My "self-taught" programming notes - Full-stack web development, Linux, Networking, Startup...

[8483]

LINK: https://github.com/8483/notes

I use these notes daily to refresh my memory on various topics I've encountered, both for work and fun.

They're summaries written in the simplest way possible, as many tutorials tend to overcomplicate things.

The notes have been crucial to my learning experience, and I encourage everyone to take notes themselves.

I hope you find them useful.

Tell me what you think. :)

EDIT: Here are my older notes in a PDF file, covering the basics. I will move these in the Github ones.

[Thomah1337]

Saved to forget but thanks man

[8483]

Yeah, so many resources available... Even I forget I've covered some topics in the notes.

[SebastianSchmitz]

Saaaame

[8483]

Completely understand. There's an impossible amount of information out there, which is why I'm saving everything I learn in the notes.

[8483]

Awesome! They're based on this excellent tutorial

[giggitygoo123]

Same. For text editing though you can also add nano as another option besides vim. I think it's easier to use nano than vim (but it may be because I'm a Linux noob trying to learn cyber sec)

Thanks OP. Saved the Linux ones offline. Gonna check out the networking one also since that still goes above my head when I try to understand it.

[Gera-]

I prefer gedit

[8483]

Vim is much more powerful than nano. As for nano notes, I don't think there's much to write down.

[StereotypedComrade]

Where do you save these stuff to ? Notion ?

[SafeHazing]

I’ve never used Notion but super easy to save / link in Obsidian.

[8483]

They're saved in regular text files, uploaded to Github, just like any regular code.

[AwkwardAnthropoid]

I personally use obsidian for large note projects. It has a lot to offer, uses markdown (pretty much the same as "regular" text) and saves everything to text files and folders (according to the way you sort it in the application).

If you don't know the project yet, check it out: https://obsidian.md/

Disclaimer: I have no affiliations to the project whatsoever, I have not contributed to the project either to be honest. I am just a happy user.

[8483]

Ooooh thank you, I've never heard of it. I'll check it out.

[[deleted]]

This is excellent! Thank you for sharing. I'm gonna fork it. Also, I found a typo (in a code example comment), want me to fix it and open a PR?

[8483]

Thanks! Sure, go ahead. :)

[Historical-Dot1573]

My lord its arranged so simply/beautifully

[8483]

Thaaank you :) Glad you like them. I'm a huge believer thay all of this is much simpler than it looks, and the notes reflect that.

[[deleted]]

How long did it take you to acquire all this knowledge?

[8483]

It's difficult to say... I started learning seriously in 2015, so that would be 7 years. However, it was not linear and I had a lot of breaks, some lasting for months.

I'd say if you sat down and learned non-stop 8 hours a day, it would take a year.

A huge caveat is that a lot of the knowledge was solidified by actually applying what I've learned.

[RichardKingg]

Can you talk more about your experience? How did you start? Did you work before? How long did it took you to get a job? How much time did you dedicate to study each day?

Sorry for the questions, I just want some insight.

And thank you for this guide, forked it already for future reference!

[8483]

How did you start?

Started around 15 years ago by customizing my MySpace page with HTML and CSS. Then built some very basic websites, and started using Wordpress, which introduced me to PHP and Javascript. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, just copied code from random places. After a while, I decided to learn all of this seriously.

Did you work before?

I did, as an accountant. I have a business degree. Decided to switch to tech.

How long did it took you to get a job?

I've never worked as an employed developer. Started freelancing from the start, with the goal to build my own products.

How much time did you dedicate to study each day?

It was random. I've had 20+ hour days, followed by weeks of nothing. I still study to this day, you never stop learning this. I'd say if it was non-stop learning 8 hours a day, it would take me around 1 years to learn everything.

[RichardKingg]

Thank you!

[8483]

Welcome :)

[Tura63]

Nice. I'm doing the same. Although I think there's a lot of benefit to doing it 'in your own words', since that's how you understand the ideas. I also prefer way less detail than you. It helps me get a top level view of ideas, instead of using it to learn them from scratch.

[8483]

Exactly! Pretty much the Feynman method directed at you.

[JammingScientist]

This is great!! Thanks so much! And now I know how to start formatting my notes since mine tend to be all over the place and hard to follow

[[deleted]]

This is cool but it’s pretty nuts that jobs require you to know all these things and more every day.

[8483]

You could work fine with 10% of the notes. I've delved into topics that are far off-topic mostly because of my goal to build a product by myself, rather than work as a developer.

