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So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | Osmose: Samsung N130 Netbook, A $50 bond and a coffee mug. Oh, and a Rubik's cube that has been eating up far too much time.For my Dad, I promised to pay for a golf club he has on backorder. For my girlfriend, I got a PS3 with MGS4 and Little Big Planet (which is really so I can play LBP). Still trying to get my Mom to tell me what to get her, sadly. |
What are your goals for your startups in 2010? | camperman: 1. Shipping the game
2. 10 000+ people buying it because it's fun |
If you had ready to use real time technology, what would you do? | rokhayakebe: AVATAR. Plug into a clone of me and watch him do everything I think. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | kabdib: A "Wiz" ARM-based open handheld gaming platform. And socks. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | BrentRitterbeck: I got Monopoly City, an old Chase Manhattan stock certificate, and a mint condition 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar note. |
Share Your New Year Resolution | dryicerx: Primary resolution is taking all my half-done and unfinished side projects and bring them to completion.Secondary new year resolution is hopefully triple QWXGA, you can never have too much pixel real estate. |
If you had ready to use real time technology, what would you do? | DaniFong: An automatic, voice based translator: talk in one language on one end (to an iPhone or something) out comes another language and subtitles in another :-)One thing that's interesting about this is that it's not too far off. We have speech recognition technology, computer voice technology, and translation technology. They need to get better, and faster, but they're there. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | vaksel: I just got cash. I'm impossible to shop for, since I just buy whatever I want. So about 5 years back we just agreed that I just get cash, since that allows me to buy the stuff I really want, when I get the itch. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | DaniFong: A necklace, a lamp, a dress, the 'inventor's almanac' book 'They Made America,' and several socks, the limiting factor for startups. |
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'? | danwolff: Over the last couple of months, I became involved with a nonprofit which is taking a whack at #13, Online Learning. It is not technically the "current best solution", since it is upcoming: http://www.innovativeineducation.org. The website is admittedly rough, but this organization is initiating free online accredited college courses. This spring semester will be for no credit (Calc I and Organic Chem I), as it will be a trial for the technology.
For-credit courses are scheduled to be offered starting in the summer/fall, back-dooring through community colleges until its own accreditation is achieved. The idea is to start with Gen Ed type classes which can be taught online and transferred to just about any school, and to offer more courses as the program grows.Since the endeavor is structured around corporate sponsorships, Innovative in Education can afford to pay professors and graduate students appropriately to create high quality content and instruct live online. No complicated login process to access the live content; users can just tune into the classroom page at class time, and view the embedded livestream. (Of course, content will be archived as well, a la OCW).Actually, on that note: there seem to be good streaming solutions for live action video (high FPS, high compression) and for slides (low FPS, low compression for detail clarity), but I have not found a solution that allows the broadcaster to selectively switch between the two optimizations. If anyone knows of such a streaming solution, please share. Thanks! |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | teuobk: A new set of tires for my car and a really nice scarf. I love practical gifts. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | mcav: An Intel SSD. Best speed-up I could get short of getting a new laptop. :-) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | cpr: Hey, there are 12 days of Christmas, so I've got 11 more days to find out what I'm getting... ;-)(Seriously, we celebrate most gift-giving on Epiphany, the traditional 12th day of Christmas, when the Magi brought their gifts to Bethlehem. Takes the "gift whammy" off Christmas itself, though we have a few minor gifts.) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | callmeed: Magic Mouse, an AeroPress and some cigars |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | pasbesoin: A llama.(Go, Heifer! http://www.heifer.org/) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | TriinT: A massive hangover... |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | jseifer: I got a really nice citrus press - http://www.amazon.com/Breville-800CPXL-Die-Cast-Stainless-St.... I make orange juice with breakfast every morning and this will cut juicing time from 5-15 minutes to 2 depending on how many I'm juicing for. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | quizbiz: I'm Jewish... but I got a winter break from college to spend with the family. For that, I thank you all (while my patience with my mother lasts). |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | jaxn: I got a watch, scarf, and gloves. I am at the airport on my way to visit my girlfriend and am interested to see what she gives me (she is getting a sweet camera).But now that I have kids the giving is so much more fun than the getting. I got them a Samsung N130 netbook, mini helicopters, some books (DIY Diary of a Wimpy Kid looks fun), moleskines and no socks or underwear. Being santa is fun. