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If we are always expected to write new, different, useful, quality code that solves real problems, then no one would ever start programming in the first place.

If we are always expected to write new, different, useful, quality code that solves real problems, then no one would ever start programming in the first place. Everyone needs to start somewhere and maybe for a veteran coder the expectation is to solve new real problems, but for those just starting out, writing and re-writing basic conditionals and loops are more important than solving real problems. Each project should end in learning something new. For me this config parser (whether anyone actually finds it useful or not) was learning how to write a scanner/parser from scratch. To try and fill a void in my knowledge, rather than solving real problems.

copsarebastards 11y ago
If we aren't expected to write new, different, useful quality code that solves real problems, then there's no reason anyone should start programming in the first place. Everyone needs to start somewhere and maybe for a complete beginner expectations are low, but if you're not veteran enough to solve real world problems then you are in no position to be giving advice like "code every day" on the internet. The nice thing about solving real world problems is that you'll inherently learn something new, not just to you, but to humanity. And lets be clear here: you didn't learn how to write a scanner/parser from scratch, at least not a good one. To do that you would have to read literature and/or look at production code. It's unlikely that you've figured out decades of parser research with your lexer/parser--it's much more likely you've just reproduced a bunch of mistakes that were made and solved in the 60s without even realizing they were mistakes. You could actually learn how to write a good lexer/parser by reading a handful of academic papers or reading through the code of, say, PLY or working with a parser toolkit that exposes its workings like Parsec.

copsarebastards 11y ago

If we aren't expected to write new, different, useful quality code that solves real problems, then there's no reason anyone should start programming in the first place. Everyone needs to start somewhere and maybe for a complete beginner expectations are low, but if you're not veteran enough to solve real world problems then you are in no position to be giving advice like "code every day" on the internet. The nice thing about solving real world problems is that you'll inherently learn something new, not just to you, but to humanity. And lets be clear here: you didn't learn how to write a scanner/parser from scratch, at least not a good one. To do that you would have to read literature and/or look at production code. It's unlikely that you've figured out decades of parser research with your lexer/parser--it's much more likely you've just reproduced a bunch of mistakes that were made and solved in the 60s without even realizing they were mistakes. You could actually learn how to write a good lexer/parser by reading a handful of academic papers or reading through the code of, say, PLY or working with a parser toolkit that exposes its workings like Parsec.