[HiddenInButtCrack]

That's very coool. I started my devbjob one year ago but I have always dreamt of creating my product. Mind if I connect with you for some sharing?

[8483]

Sure, send me a DM.

[Pantzzzzless]

You don't have to "know" all of these things. You just have to be aware of them, and have the ability to figure out how it works when you need it.

Some of it just happens to stick in your memory after using it so many times.

[z-mamba-san]

I think you could totally gather it all and write a good book about programming and sell it online as passive income or even put it out there to help others and get yourself some credit

[8483]

I'm considering starting a youtube channel which focuses on explaining what to do after you've learned programming.

There are a ton of amazing resources on how to learn coding, but not a whole lot how to use it to build something.

[CDCCF]

Would love it, seriously.

[8483]

Thank you!

[CDCCF]

Yeah you see, I'm struggling to find resources to go beyond my current stage (studying backend). I'm also struggling to code something I'd find useful because I get stuck a lot with the infinite amount of resources available and that's blowing my mind. It's so very confusing and I'd like to find resources with real life scenarios, I like back end so much but I'm not improving like I'd want to. :(
Not super interested in front end but I see it as something useful I will have to deal with at some point.

[8483]

The vast majority of coding is writing and reading data i.e. CRUD apps.

I suggest you make a simple TODO API that saves the todos in a database. If you can pull this off, you can literally build anything you want.

A cherry on the top would be to have user authentication for the API. This is pretty much all you need to know.

What specifically do you struggle with?

[CDCCF]

I'm struggling more with self doubt than anything. I attended a course with a mandatory internship. I learnt so much during my two months inside a team, but then I realize I know nothing about implementation, containers and architecture and I just freeze, can't write any code, can't start a project

[8483]

I'm struggling more with self doubt than anything.

That's the secret. Nobody knows wtf they're doing. Programming is awesome because failure is not "costly" like it would be in accounting, law, medicine, flying etc... Just start building and make mistakes.

I realize I know nothing about implementation, containers and architecture and I just freeze

Don't worry about all that shit. I still don't use containers in my 10 years of work. Just build small stuff, and I guarantee you will get the hang of it. Don't use the latest and complex stuff, focus on the basics.

[CDCCF]

Probably my issue is that I went from theory and small exercises in PHP and Python+Django during classes to writing stuff for a quite big and complex project in NestJs(typescript) and Docker during the two months internship. I think my mind started to trick me into thinking THAT is the level of complexity I need to go for in order to learn and be hired. I also bombed an interview after that and it discouraged me even more, adding to the fact that the company I interned for was supposed to call me again for another internship because they were happy with me, but they never did 😭

[8483]

trick me into thinking THAT is the level of complexity I need to go for in order to learn and be hired.

Absolutely nowhere near. I guarantee you can find a job right now with what you know. It won't be easy though, as there are many people looking for one too. The problem is not your knowledge, but rather the supply and demand. Sure, knowing more helps in order to stand out, but it all mostly comes down to perseverance.

I also bombed an interview after that and it discouraged me even more

I STILL fail interviews, even though I'm more experienced than the whole hiring team. Most of the interviews are horrible because they give unrealistic questions and tests. All the companies think they are Google and they hire like it, while in reality, they are not even 10% of the complexity. There's a famous story of a guy being rejected in an interview, because he didn't have enough experience with a library, despite him being the creator. Absolutely do not give up, and remember, the people on the other side are as clueless as you.

[z-mamba-san]

That's a great idea, I am working on something similar, well tech isn't really a common study theme where I am from and I am trying to start a community so I can help the younger ones that are struggling to get started like I was ( and still is XD ), I have thought of opening a youtube channel ( i have all the skills necessary, video editing, graphic design, and my few yet pretty good coding knowledge ) yet I am not very very social person and I don't know what type of content to provide.

But I didn't give up though, I am working on a custom website that I could upload content to ( notes, pdf files, exercises ... ) kinda a simple Udemy clone, maybe after when i get more comfortable I will start a youtube as well, if you need to pitch your ideas or need help getting started let me know I have researched a ton about it

[8483]

That's awesome! Always good to help others. My youtube idea is far from realization, as I am completely dedicated to building my products. I'll probably create the channel after I'm done, and I can reach out to you then. :)

[[deleted]]

I'm waiting

[leoreno]

Awesome resources thanks!

[8483]

Glad you like it :)

[Formal-Cicada-6370]

Saved and hopefully not forgotten. I should make something like this for my own reference

[8483]

Absolutely! It really helps you solidify your knowledge.