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | quinto42: PSP Go! |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | caryme: A WakeMate! Well, a printed email confirmation of a WakeMate preorder. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | jeffreyg: convertible mitts! http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3651700 |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | gaius: I got woken up at 1:30AM for a database replication problem, which wasn't a problem at all, there was no new data because IT WAS CHRISTMAS and there were no goddamn transactions to replicate. FFS!Anyway, Merry Christmas! |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | roundsquare: 2 hangovers in a row (maybe 3? we'll see...)Coupla magazine subscriptions since I don't really want much else right now.By the way, just finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance a few weeks ago. Great read even though I don't agree with it all. |
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'? | cabalamat: Fixes to these problems needn't be startups. Part of the fix for problem 1 is the international Pirate Party movement. |
If you had ready to use real time technology, what would you do? | ThomPete: One that solves thishttp://000fff.org/slaves-of-the-feed-this-is-not-the-realtim... |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | kellishaver: Nice digital picture frame (I was running out of room on my desk for all the photos, so it's nice to have them all in one frame on a slideshow),some DVDs, new speakers.My biggest joy today has been watching my daughter, who is 7.5 and has taken a serious interest in digital art/design, as she learns all the ins and outs of how to use her first WACOM. :) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | jarsj: Kindle ;-) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | shaddi: An IR thermometer! I've always wanted one but never got around to getting it. I've been measuring the temperature of /everything/ since this morning. It's awesome to see how fast heating elements get hot, or quantify just how cold your coffee has gotten. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | randrews: A Novation Launchpad, which I have already hacked to play Connect 4 with. I really wanted to play with a Monome a couple years ago but I could never get my kit to work very well (electronics were no problem, building the case was), so this is perfect.Also the world's most awesome toy car: http://www.geekfu.org/things/delorean-1.JPG |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | dhimes: Celestial navigation stuff. Books, including Nautical Almanac and some "layman" items, sextant, watch synched to radio time signal; all cool stuff! |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | andreyf: The Little Schemer! You've got a lot of fun ahead of you :) |
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'? | bokonist: 1) Rhapsody (yeah, I know hackers are supposed to hate DRM, Windows, and Real Networks, but I really like being able to pay $10 a month and listen to any song, ever made, instantly).3) news.ycombinator.com The comment section is almost invariably better than 95% of articles in the NYTimes.4) Google Apps5) Salesforce6) HelpSpot?7) An app that could automatically convert a web site created in Dreamweaver or some custom solution into a wordpress blog.13) wikipedia20) google search, site:news.ycombinator.com best laptop (etc)22) DabbleDB |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | dkokelley: Repair manual and performance handbook for my 1993 Mazda MX-5. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | spencerfry: A Panasonic DMC-LX3 camera was my big present. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | kyro: Rejection from a grad school and a call from a collecting agency! |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | ratsbane: I want a Winnebago. |
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'? | shaddi: 28. Unblab (http://www.unblab.com)They seem promising (I know one of the founders personally) but things are going slower than the impression I originally got. One of their products (Gtriage) is already out though. Basically they're doing data mining on people's inboxen. |
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'? | bpick: Yourgrounds.com is in beta right now, and should be a better way to use classifieds than craigslist. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | JimmyL: Several nice sweaters, a suit, some decent stationary, a watch, and a plane ticket home to see my family. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | Flemlord: My present was my extended family agreeing to play Werewolf for the first time. I've been dying to play ever since I heard about it, but haven't had enough people to try it. (It requires at least nine; eight players and a moderator.) It was a huge hit and we're playing it again tonight with even more people.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_%28party_game%29I also got a kegerator. |
