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Re: undefined

#71

Post by Kalium »

mynameisvlad wrote: post #66
Kalium wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've certainly benefited from knowing about floating point error. I likely would have spent a lot of time confused about why certain kinds of math kept coming out wrong without know about the underlying representation of floats, how it results in error, why this tradeoff is good for most scenarios, and other options. The problem is that this is the sort of foundational knowledge that isn't easily gained through the l…

> It's probably not obvious to most people who don't already know about it that their computer can handle numbers wrong. 0.1+0.2=0.30000000000004 is not obvious? When a floating point error happens, it’s quite plainly obvious. At that point, someone would look up a SO article like https://stackoverflow.com/questions/588004/is-floating-point... and learn about it. And from there, FPE mitigations. Would you get to the…

Most manifestations will be in the middle of something more nuanced than a demo statement, the people in question will often lack the vocabulary to describe what they're seeing, and it's rarely anyone's first or even fifth thought that addition is going wonky. With that in mind, I think it's perhaps a stretch to call floating point error plainly obvious.

You're right, of course. This would be only marginally faster if the person knew binary. That said, there's a large swath of very similar things that crop up where the person benefits from a familiarity with the fundamentals of computing. There's enough of these things that a reasonable person might conclude that a software engineer benefits from such a knowledge base inside their head. That way a person can benefit from all those marginal gains at once.

Re: undefined

#72

Post by robomartin »

joshmanders wrote: post #20
freedomben wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't know binary other than 1 is on, 2 is off. Either an epic troll or a great illustration :-D

haha you caught that before I fixed it, that my friend is the result of my failure of math in my great edumacation in the US public school system hahaha. Also it's 9am and I just woke up a bit ago.

> Also it's 9am and I just woke up a bit ago.

You should try waking up at 6 AM

Re: undefined

#73

Post by amanj41 »

eulers_secret wrote: post #51
plondon514 wrote: post #4

Hello HN! I started this project a few years ago when I was unfortunately rejected by Codecademy for a software engineering position for the 3rd time. I love coding, and I love helping others learn to code. In my spare time I volunteer at Justice Through Code ( https://centerforjustice.columbia.edu/justicethroughcode ), which helps previously incarcerated people re-enter the workforce. If you're passionate about help…

Do you have any recent figures for job placement? The market is very tough right now, and even well qualified seniors can’t find work. The general consensus is if you don’t have a degree you shouldn’t even bother (unless you have many YoE, then only maybe) and should go to college or leave the industry. Is that true in your experience?

Most companies don't let you interview more than once per year or once every six months, so if he/she has been rejected three times, I would expect their earliest interview to be over 1.5 years ago

Re: undefined

#74

Post by [deleted] »

amanj41 wrote: post #73
eulers_secret wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any recent figures for job placement? The market is very tough right now, and even well qualified seniors can’t find work. The general consensus is if you don’t have a degree you shouldn’t even bother (unless you have many YoE, then only maybe) and should go to college or leave the industry. Is that true in your experience?

Most companies don't let you interview more than once per year or once every six months, so if he/she has been rejected three times, I would expect their earliest interview to be over 1.5 years ago

[deleted]

Re: undefined

#75

Post by foobarbecue »

causi wrote: post #68
joshmanders wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Learning binary and knowing what binary is are two separate things. I don't think you need to learn binary to learn to code. Been doing this for 25 years working at some big name companies, I don't know binary other than 1 is on, 0 is off. I'm starting to feel like this whole notion that newbies can't come in and learn say React or modern JavaScript without having to go all the way back to that day in 1995 when they…

I didn't know there were computer nerds who can't at least count in binary.

And hex, or any other base for that matter. Fundamental concepts and not difficult... I mean, hopefully people learned about place value in elementary school...?

