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What was it like to self-learn programming before Stack Overflow? (2016)

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Re: What was it like to self-learn programming before Stack Overflow? (2016)

#51

Post by ry_ry »

DanSmooth wrote: post #37
ry_ry wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also from the same era was implausibly popular 'dynamic HTML' site Dynamic Drive, where users could copypaste semi-curated JS, which was responsible for some of the worst code ever to be deployed on the internet. I honestly don't know if it helped move web development forwards or held it back!

I once argued that the best thing that ever happened to web-development in terms of adoption was "view source" and how easily accessible it was.

Absolutely! That and being able to run code directly in the context of the page through the dev tools console.

Even these days if i'm having a poke around somebody else's work, one of the first things i do is to pop open the dev tools and start seeing which libraries they're running and what their custom namespaces are.

Re: What was it like to self-learn programming before Stack Overflow? (2016)

#52

Post by taneq »

b0rsuk wrote: post #46
taneq wrote: post #2

Before StackOverflow? Not too bad. Without internet access, though? Much, much harder, or rather, slower - a similar level of information could be obtained but it took phone calls, bus trips to a reference library, etc. Other than that, you just had to figure everything out yourself from the user manuals and experimentation. Of course, back then computers were much simpler and user manuals were much more complete and…

I disagree computers were much simpler. If you wanted to play games, you had to struggle with IRQ, DMA, extended memory mode, smartdrive, config.sys, autoexec.bat, commandline ARJ, zip, rar, floppies or tapes, and so on. If you had Linux, you also had to regularly recompile kernel to make something work (for example a device driver). My pet hypothesis is that puzzle and turn-based strategy games were much more popula…

Computer interfaces were lower level, and less friendly. Computers themselves are now mindbogglingly more complex than they were back then (and a good deal of that complexity goes towards making them easier to build and use!)

I agree with your hypothesis about games. If you have to do some study and learn some magic incantations even to launch a game (insert fond memories of himem.sys and boot disks here), then it stands to reason that those of us who could actually get into games were the type of people who liked a bit of an intellectual challenge.

Magazines were a big thing, definitely. I have a big box of Acorn Users somewhere that I inherited from my dad, and at long intervals I pull them out to read through the articles and old BASIC listings. :)

Re: What was it like to self-learn programming before Stack Overflow? (2016)

#53

Post by scarface74 »

My first two programming languages were AppleSoft Basic and 65C02 assembly language. Like the Quora answer, I learned from books. My first was the official AppleSoft Basic programming language book from Apple, then InCider, the library, Beagle Bros books, etc.

My first real job as a developer was in C and then C++. I had good college textbooks that I reference and Stroustrap's The C++ Programming Language.

But even as early as 1992 I had access to Usenet and various comp.lang.* groups.

Today, usually I get by with PluralSight videos, MSDN articles, and Google where I put the obtuse error message in and usually Stack Overflow is the first link.

Unlike the bad old days where it use to be Expertsexchange.

Re: What was it like to self-learn programming before Stack Overflow? (2016)

#54

Post by nunez »

it SUCKED. You really had to rtfm (and hope that the fm was good) or depend on google to find the right topic on a given forum (dreamincode, for ex) and hope that that topic didn't devolve into a shouting match over something that had NOTHING to do with your search query. it took much longer to get anything done.

Writing code these days is SUPER easy. Write stuff, run or compile it, get an error, search Google for said error, click on SO link, find answer, implement answer, move on with your life.

Re: What was it like to self-learn programming before Stack Overflow? (2016)

#55

Post by nunez »

jnty wrote: post #49
fiftyacorn wrote: post #38

You would visit the relevant bullet board, then post a question and get a response like RTFM. Then spend the afternoon staring into space

Oh never mind, I solved it, thanks!

and of course that was the only hit on Google for your error message.

Re: What was it like to self-learn programming before Stack Overflow? (2016)

#59

Post by ilaksh »

I was like 6 or 7 and we had this old Ohio Scientific. I think I was failing to get some really simple BASIC program to run and then started crying and my mom had me call my dad at work.

Then we also got a Color Computer 2 which I really liked following the manuals and experimenting with BASIC. That helped a lot. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://... https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://...

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