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'? | richardburton: Interesting that "6. More variants of CRM" hasn't had much attention. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | daeken: Capicola and some Italian bread dipping sauce from my Mom, with a bottle of raspberry ice wine (yum!) on the way. New York hard rolls (oh how I miss New England sometimes) from my dad. Investments by Bodie, Kane, and Marcus and a hangover from myself. It's been a good Christmas already. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | mattyfo: I got a cool Threadless shirt (101 cameras), a nice vest, a David Sedaris book, a nice light, 'The Ruby Programming Language', 'The Definitive JavaScript Guide' and a wonderful day with family.I'm digging into the JS book now and loving it, very comprehensive. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | dmarble: From my dad: A card that says, "This card is redeemable for cash in the amount of the cost of the Feb 2010 bar exam if you pass it." He's trying to incentivize me to study since I'm such a procrastinator. I have to admit, that's pretty creative of him.From my two younger married sisters who each have kids: a box with a stuffed baby bunny and a handwritten sign inside urging me to "MAKE BABIES!".FYI: I'm 30, male, single, working on a law-related software startup, and considering a New Years' resolution of flying away from the bay area to other cities on weekends to meet more women. Good idea? |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | axod: Batman cufflinks. Unfortunately they do not fire poisoned bat darts.... yet. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | Emore: I got Lego! Brilliant idea from my brother, and I must say that I enjoyed it just as much now (I'm 22) as I did ten years ago. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | zitterbewegung: Some sweaters and $280 in cash. I'm thinking about a ebook reader to read scientific papers on any ideas? |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | lsb: Can you pursue your dream job on the side, on weekends?Also, what kind of a place interviews on Christmas day? |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | SwellJoe: Rejection letters from several banks for a small RV loan, even with a co-signer. So my Christmas gift to myself, an RV, will have to be paid for with cash, and will be a few years older than the one I thought I was getting. I'm also wondering where my tax dollars are going, if they aren't going into consumer loans for people with great credit and reasonable income. (Note to other startup founders: Getting a loan as a startup founder is really difficult, even if you have a reasonable salary and credit score in the 700s; plan accordingly.)A Kindle. Which allows me to get rid of all of my books, making my transition to RV living that much easier.Cash from my parents, as contribution to my RV fund. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | i386: I received a Kindle 2 from my boyfriend and this awesome ceramic electric slow cooker. Anyone for pot roast? :)Kindle 2 is absolutely amazing. I bought "The Business Of Software" and noticed that the graphs and tables didn't render legibly at all. So I emailed the Kindle feedback folk and within an hour I had a reply offering a refund. Best service ever, Amazon - and on Christmas Day too! |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | mickeyben: I had an arduino board and the books "don't make me think" http://www.amazon.com/Think-Common-Sense-Approach-Usability/... and "programming clojure" http://pragprog.com/titles/shcloj/programming-clojure |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | gouki: I'm relativity young to give up on my dream job just yet, but I'm having some serious doubts I'll ever get it.That being said, if it's your "dream job", and they can provide you with some safety, I say go for it. Use your free time to work on your own business.If you ever get to a point where keeping the two is too much work, that will be a good sign, and you can choose between the two. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | adam-_-: Massive wooden chopping board :) |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | davidblair: "A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week."I haven't been in this situation before but I think what George Patton said applies. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | RevRal: Andrey Tarkovsky's Sculpting in Time
Milorad Pavic's Landscape Painted With Tea
A signed and framed picture by Will Cullen Hart
Herzog Zwei for my Sega Genesis
Planescape Torment for PC
Leadbelly collection
A brick of soft lead (I need this for swaging).Someone found it and thought of me :)
Just the coolest stuff this year. Enjoy your day :) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | dnsworks: I was treated intolerantly and kicked out of a fat guy clothing store by a crazy catholic store clerk for not caring that the Pope fell down. |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | GavinB: Take it, and throw yourself into it for a year. Your business was a year away anyway, so it's worth discovering if it's your dream job. If it is your dream job, and the partnership materializes, go for it.On the other hand, you may discover that your dream job isn't what you really thought it was. Then you can move on starting your own business with greater commitment, either full time or on the side.You should also evaluate your reasons for wanting to start your own business. Being a partner in a business that you love could actually fulfill all or most of those goals, without some of the risks and downsides of entrepreneurship. |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | agazso: If it is your dream job why don't you accept the offer? If you don't like it, you can still start your own business after a year or later (I don't know how old you are).If you like it, you can also start you own business, maybe a bit later, but with enough experience and an established partnership behind your back, if the two is not competing with each other. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | ptn: New tennis racket. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | bgray: For Christmas I got an ESX losing power and bringing ~10 clients down with it. Merry Christmas! |