Re: undefined

#76

Post by Fradow »

joshmanders wrote: post #12
l__l wrote: post #7

> Today's developers didn't learn binary before learning Python, why should you learn how to code without the most modern tools? This phrasing makes me wary. There's a difference between being self-taught, and not even bothering to teach yourself the absolute fundamentals of computing, like binary...

Learning binary and knowing what binary is are two separate things. I don't think you need to learn binary to learn to code. Been doing this for 25 years working at some big name companies, I don't know binary other than 1 is on, 0 is off. I'm starting to feel like this whole notion that newbies can't come in and learn say React or modern JavaScript without having to go all the way back to that day in 1995 when they…

There is a difference between going all the way back to 1995 / reading old documentation vs learning the basics of CS.

This strawman is used in several comments. CS is not "some old knowledge you might never use". Knowing that it's way faster to search by key in a hashmap rather than iterating through a whole array is useful. Knowing why it's a bad practice not to have primary key (and other DB knowledge) is useful. Knowing the stages of a HTTP request is useful.

You can get a job and actually do some productive work without any of that, but that some point not knowing all those basics is going to harm your work.

Re: undefined

#77

Post by yanellena »

cultofmetatron wrote: post #69
Solvency wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's good to know how to eat healthy, avoid processed foods, maintain healthy sleep patterns, avoid PUFAs, maintain strong mind-muscle connection in the body, communicate effectively and succinctly and empathetically with others, and many other life skills as well. And they'd all make you a heathier, happier, more robust, performant human. Which translates to better productivity. Better code. So, should this new prog…

I mean, you definitely Should be doing all that. 2 hours at the gym + suppluments + cutting out processed food + getting at least 150 grams of protein a day + drinking purified water have all contributed significantly to keeping my brain active and capable at 38.

How do you know that you wouldn't have the same capabilities if you didn't do those things?

Re: undefined

#78

Post by Solvency »

cultofmetatron wrote: post #69
Solvency wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's good to know how to eat healthy, avoid processed foods, maintain healthy sleep patterns, avoid PUFAs, maintain strong mind-muscle connection in the body, communicate effectively and succinctly and empathetically with others, and many other life skills as well. And they'd all make you a heathier, happier, more robust, performant human. Which translates to better productivity. Better code. So, should this new prog…

I mean, you definitely Should be doing all that. 2 hours at the gym + suppluments + cutting out processed food + getting at least 150 grams of protein a day + drinking purified water have all contributed significantly to keeping my brain active and capable at 38.

38 here as well. Agreed on all counts except the need for supplements if you're eating grassfed beef, lamb, organs (liver, etc) and other high quality whole foods. Also 180g protein for me, since I weigh 205lbs.

Re: undefined

#79

Post by LoganDark »

l__l wrote: post #7

> Today's developers didn't learn binary before learning Python, why should you learn how to code without the most modern tools? This phrasing makes me wary. There's a difference between being self-taught, and not even bothering to teach yourself the absolute fundamentals of computing, like binary...

> Today's developers didn't learn binary before learning Python

I didn't learn binary before Python. I learned Lua before Python. But now I'm messing around with low-level C++, and Rust.

Where you started doesn't necessarily have anything to do with where you are now.

Re: undefined

#80

Post by [deleted] »

WoodenChair wrote: post #56
joshmanders wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Learning binary and knowing what binary is are two separate things. I don't think you need to learn binary to learn to code. Been doing this for 25 years working at some big name companies, I don't know binary other than 1 is on, 0 is off. I'm starting to feel like this whole notion that newbies can't come in and learn say React or modern JavaScript without having to go all the way back to that day in 1995 when they…

> Learning binary and knowing what binary is are two separate things. I don't think you need to learn binary to learn to code. Been doing this for 25 years working at some big name companies, I don't know binary other than 1 is on, 0 is off. You're wearing your lack of CS knowledge like some kind of badge of honor. Of course you don't need deep CS knowledge to be a competent programmer. But almost undoubtedly you'll…

[deleted]
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