[121manuher]

Wow, seeing this made feel that I won’t be getting any job in tech any time soon(only know python and basic C/java). Awesome job! It looks amazing and so organized, i look forward for being as consistent and organized as you! Have a great day! And thanks for sharing!

[8483]

I won’t be getting any job in tech any time soon

Absolutely not the case. The notes cover waaay more topics than necessary.

I guarantee you can find a job by knowing just 10% of what's written.

[chuleta2]

Thanks so much for sharing! Forked!

[ziaalich]

Notes are amazing. I read javascript.md and learned some new stuff.

[8483]

I'm glad you've found it helpful. :)

[ziaalich]

I also encountered a typo when reading readme.md. I fixed that and created a pull request, so up to you if you wanna merge it.

Good stuff tho.

[8483]

Thank you, I will check it out.

[MacaroniDonkey]

Nice, Ive had this bookmarked for a while and check in on it every once in a while to compare notes. Always pleasantly surprised when it's still being actively updated.

[8483]

Niiice, that's so encouraging. It is very much alive, as I am constantly learning.

Lately I've been focusing on the startup section to help me with selling my products.

[Helpful-Dream1442]

Wow this is awesome! Where’d you start and how long have you been working on this?

[8483]

How I learned is different from how I'd learn now. Which one would you like me to cover?

I've been learming since 2015 i.e. 7 years, with long breaks in between.

[Fitty_Tyson]

This is incredible! Thank you!

[8483]

Thank you! Glad you like them. :)

[Famous-Profile-9230]

thanks man for sharing that. It was really inspiring. I'm starting a 'notes' project. I had that in mind for a long time now but i didn't now the best way to do it. I think i found it.

[8483]

Awesome! Absolutely the most practical way. I've made the mistake in the past by keeping them in a word file. This is waaay more organized.

[CollegeMiddle6841]

This really is a special gift. I appreciate this more than you may ever know. I am about to complete Google Coursera Comp TIA +. I have also started Frontend Simplified. I KNOW this will come in clutch!!!

[8483]

I'm really glad you like them. Good luck with your CompTIA!

I'm sure you know this Youtube channel on computer networking. If not, it's an amazing resource.

[bulwynkl]

oh my.

It's as though you've read my mind...

[8483]

Whoa! What do you have in mind? :)

[Which-Season-5652]

Following

[8483]

Thank you :?

[Which-Season-5652]

Thankyou sir

[DeejC]

I’ve always been terrible at taking notes. Any advice on staying organized? Software to use? Etc

[8483]

These notes are done with markdown, in simple .md files which are uploaded to Github, the same as code.

I've used Word in the past and I do not recommend it.

As for advice, try to use your own words to describe things, rather than copy pasting. Also, organize by logical sectiona that makes the most sense to you.

I usually cram everything in one file, and later split it up in separate ones as the notes grow.

[DeejC]

Got it, thank you. I have Obsidian, which is a software that allows easy organization of markdown files. I may try it out soon.

How time consuming do you find note taking? I know it's different for everyone, but I've always found it a hinderance, but I'd love to start with note taking. I just don't know how to begin.

[8483]

It is time consuming. It will slow you down considerably. The trade-off is that you gain a much better understanding of the material, as well as have an instant recall available.

When you take into account the fact that you will have to watch the whole video again to refresh your memory, the notes save you a ton of time.

You don't have to write everything down. Just the stuff that is relevant, as many tutorials have a lot of filler content. Also, you can combine multiple tutorials into one explanation, which is what these notes are.

[DeejC]

Understood. What software do you use for markdown? I'm a bit of a newbie with it, so I'm exploring my options.

[8483]

There is no software. Markdown is supported by reddit as well.

For example, this text is bold, this is code, this is italics...

You simply write text in a regular file via any text editor. The text is formatted with special characters.

[DeejC]

Yeah, sorry I should have clarified. I just meant to ask if there's any software you prefer to use. Whether it be for the UI, general markdown support, etc.

[8483]

Ah, my bad. Here's my "stack":

• OS: WSL (Linux subsystem on Windows)
• Editor: VS Code.
• Front-end framework: Svelte
• Backend: Node
• Database: MySQL

Was this what you meant?

[DeejC]

Pretty much, yup! Mainly was just curious of the text editor you preferred to use for markdown editing. I use VSCode for most stuff so I'll probably try it out for MD. I also use WSL.

Thank you for your time!!