What are your goals for your startups in 2010? | il: Get to $1 million in revenues, get an office, start hiring employees. |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | Tichy: Temptation certainly seems to creep up at the most inconvenient moments. |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | throwaway11111: Actually, I just came from the same situation.I applied for a job at company X, at Facebook, at Google, and I also applied to YC. After interviewing at company X, I thought this is the best job ever, I would love to do this.I then got YC, so cancelled the Google and Facebook interviews. I told company X, who took it well. So well they offered me the job anyway---to take in the likely event of my startup failing. They also started my visa paperwork---an $8-15K expense---and said they'd just absorb the loss if my company worked out.There isn't really a point to this, except that maybe you can have your cake and eat it. Also, if you find an amazing company, maybe they'll prove to be even more amazing than you thought. |
Did the colour of the header bar change? | jleyank: On my mac, it looks like black on dark red. I have difficulty reading this, and recall old games with code numbers with this color scheme so they couldn't be xeroxed! |
Did the colour of the header bar change? | tokenadult: It does every year at this time. It's a seasonal change that will be rolled back soon. Oddly, I had just set a user-configured topcolor for the first time just as the site topcolor was changed. Now I get to observe which HN pages don't display the user-configured topcolor. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | klodolph: Kitchenaid mixer. Totally awesome. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | whatusername: Cash towards a Canon 500d. Really looking forward to getting into photography. |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | clueless123: I chose following my dream. To me, it was 100% worth it."Happy those who dream dreams and are whiling to pay the price to make them come true."
(From an old skydiving movie) |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | pgbovine: maybe i'm mis-reading, but isn't your dream job, by definition, one of your dreams? so shouldn't you always take your dream job no matter what?could you give an example of a dream that you cannot pursue because you were taking your dream job? it seems like any reasonable non-work-related dream can be pursued while you are working at your dream job. or maybe not, i dunno, i'm confused. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | jamesbritt: I got a book on making pop-up books and cards, and some glue sticks.Time to make stuff people can touch! |
Did the colour of the header bar change? | cmelbye: Yes. And the numbers next to submissions are alternating green and red. Merry Christmas! |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | araneae: I got more ram, pocky, a gift card to amazon.com, and money.Also lots of bdsm gear from my SO, including some really nice suspension cuffs. (Is this TMI?) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | verdverm: 2010 scion tC... Totally sweet ride, korman book, and much needed socks |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | portman: At our ultrasound in October, we asked the sonographer to write the baby's sex in a sealed envelope. Instead of exchanging presents, my wife and I opened the envelope this morning.It's a girl. |
Have you given up your dream for your dream job? | roundsquare: I'm not even sure I know what my dream job is yet. Right now I'm drifting between eventually (or soon) doing a startup and something totally unrelated.I'm curious, at what age did other HNers feel that they had figured out what they wanted to do job-wise (even if they weren't doing it yet)? |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | dnewcome: I got some beer brewing equipment. Now I won't have to use old water jugs and spill stuff all over the kitchen. Come to think of it, this may have been just as much a gift to my girlfriend as to me... (she got me the stuff) |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | flooha: Some old Piers Anthony/David Eddings books from my 14yr old son, which was possibly one of the most personal gifts anyone has ever given me. My daughter got me a laminated Spanish vocab foldout which was really awesome because I've been meaning to make up my own. Finally spending a Christmas with my European wife was the best though. ;)My gift to us all as a family was to go see Avatar in IMAX 3D tonight. It was amazing. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | barmstrong: Kindle (latest generation)And some books, notably Hackers & Painters, although not in eBook format. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | sordidarray: http://calcul.biz/amazon_covers/007054235X.jpgNew. |
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? | hardik: Am not a Christian but happened to close a big project last week so took the Christmas week off; so got holidays!
Am using this time to explore new MacBookPro my wife gifted me earlier this month for my b'day..
