Parker HigginsAug 24, 2017
I wish I knew of a way to learn more programming without feeling totally crushed all the time by the weight of what I don't understand (especially given that what I don't understand will outweigh what I do, forever)
Show threadINACTIVE

@xor Why not just start at the base level of a given language and try to do some simple operations?

I liked Learn Ruby the Hard Way for this reason; basically you just type instructions by hand, try to run it, and if something breaks, you can look back at the example and see how yours differs. I found it really helped me catch the basic conventions of the language.

Aug 24, 2017 at 9:12pmWeb
Show threadParker HigginsAug 24, 2017
@deadsuperhero yeah, I am now at a place where I can start on the ground floor of another language or do a little bit with Python, basically, but it's kind of unsatisfying to not feel like I have a firm grasp on *anything*
Show threadINACTIVEAug 24, 2017

@xor Everybody has to start somewhere. It's very rare for an individual person to dive into a language and develop a sophisticated application in no time flat.

In pursuing application development, something that has greatly helped me is the following :

1. Write a few features that you want for the initial app. Try to keep it simple - for example, I've been writing a question and answer system for projects. That at least needs questions, answers, and users.

Show threadINACTIVEAug 24, 2017

@xor

2. Try to spec out how things should him together. Questions have answers, and both things belong to users.

3. Try to think about the most basic way to make something work. If you're not sure, try to articulate what it is you're trying to do. It's okay to search for existing solutions that other people have tried.

4. Similarly, when errors crop up, dive into why they are happening. Once you fix an issue, you can always refer back to what you did for other code projects.

Show threadINACTIVEAug 24, 2017

@xor

5. Try to mix easy milestones with hard ones. Sometimes, you have to wrangle with hosting assets on cloud services. Other times, you're just trying to get emoji to work.

6. Try to stick with it, but allow yourself a break now and again. You'll come back to it if you're meant to. Otherwise, try a new project.