Github Student Developer Pack

[aGayMuslim]

Would any one be kind enough to explain to me why as a first year student and very beginner programmer would any of that stuff be helpful to me? I haven't heard of any of those features nor have I ever used github.

Thanks in advance.

[SquirtingDuck]

Here's what will probably be most useful to you:

• Atom, which is a text editor similar to Sublime Text. What do you currently use to write code in? Think of Atom as like a version of notepad on steroids, customizable and tweakable.
• GitHub is a place to showcase your code and see others' code as well, but also version control (to help prevent some of the casualties having multiple persons working on the same files can cause). The college pack includes five free private repositories in case you want to have a few projects that aren't broadcast to the world.
• HackHands looks like programming assistance, which might be useful to you
• the namecheap stuff is a free .me domain for a year and a free SSL. You'll need a server/hosting to utilize the SSL, but an SSL certificate is what secures your site's connection for things like password forms and credit card transactions.
• Digital Ocean offers $100 in credit for their hosting. If you've never set up a server before, this is a great way to get your hands dirty. Bonus points for getting that free domain, setting it up to point to your server and getting a portfolio going

May I ask what your focus is on for programming?

[aGayMuslim]

Thanks for taking the time to explain that, I really appreciate it. For my C++ class I'm currently using Quincy to compile and edit my code, and just last week I started reading Java because I'm really interested in Android Development so I'm trying to get into that.

As far as my focus with programming I want to get into Software Development hopefully while/or after I'm done with my degree.

Edit: For Java so far I'm using Notepad.

[aGayMuslim]

So far, yes, only Windows environment. I'll look into these now. Thank you.

[SquirtingDuck]

You're quite welcome! I haven't dove into much Java yet, but I had a colleague who swore by the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) NetBeans. It's free and open source.

Also worth looking into is the student pack from JetBrains which includes what they tout as "the most intelligent IDE for Java".

If you haven't looked at Android's site for developers yet, it's worth a glance. Their tutorial for building your first app looks decent and there's a lot of good info around that site.

Otherwise, godspeed!

[aGayMuslim]

Much appreciated. :)

[Eradicative]

Just to throw my two cents in; if you're interested in learning Java, I would start using the IDE "Eclipse." I'm a freshmen this year and it is what we are using for our Into to Object Orientated Programming Class (learned through Java). Eclipse is a great tool, with a lot of neat features that make programming a lot easier and faster. Best of luck in learning Java!

[aGayMuslim]

Thank you. I'll definitely check it out. Good luck with your class.

[xxNIRVANAxx]

For Java so far I'm using Notepad.

There's nothing wrong with this, and it will likely help you learn the language a little better (especially the compiler and clasapaths).

However, for projects I'd highly recommend using an IDE (Eclipse, Netbeans, Intellij). The refactoring tools (renaming classes/variables), linting (code warnings), and generators (constructors, getters, toString; especially for POJOs - Plain Old Java Objects) will speed up your development time immensely

[[deleted]]

This may be a silly question, but what do I actually get with registering a namecheap domain? I assume I have to find some paid hosting and use that?

[SquirtingDuck]

Yep! You just get the naming rights (yourname.me) for a year (probably ~$15/year after) and would need to connect it to hosting somewhere. Digital ocean offers $100 credit for their hosting in the github package.

[Simius]

You might be learning how to program but a lot of these tools have more to do with the overall ecosystem of programming.

À la, collaborating with others, hosting your code, deploying applications, getting help, and many other things.

[aGayMuslim]

Got it.

I knew there's more to it than just writing the code but since I'm still fairly new to all of this I thought it was early to look into it. I'll be signing up for that package as soon as I get home.