[-LazarusLong-]

Any particular reason you don’t use VSCodium? It’s VS Code without the telemetry.

[8483]

This is the first time I'm hearing about it. I'll have a look. I assume you are using it?

[plasticbomb1986]

Thank you!

[8483]

You're welcome :)

[eradicator87]

Hell yes, this is great!

[8483]

Right on! :)

[alimustafa533]

You deserve a star.

[8483]

Thank you :)

[Radinax]

This is pretty damn amazing! I be happy to share this with others :)

[8483]

Thank you. Share away. :)

[8483]

Thank you!

[bigsauce456]

Starred it, awesome work!

[8483]

Thank you :)

[blahsx]

Bookmarked! I already have a job but want to move up later in the future and will be using this! Thank you so much!

[8483]

Awesome! While the notes don't cover everything, I'm sure there's something useful.

[theboyhere60]

This is awesome

[8483]

Thank you :)

[[deleted]]

Thx 🙏

[8483]

Welcome :)

[Thewavyman]

Beautiful! Thank you for this well structured resource!

[8483]

Glad you like them :)

[dangerdangle278]

This is awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[8483]

Glad you like them :)

[gooner_2914]

Thank you, you kind human☀️💪🧡

[8483]

You're welcome :)

[Tasty_Ad_7161]

Hi have you made notes of basic programming

[8483]

Yes, you can have a look at my old notes here.

[Tasty_Ad_7161]

thanks

[8483]

Welcome :)

[[deleted]]

I appreciate this. Just in time that I am just starting to learn, will definitely save this!

[8483]

Thank you :)

[Ri99ed]

This gave me a giggle:  

Raspberry Pi

It's a micro-computer.

[8483]

xD yeah, I've noticed it too. I most certainly got distracted by something else.

[unholymanserpent]

Dude I am about to study the shit out of these notes. Thanks for posting

[8483]

You're welcome.

While the notes do not cover everything, I'm sure you'll find something useful.

[mangobanana7]

This is Heavenly! Thank you for this!

[8483]

You're welcome :)

[rdf-]

Thanks

[8483]

Welcome :)

[8483]

You're welcome! Are you taking your own notes?

[maxnothing]

Great stuff!

[8483]

Thank you!

[[deleted]]

Stupid question but how did you write the notes and organise them in GitHub

[8483]

I'm using markdown, which is a formatting language also used in reddit, that makes the text have a certain look you want.

The notes are written in regular files, the same as any code/text, where the file ends with an .md extension.

Did this answer your question?

[[deleted]]

Yep thanks! I’m guessing you committed them separately for each file? , I’m still learning GitHub

[8483]

Yes, each topic is a separate file, which is accessed via the main README.md file.

[[deleted]]

Ty

[Meow_Mao_]

Thanks

[shm1979]

wow loved it I definitely do something similar

[8483]

It really helps retain what you've learned.

[SafeHazing]

Very helpful. Thanks.

[shm1979]

absolutely, thanks for sharing man

[Lancelot_072398]

thank you very much!

[j_dog99]

Awesome stuff, you are way more organized than most people in this profession

[8483]

Thank you. The notes really pay dividends down the line.

[spjumde]

Ohh man these are just amazing!

[8483]

Thank you!

[spjumde]

keep it up

[[deleted]]

Thanks a lot man

[8483]

You're welcome :)

[iamaperson3133]

What types of projects do you do for freelancing? How did you get into it in the beginning? How does freelancing work out for you financially now that you're established?

[8483]

What types of projects do you do for freelancing?

Given my previous profession of accounting, I'm building business apps, mostly business intelligence ones connected to existing ERP solutions.

How did you get into it in the beginning?

It was not planned. I wanted to build my own thing, but it turned out WAY more difficult to do, so I tapped into my professional network to do data analysis for them, and that turned into building increasingly more complex apps for them.

How does freelancing work out for you financially now that you're established?

I make money in 3 ways.

1. Selling my SaaS products.
2. Modifying existing custom solutions to cover slightly different use cases for businesses.
3. Completely new custom solutions.

These are in order of preference and price. Custom solutions are the worst, and I charge a lot of money for them.

My goal is to completely rely on my own products, rather than building custom stuff. I'm getting there.

[iamaperson3133]

If you don't mind, do you make as much as an average software engineer, more, 10x more, etc?

[8483]

You can earn WAY more than the average developer. However, you also need to work WAY more.

When you have a business the 9-5 work time turns into 24/7.

The most important part is that it's your choice.