..and (this is the part where I remm saying 'Jesus sure does not love me all that much') results were out for one of the professional exams I gave in Sept and I flunked. |
Craigslist API | leelin: http://www.craigslist.org/about/bulk_posting_interfaceNote there are only a very limited number of supported categories. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | vog: Well, in fact I wish I've known earlier about the books you were recommended: "How to Design Programs" and "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs." I found them just a year ago.However, I was very young when I started programming, so I probably wouldn't have understood those books - partly for intellectual reasons, and mostly because I'm not a native english speaker.There was another thing that helped me a lot when I was a beginner: I attended a few "advanced computer courses" in some kind of "youth center", where I had the luck to be taught by really engaged computer freaks. They not only taught me knowledge, they also showed to me how much fun that is - even when digging on assembler level. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | jacquesm: I got started when I was in my early teens, most of it in a local computer store (where the salespeople would let me play with stuff I couldn't afford as long as I would explain to the customers what it could do).As for your second question, I wished I had learned about 'structured programming' earlier, that would have saved me a couple of years. But then again, learning it only after a few years of 'spaghetti basic' definitely made me appreciate it more :)Best of luck, it's going to take you some time but you'll be glad you did it, the ability to program computers isn't going to make you smarter per-se but it will give you an amazing new tool to help with all kinds of other things. The net result is very close to actually being smarter. It's like being able to use a powertool.Jacques |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | patio11: I was growing up in a not-too-well-off school in Chicago, and found a book entitled Make Your Own Videogames in the library. Sadly, neither my family nor the school had a computer. Happily, I found that you can emulate BASIC code with graph paper, fourth grade arithmetic, and a lot of patience. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | mszubart: I got started when I was 8 (in 1998). My friend bought polish magazine called something like "Programming tutorial with Borland Delphi 2" and he pulled me in this fun.
And so began my bloody thirst for knowledge. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | impeachgod: Yes! I read How to Design Programs when I was 13, and it turned my world around. I then read Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, John McCarthy's paper on Lisp, and the rest is history. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | YuriNiyazov: I got started with BASIC on a Bulgarian clone of the Apple IIe called Pravetz 8A which the Soviet Union imported in humongous quantities in the late 80s. http://www.pravetz.info/en/pravetz-8a.htmlNeedless to say, that's the wrong way to start now. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | apsurd: When I was 19 I decided to start a t-shirt printing business and print tees/hoodies for high school clubs. I got this big idea that I needed a cool website. With more time than money, I sought out google to teach me "how to make a website". HTML and CSS days later, I got introduced to PHP. I then spent the next 4 years learning to spaghettify "scripts" into Frankeinstein web concoctions.The problem, at least as I see it, was that I always just trying to "get my next idea implemented". Granted that's how I learned quite a bit, I think the thing that finally helped me the most was when I decided I wanted to fully commit to programming - and so I sought to learn for the sake of learning. TO consume myself. It was then when I met kohana, and jquery, and frameworks, and ruby, and Hacker News, and MVC, and OOP, and yeah the rest is history - true love.So my advice. Take it seriously. That doesn't mean it has to be work; consume yourself! You'll be good!edit: I wish I knew about frameworks and the power of just shutting up and learning from and trusting in people better than me. I love jquery. If people 1000000000 times better than me are working on jquery, it's more than I'll ever be able to do. Have to appreciate that. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | protez: What made you think that you need to learn something about them? No method is goal-independent. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | dougp: I got started when I learned you could program a TI 83 |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | maxklein: I learnt the basics in high school, deepened my knowledge in college, did a bunch of Microsoft Certification Courses to give myself professional experience, and I attend 3-5 seminars a years to improve my knowledge and keep me up to date.Just kidding. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | Apreche: LOGO on an Apple 2 in Kindergarten |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | bmj: I came from a liberal arts background (philosophy and writing), and got into programming when a friend was describing his work. He pointed me in the direction of Perl, and I went from there. I was fortunate to find a job at a startup doing a mix of front-end stuff and some Perl hacking, working under one of the founders who was also a self-taught hacker. It was very useful to work under a mentor. |
