News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

Spock

Re:Ask HN: Are there any sites like LPTHW for Java? on Monday August 27, 2012 @11:08AM (#4439144)
Cheers buddy!
Re:C++ Academy - My New Project on Friday March 30, 2012 @06:19AM (#3775235)
107 views, doesn't anyone have anything to say? :P
Re:C++ Academy - My New Project on Thursday March 29, 2012 @08:47PM (#3773967)
I've started a new project while I learn C++ to post about what I've learnt, what problems I came across and how I went about them. It's my hope to help fellow beginners with the problems I face and to help them overcome them. I'm trying to explain things in layman's terms so that it's easier to understand, and I will be posting puzzles and exercises for people to work through. Hopefully, with enough interest, I'll invest in web hosting and provide a proper site where a community can develop of likeminded beginners.

Any feedback and suggestions are welcome!

Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Friday March 23, 2012 @06:03AM (#3744373)
I found this poem which describes how my problem feels.

----

I am like a toolbox, with all the tools I will ever need lain gently and neatly in the box, ready for me to use them. The toolbox is translucent so I can see them there.

The key to the toolbox is locked inside of it.

Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Friday March 23, 2012 @06:02AM (#3744367)
Haha yeah, I love that article, I've been reading it for the past couple of years to motivate me, I've even got a print out! :D
Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Friday March 23, 2012 @06:00AM (#3744361)
This is fantastic advice, I have tried Euler in the past and struggled on the first question haha. I think when things pick-up from the basics of variables, classes, objects etc, that's where I start going wrong. I know about the mechanics of programming, it's using the tools to solve problems is where I go wrong.
Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Friday March 23, 2012 @05:57AM (#3744351)
That's just it! I understand that solution perfectly, it just doesn't seem to sink in/work for me. I've been doing 10 years worth of basics and still can't progress.
Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Friday March 23, 2012 @05:55AM (#3744344)
I realize that you cannot learn Mandarin over night, as with programming. However, surely after 10 years worth of basics, I should have progressed further than I have.
Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Thursday March 22, 2012 @11:19AM (#3740062)
I have always considered that when I hit this point of frustration that I'm talking about. It feels like it's the only variable I've not taken into account.
Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Thursday March 22, 2012 @11:19AM (#3740056)
I suppose the largest things I've done is a meme website in PHP which displays an image, forward and back, and a random button, and an upload script; all integrated into MySQL. A football game in Pascal which uses 1 2 3 as user input, and a goal keeper which generates 1 2 or 3, if the input is the same as the goal keeper, then the ball is saved, else you score. And I did a text based adventure game in Python.
Re:Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code? on Thursday March 22, 2012 @11:15AM (#3740032)
I agree with this. I cannot explain why I want to. It has something that I've craved to do my entire life, I cannot put into words or explain why, the hunger I feel to code. I feel very drawn to it and it is extremely appealing. That is all I know!

Ask HN: Why do I find it so difficult to learn to code?

I have been trying to learn how to code using numerous languages for the past 10 years. I go over the same stuff, strings, variables, arrays etc and I possibly get about 100 pages through a book, everything feels great, I'm understanding what I read and I do the examples. For some reason, out of the blue I hit a brick wall and suddenly I feel overwhelmed and stressed, I look at other people's...

( Read More... | 28 comments | 12 points | on HN )
Re:Ask HN: Can I use another PSU to power a HDD? on Wednesday March 14, 2012 @07:31AM (#3702691)
I'm in the UK, and it's something that needs to be done today, I don't have time to order adapters. Also, like I said, I use the molex PSU, which is fine. The SATA is tempermental, hence why I'm not using it.
Re:Ask HN: Can I use another PSU to power a HDD? on Wednesday March 14, 2012 @06:09AM (#3702483)
800W PSUs. Would it actually power the drive without being directly into the mobo first?

Ask HN: Can I use another PSU to power a HDD?