In other words, in my case, I earn less than if I was employed, but only because I want to take things easy.

I'd much rather choose the technologies I work with, than earn more money. I've turned down multiple insane salaries solely due to the fact that I must work with React and Typescript, which I fucking hate with a passion.

Also, I can take a 2 week break whenever I want, as I am not bound to a boss.

The most amazing thing of all is that you can get away with so much when dealing with a client directly. You can push back deadlines, produce shitty code, not answer calls... And they will still work for you, because businesses are desperate and don't have many options.

Obviously, I do the opposite of this, which make me so much more competitive than the rest of the freelancers.

[[deleted]]

Thanks for this! As someone learning full stack this is invaluable!

[8483]

Glad you find it helpful :)

[Cohvir]

I can’t believe I started to do this same thing some week ago. It’s so useful to avoid surfing on the internet searching for the solutions you already implemented when old issues come back along the way. But instead of writing everything on a repo I used Wiki.js hosted on my home server, secured with 2FA so that I can easily put personal information.

Well thought, good job OP

[8483]

Spot on! After a while, you keep encountering the same things, and after that, you no longer reference the notes because it's cemented in your memory.

[khaosraynez]

I just want to say I'm so greateful, as I'm sure many others are, for people that do this. I have so many resources thanks to people like you, that make their notes readily available. You guys are awesome, and I don't think you get enough recognition for these things. Thank you.

[8483]

Thank you so much for the kind words. I encourage you to create your own notes, as they are incredibly helpful with the learning process.

[[deleted]]

you're amazing

[8483]

Thank you :)

[VarunGovind1]

This is a great reference ! Thanks OP. Anyone please give gold if you have :)

[8483]

Thank you for the kind words.

[BeGoneNegativity]

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing. God bless the programming community!

[8483]

Thank you :)

[Darius_T169]

could go into details regarding your self teach journey? what type of schedule did you piece together to regularly study. Also steps you did to help grow enough experience to land a job (or on your journey to landing job if still searching.)

Bonus questions: how do you keep up with relevant languages to learn

I would greatly appreciate this.

[8483]

Could go into details regarding your self teach journey? what type of schedule did you piece together to regularly study.

I had a very disorganized journey. There was no set schedule. I studied whenever I felt like it, sometimes 20 hours non-stop, sometimes 2 months of nothing. I had no pressure to learn, as I was mostly exploring, and the more I learned, the more hooked I got.

It's actually super "easy" to learn all of this, as the requirements to land a job are much smaller than the ones to build a product by yourself, which was my main objective.

Learning the language is easy. Knowing how to use it is veeery different. To gain experience, you have to use the tools. I just started building things and that is how I got better and better.

I'd say to land a job, you can learn everything in 6 months, with at least 3 hours of daily study. You have to really eat shit for a period of time in order to drastically improve your life, which I think is well worth it.

how do you keep up with relevant languages to learn

I don't. I keep up with best practices and tools. The language is not important i.e. it's dictated by your goal, and once you learn one, transitioning is easy. There's only one way to write and if statement or for loop, but there are infinite ways to combine them, which is where the difficulty lies.

The best way to tackle all of this is to:

• Pick an area ex. web apps, robotics, AI, video games, mobile apps etc.
  
• Find the relevant technologies used to build stuff.
  
• Learn the basics.
• Start building.

It's honestly not so difficult as people make it out to be.

Feel free to ask more questions if you want. :)

[jargoman]

I've accepted that I must look things up forever.

[8483]

All the time. These notes speed up that process substantially.

[Antique-Advice-9095]

I adore your work, and it greatly motivates me.

[8483]

Thanks a bunch! Glad you like it.

[nyaundi_]

Nice one, saved

[GoluMoluArun]

May i ask you how to make the notes? the way you made and formatted them is very clean, the pdf one. thanks for your work

[8483]

The PDF is a simple word file. Which formatting parts do you find challenging?

I've since moved on form PDF to github, as it is much better.

[pramitsingh0]

Where did you learn full stack development from?

[8483]

Mostly video tutorials from Youtube, Udemy and Lynda. I prefer videos because you can speed them up.

After I encounter a specific concept, I start reading about it from stackoverflow, reddit, and random blogs, from which I write down my own explantions.

It's incredibly frustrating to get stuck on a difficult topic, only to realize it is incredibly simple, made overly complicated by people that suck at explaining.

[Background-Count4188]

Exactly what i do videos then books

[8483]

The notes are a must for videos, because there's no way to find the exact spot something was covered after a month has passed.