I've got Programmer's Block | ajuc: For me it helps, when I can see effects of my work right now.I write games in my free time, and I've noticed, that if I overenginer and have to write architectural code for too long, I abandon the project. The faster there is sth to play with, no matter how simple, the better.So I first write graphics code, so there is sth on the screen, then some simple keyboard input module, that later will be replaced, just to be able to move character on screen. Then I can see if the idea was good, and if it's fun to play with it. If it's fun, improving (and playtesting:) it is very addicting, so I can finish the project.Also, IMHO, it's better to start with simple idea, and give it depth by polishing details, than to start with ambitious project in the first place. Iterative programming ftw :) |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | silentbicycle: When I was 5 or 6, my parents got me a Commodore 64. It had some games, including some written in BASIC. I was always curious how things worked, and I wanted to make games, too. The library had a couple books about BASIC, and I learned enough to write text-adventure-ish games. Understanding the concept of variables at an early age gave me a big head start on algebra, too.In my early teens (early 90s), I saved and got a C++ compiler, Borland Turbo C++. Digging into real memory with a debugger was so cool. I wish I'd had a Forth to play with, at that age! Later, I dug into Linux, and all the stuff that came with them. For free! (I'd suggest Python as a first language, nowadays.)A couple things I wish I'd learned earlier:1) Learning how to work on codebases with other people takes different skills than solitary stuff. Since I started by working alone as a little kid, I didn't really learn consistent variable naming conventions, how to define interfaces between components, etc. until I was in my late teens and digging into open-source stuff. You may not ever learn these things doing projects that are only a couple pages long. (_The Practice of Programming_ by Kernighan and Pike is a short, lucid book that covers this well, IMHO.)2) Complexity kills projects. Most things don't need to be large systems, and if you structure a system as a group of communicating components, you can get a prototype (rough draft) of the whole system, see design mistakes early, and then cleanly replace the parts that need it. (I don't think conventional OO works that well for this - as Joe Armstrong observed, everything carries along too much context.) Start simple and don't worry about efficiency until you have to. Brainstorm on paper, if that helps.3) Write programs for something you're interested in, not just another blog engine or what-have-you. The added motivation in making something to make music, cool 3D animations, etc. will keep you going through the hard parts. Your social science background will give you an angle for interesting projects beyond the ken of most CS students. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | mantas: I was gaming a LOT since I was ~5. Then I started playing with HTML when I was ~11 and naturally got into PHP and Javascript in a few years.During that time, I ruun few warez sites and a free hosting company (which was profitable!) |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | ericlavigne: I think you are very lucky to have heard about Lisp while you are just starting to get into programming. If I could send my younger self some advice, it would be the books you just mentioned. Also Felleisen's other books such as Little Schemer (shorter and more introductory than How to Design Programs) and How to Design Worlds. I think I would have been ready for them around 8th or 9th grade, but I didn't discover Lisp until grad school.How difficult is it to find Lisp programming jobs in Boston (interested in other cities as well)? Here in Florida, I've been stuck with a choice of Java, C#, or Fortran. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | geekles: I got started in grade school. We had a bunch of Apple IIc's and IIe's. We learned basic. I believe my first "real" program was a graphic of Spuds McKenzie, the Budweiser dog.I didn't do much serious programming until I was about 24, the place I worked, a convenience store, just got cash registers with scanners. So we had all this scanning data but no easy way to collate it over time. I wrote a perl script that would parse our scanning data and tell me how much of x we sold for a period of time y. That was when I truly got bit by the programming bug.My advice would be to have a problem you really need to solve, a goal. The rest is just trying to figure out how to make your language of choice reach that goal for you. It is so much easier to learn how to program when you have a real, tangible, and personal goal, and not some arbitrary exercise put forth by a language tutorial.Something I wish I knew before getting into programming? Language choice is personal. Find a language whose syntax you enjoy and you can wrap your head around. Don't get caught up in language wars/debates. It's basically meaningless (although fun to argue about). Whatever language you enjoy the most is the one you should be using. |
How did you get started in hacking/programming? | jim_lawless: In the late 70's while in my teens, I was interested in making video games. I had a TRS-80 and learned BASIC and then Z-80 assembly-language. I then bought a Commodore 64 and learned more languages while at a tech school. I became a programmer for banking software and never really got a game off the ground.To answer your second question, I wish that I had some insight into software design as I was learning to program. Too often, I would kludge through something in BASIC ... that was the mental model of the software that I retained. It was hard to translate something like that into assembly-language or anything other than BASIC.I took a course in Pascal which helped to organize my approach to problem decomposition and program design. |
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