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Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

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Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#101

Post by aercolino »

AlexMuir wrote: post #42
ChuckMcM wrote: post #13

Excellent question for a Friday. Coding is like welding, how do you find two pieces of metal that need to be joined? Generally the answer is visualize something that could exist, but does not exist, and then fill in the parts that need to be there for it to exist. What you need at this point are a series of assignments which are self-contained problems with known solutions. The assignment 'create a web server that di…

One of my favourite comments ever on HN. The welding analogy is apt.

In fact my gravatar is a welding guy. (since 2011 :)

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#102

Post by aercolino »

A nice thing about "hello world" applications is that you can always use them as the starting point for any other.

The first step forward would be to change it from "hello world" to "hello {{name}}" and have the user input their name and the application show a custom hello.

Having this minimal input / output, now you can invest some time to make your app secure. This will teach you a lot.

Then you should feel ready to allow users to register, log in, and log out. This will teach you DB stuff and a lot more about security.

Then you should feel ready to allow users to add a profile with an uploaded picture. This will teach you about sophisticated UI issues, and even more security.

Then, except for scalability, machine learning and a few other special but mainstream technologies, I think you should feel ready to learn anything else.

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#103

Post by nostrademons »

sleepychu wrote: post #91
ForFreedom wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like said, I normally buy a domain and setup an idea and work on it. In the process I learn a lot.

Why would you buy a domain per idea for learning to develop? Sure for production this is a given but for fiddling about with things unless you have a good reason to work remotely why would you?

Because domain names are cheap, and feeling like you are actually producing something that the world can see is a great source of motivation. You also run into problems when you deploy to a real domain that you never encounter if you're just noodling around with code on your local computer.

The risk of creating a bunch of toy programs on your local disk that you never show to anyone is that you avoid the hard parts. Accountability is a good thing, in programming and in homework.

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#104

Post by haidrali »

Well i think you need pick a real world problem or need or an Idea and turn it into a product like

Skype ( it solve voice problem over ip and people uses it more than any other software)

whatsapp, Airbnb, Uber, Twitter etc or build something which people love to use

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#105

Post by alxndr »

bnb wrote: post #97
_wp3r wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are exactly right on this description of the the pain that is learning to develop. Example: If you want to learn to play baseball. You learn the mechanics of the game. You learn to hit, catch, and throw. You can be an expert baseball player, and you can practice the shit out of mechanics all day long, and play games, and win games all day long for decades. But if you want to manage a club and win games, you need…

I agree with this, but I do think there must be something that we're missing. Many, many skilled developers are saying "just go out there and build." The problem is we don't know how to build. I think there might be an implied aspect of this that we're not getting. Someone said to (paraphrasing here) "Google every problem you come up against; 'how do I do x with y, how does a work, how do I implement b, etc.'" That s…

Perhaps following along with an open-source project in active development?

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#106

Post by BlackLamb »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #13

Excellent question for a Friday. Coding is like welding, how do you find two pieces of metal that need to be joined? Generally the answer is visualize something that could exist, but does not exist, and then fill in the parts that need to be there for it to exist. What you need at this point are a series of assignments which are self-contained problems with known solutions. The assignment 'create a web server that di…

That comment. It made my day. It's one of the finest comment on HN

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#107

Post by ForFreedom »

sleepychu wrote: post #91
ForFreedom wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like said, I normally buy a domain and setup an idea and work on it. In the process I learn a lot.

Why would you buy a domain per idea for learning to develop? Sure for production this is a given but for fiddling about with things unless you have a good reason to work remotely why would you?

Because a domain would provide a real world example on a live server rather than a 127.0.0.1.

Also one would learn to tweak a server to the application.

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#108

Post by ForFreedom »

sleepychu wrote: post #91
ForFreedom wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like said, I normally buy a domain and setup an idea and work on it. In the process I learn a lot.

Why would you buy a domain per idea for learning to develop? Sure for production this is a given but for fiddling about with things unless you have a good reason to work remotely why would you?

Because a domain would provide a real world example on a live server rather than a 127.0.0.1.

Also one would learn to tweak a server to the application.

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#109

Post by ForFreedom »

nostrademons wrote: post #103
sleepychu wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you buy a domain per idea for learning to develop? Sure for production this is a given but for fiddling about with things unless you have a good reason to work remotely why would you?

Because domain names are cheap, and feeling like you are actually producing something that the world can see is a great source of motivation. You also run into problems when you deploy to a real domain that you never encounter if you're just noodling around with code on your local computer. The risk of creating a bunch of toy programs on your local disk that you never show to anyone is that you avoid the hard parts.…

Said Right!

Re: Ask HN: I've learned a programming language – how do I solve problems with code?

#110

Post by bpizzi »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #13

Excellent question for a Friday. Coding is like welding, how do you find two pieces of metal that need to be joined? Generally the answer is visualize something that could exist, but does not exist, and then fill in the parts that need to be there for it to exist. What you need at this point are a series of assignments which are self-contained problems with known solutions. The assignment 'create a web server that di…

@ChuckMcM, your assignment on market theory is nicely put.

I particularly like the idea of the sudoku part as a way to get raw materials. Get some crypto there and here and gateways with the "real" economy, and... you know what I mean ;)

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