit, raising capital, evangelizing it, etc.) which can often be not fun to a technical person. I know from experience with my own project. Shameless plug: https://didgets.com/ https://didgets.com/

adql 4y ago

> There, knowledge actually compounds and builds on itself, rather than being thrown out every two years for no gain. That's most of fields. Webshit development is very much exception here, although one with a lot of market share.

elil17 4y ago
I think that is exactly what they are saying.

didgetmaster 4y ago

The OP is a bit ambiguous about where they want the project to go. If the whole point is to just have 'fun' while learning something new, then there are many different directions you can go with no accountability except to yourself. Pick any area of personal interest and start prototyping. It can be really fun to create something that does something nothing else does or does some common thing much faster or better than other solutions. Even if no one else uses it, it can be rewarding in its own right (i.e. a hobby). If, on the other hand, you want to actually build something that you hope other people will try, adopt, give feedback, and (heaven forbid) actually pay you something for your trouble...then that is hard. You have to worry about things like what operating system or browser it runs on. If you want the project to also be rewarding to many other people, then all the business processes come into play (finding market fit, raising capital, evangelizing it, etc.) which can often be not fun to a technical person. I know from experience with my own project. Shameless plug: https://didgets.com/ https://didgets.com/