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Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

norvig.com

71–80 of 323 posts

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#71
post #28

> The key is deliberative practice: not just doing it again and again, but challenging yourself with a task that is just beyond your current ability, trying it, analyzing your performance while and after doing it, and correcting any mistakes. Then repeat. And repeat again. I think this is the really important part, you have to challenge yourself and go outside of your comfort zones to keep learning.

Absolutely, but I need a teacher for that

[deleted]

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#72
post #28

> The key is deliberative practice: not just doing it again and again, but challenging yourself with a task that is just beyond your current ability, trying it, analyzing your performance while and after doing it, and correcting any mistakes. Then repeat. And repeat again. I think this is the really important part, you have to challenge yourself and go outside of your comfort zones to keep learning.

I wonder how people’s learning habits will change with AI tools like GitHub Copilot. I used it for several months but randomly got logged out and am now finding myself valuing the slight inconvenience of looking up official documentation (and surprised how much more sluggish I felt for the first week). Going through extra steps to learn something through primary sources and valuing being uncomfortable at times are im…

I don't even use autocomplete. I know that autocomplete is, like, table stakes for the developer experience these days, but I just can't stand videogame shit happening in my field of vision whilst I'm coding, and I've learned to relish the extra effort of typing the whole name in every time, it's like a vocabulary word I can wield with power and precision, rather than relying on the machine to finish my thoughts for me.

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#73
This essay holds a special place in my heart, since I first read it as a teenager when I was just starting to learn to code.

Re-reading it now, I was surprised to see references to Malcom Gladwell, since I didn’t remember Outliers becoming a thing until much later. Then when I saw the reference to Ratatouille, I realized the article had been updated since its posting in 1998. The original is still available on archive and is significantly shorter: https://web.archive.org/web/19980206223800/https://norvig.co... Respect to Peter Norvig for continuing to edit his posts over the years.

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how people’s learning habits will change with AI tools like GitHub Copilot. I used it for several months but randomly got logged out and am now finding myself valuing the slight inconvenience of looking up official documentation (and surprised how much more sluggish I felt for the first week). Going through extra steps to learn something through primary sources and valuing being uncomfortable at times are im…

I started learning to code this year, and I keep thinking that I would have thrown in the towel if not for ChatGPT. For better or for worse. The big difference for me is being able to struggle right up until I'm ready to give up, and then ask ChatGPT for insight. Usually my issue is a syntax one, and I have the concepts down (i.e. I was right to solve it using nested if statements, but I forgot I need to put a variab…

Using ChatCPT to help you after you have been stuck and struggled would be equivalent to asking a senior. A senior might hallucinate an answer too, but either way you will get pointed in a generally useful direction. That’s usually all it takes

But as a senior, I can’t imagine using an LLM at this stage for solving anything meaningfully complex.

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#75
post #28

> The key is deliberative practice: not just doing it again and again, but challenging yourself with a task that is just beyond your current ability, trying it, analyzing your performance while and after doing it, and correcting any mistakes. Then repeat. And repeat again. I think this is the really important part, you have to challenge yourself and go outside of your comfort zones to keep learning.

I wonder how people’s learning habits will change with AI tools like GitHub Copilot. I used it for several months but randomly got logged out and am now finding myself valuing the slight inconvenience of looking up official documentation (and surprised how much more sluggish I felt for the first week). Going through extra steps to learn something through primary sources and valuing being uncomfortable at times are im…

Yeah, I realised I'm not really learning by having such a cheatcode. Was doing a Vulkan renderer and the moment I stopped using ChatGPT, I started making way more reasonable decisions on how to structure my code via abstractions and such.

You shouldn't take the easy route when learning lads

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends. I've been coding for a living for 41 years and have a feeling I'll get the hang of it real soon now.

[flagged]

Right - because the entire point of learning to program is becoming Mr. Robot

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started learning to code this year, and I keep thinking that I would have thrown in the towel if not for ChatGPT. For better or for worse. The big difference for me is being able to struggle right up until I'm ready to give up, and then ask ChatGPT for insight. Usually my issue is a syntax one, and I have the concepts down (i.e. I was right to solve it using nested if statements, but I forgot I need to put a variab…

Using ChatCPT to help you after you have been stuck and struggled would be equivalent to asking a senior. A senior might hallucinate an answer too, but either way you will get pointed in a generally useful direction. That’s usually all it takes But as a senior, I can’t imagine using an LLM at this stage for solving anything meaningfully complex.

A friend of mine in a senior role uses it all the time and says it 2-3x'd their productivity. He architects everything using experience but simple but time-consuming sub-routines are done via an LLM. He also uses it to create tests for his code and is quite happy with how it performs in these areas.

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#79
post #28

> The key is deliberative practice: not just doing it again and again, but challenging yourself with a task that is just beyond your current ability, trying it, analyzing your performance while and after doing it, and correcting any mistakes. Then repeat. And repeat again. I think this is the really important part, you have to challenge yourself and go outside of your comfort zones to keep learning.

I wonder how people’s learning habits will change with AI tools like GitHub Copilot. I used it for several months but randomly got logged out and am now finding myself valuing the slight inconvenience of looking up official documentation (and surprised how much more sluggish I felt for the first week). Going through extra steps to learn something through primary sources and valuing being uncomfortable at times are im…

ChatGPT has been a blessing for learning C. How do you calculate the conjugate for a complex double when the compiler doesn't support complex numbers? ChatGPT will give you the correct answer together with math examples. One example out of many. Then I verify the result by looking at other people's code - and now I know what to look for.

I wouldn't use Copilot. I've noticed how it distracts people in screen recordings. They pause to see if what is proposed makes sense, and it usually doesn't. Distractions are the last thing I need.

Re: Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years (1998)

#80

It's never been easier then now. For example, if you want to learn how to make games... There's a guy on youtube called clearcode. He will teach you how to make games, in a Bob Ross voice...pretty much from scratch. You can also use ChatGPT to help you out. The resources for learning are so much better. Socratic method of just asking questions is now possible with AI. I think Sam Altman said that he is seeing x3 prod…

I agree there are many more great resources but also many more terrible ones which will take your money or attention and give you barely anything in return.
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