I have 2 PSUs, one is an IDE Molex, the other is SATA connectors. The SATA PSU is tempermental, so I use the molex one as I have all IDE devices.I need attach a few hard drives from another machine which are SATA and my question is, while the computer is powered from molex, can I also plug my SATA PSU into the hard drive, with a SATA cable to my motherboard, and power it that way? Sorry if it...

( Read More... | 6 comments | 2 points | on HN )
Re:Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a timer? on Wednesday March 07, 2012 @05:43PM (#3677641)
Thanks for the replies guys. I don't think they're quite what I'm looking for. I'd like the features of time tracking, just not paying a fee for it since it's not for business.

Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a timer?

Lookin' for a timer so I can keep track of how long I've been coding for. I need the timer to run when I start it, stop when I stop it, carry on from the previous time when I start it again and/or keep a record of sessions/total time.Any ideas?Cheers! :)

( Read More... | 4 comments | on HN )
What? lol.

Correct me if I'm wrong, it's only what I read. A fool who asks questions is a fool for 5 minutes, a fool who doesn't is a fool forever!

Hey Zed!

I made a start on your Learn C The Hard Way but after reading several comparisons I believe C++ is better to learn without learning C first. And I believe C isn't a very strong language.

No chance of you starting a C++ one? :D

Ask HN: Is there something similar to "Learn Python The Hard Way" for C++

I've completed LPTHW and I was hoping to move onto C++. Is there anything similar to LPTHW for C++ because I've found it the easiest to learn from. I get bored from books and learning individual features of a language but it's easier and fun to learn by projects and examples.Can you help me out? :)Cheers.

( Read More... | 6 comments | 9 points | on HN )
I'm lagging slightly behind, I want in on this too!
I'm learning to code, and I just find it easier to follow a project rather than reading page after page of theory.

Ask HN: Are there any Python or C# tutorials based on projects?

The good folks over at tuxradar.com do coding tutorials by setting up projects such as RSS readers and Space Invader clones. I was wondering if there was anything else out there that did something similar? Unfortunately for tuxradar they don't seem update the coding side of the site anymore and the projects are outdated (plus I've done them all over the past couple of years anyway!) Live Long...

( Read More... | 2 comments | 4 points | on HN )
Probably the latter. A friend of mine was sort of encouraging me with ideas and he bugged me to add a comments box to each image so people could add and read comments. I failed at that after days of attempting it. I also wanted titles above the images but couldn't integrate it into my admin script because how the script was setup was to iterate through the "uploaded" table of the database and display the results. Basically once things got a bit more complicated than just merely echoing images to the screen, I crashed and burned. This is the case with pretty much any language I use. I've made Space Invader clones with Python (using tutorials, understanding what was going on) but when it came to keeping scores, title screens and stuff, again I'd crash and burn. And today for instance, I've been reading up on C# and I've attempted to create Pong but I can't even get sprites to draw lol.
Well I sort of get 'writers block'. For example I set out learning PHP a few months ago and created a meme site which would store image locations in MySQL, pull them out in ascending order and have arrow buttons to flick between the images. A random button for an image at random, an upload script, a login script, and a crappy admin area. Doing all tha took me weeks of trail and error and a lot of copying other people's code then all of a sudden I hit a brick wall and couldn't progress. For a month or two I get a rush of enthusiasm and motivation, I start off great and start thinking logically in my everyday life and I start thinking about how something is coded; I even start thinking algorithms for everyday life. But then I just stop dead and can't progress; anything better than command line input/output apps just eludes me!

Ask HN: I want to start programming - Should I start BASIC?

I have tried hundreds of times to learn how to code and I fail everytime. You name the language and I've probably had a go. My question is, should I dig out my Sinclair Spectrum and start with BASIC and work my way up? Where should I begin?The problem I face is remembering what I read in tutorials/books and/or putting what I've learned into practice!

( Read More... | 22 comments | 12 points | on HN )