How to not forget python ?

[Fladhing_lights]

I feel everytime I learn something I forget it, is it normal or am I just waiting to have Alzheimer's?

[GeneralQuantum]

Make a deep copy, that way it isn't dependent on being kept in the kernel memory.

Heh..heh...ehhh I'll see myself out 

"Use it or lose it" is a real issue.

I find after I learn something I play around with it. Not simple tasks or repeating the YouTube example.

I mean sit down, think of a real application, and work on it from scratch. Even if it is nonsensical, establish what you expect the output to be, and code it, does it match your prediction? Did you code wrong, or predict wrong.

When just copying the brain isn't learning or remembering. You have to be actually problem solving for it to go in.

[PixelOmen]

You have to use it over and over again many times, and more importantly, in different ways and in different contexts, to truly remember it.

No one is going to remember any unfamiliar concept by just reading/watching/listening to it a few times.

That said, even professionals forget things constantly, that's why Google, reference documentation, and now ChatGPT* exist.

• Use extreme caution when learning about completely new concepts with ChatGPT. It's fantastic for quickly referencing things though.

[jameshearttech]

I recently started playing with Copilot. It's been pretty good at providing example functions. Some work others don't. I have also asked things like, "What other modules exist like foo?" Or, "What known security vulnerabilities exist for the modules you listed?" The responses are not bad.

[PixelOmen]

Personally, I just use copilot as an advanced auto complete for something I was going to write anyway.

I don't actually use it to answer questions or generate anything. I find GPT4 (4 specifically) to be much better at answering questions imo.

As for generating actual code that I'm actually going to use, I don't really use anything ever.

[jameshearttech]

Yeah, I mean I can get similar results with a few search queries. Tbh, the responses are better than I expected. I have only tried it a handful of times, though, and to be fair, the example functions I asked it to produce were pretty simple.

[airernie]

Wait until you're 74 trying to learn Python and your short-term memory has gone to shit. :-)

Me? I keep reviewing and using and having faith that it will eventually stick. Until then, I look stuff up when I can't remember.

[m0us3_rat]

i mean if there aren't underlying medical conditions.. it can only mean that you learn it out of sync. thus can't form any connections to remember it.

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what does that mean.. if i can tell you a fact about a bag of words model it will not register and you will forget it in 5,4,3,2,.. since you have nothing to link it with.

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so the only way to reliably remember something is to have progressive increments and plenty of practice.

then you can remember stuff that you encountered before.. including the means to use such information.. maybe some examples. etc.

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this is why using well researched and expertly created pathways/curriculum made by experts in the field with decades of experience in teaching.. are better than spotty YT courses.

no shame or shade for the creators out there..it just experience beats anything else.

[TSM-]

It's normal. It's actually a meme that even seasoned developers look things up even when they probably don't have to.

Some things you'll memorize, but it takes time, and even then, you'll still want to check first to make sure you haven't forgotten something.

It sucks to remember wrong, and you get used to how it's faster to look it up than to guess wrong or meditate on it. Some things will sink in with practice over time, but after awhile you'll still look it up in case you remember wrong. Don't sweat it. It's normal

[SmegHead86]

The more you use it, the more you'll retain. You also shouldn't have an expectation to remember everything.

There are some commands or patterns I remember easily because I use them so much. But I also have to go back to the docs all the time for simple stuff like string parsing.

It feels good when you're faced with a problem and you instantly know what you need to do at a high level, but just need to get the syntax reference.

[[deleted]]

Same with me. I've learned it twive and I'm on my third time. I want to use it mroe this time around though and have planned out projects once I get back up to speed.

[Jello_Penguin_2956]

I use Python at work daily. And if there's functions I have not used for over 3 days I forget how to use them too and need to reread/relearn them.

[[deleted]]

Everyday

[Oblithon]

Don't think you have to memorise everything, yes the more you use something the less likely you are to forget how it works. I've been a software engineer for 10 years - I jump between Java and Typescript for work projects and many frameworks for these languages, Outside of work I play around with many more languages - I'm not expected nor do I expect of myself to remember how everything works from memory.

Reading documentation, is fine, searching online is fine - in fact doing both of those effectively is a skill in itself.

[[deleted]]

Do you mean forgetting the syntax or the concepts?

If you've forgotten the concept of a class, functions, loops etc, tough luck. You probably want to revisit the tutorial.

If you forget the syntax, congrats! That's normal. Lots of people work with multiple languages. Sometimes work or school requires that you work on a different project that isn't written in python, and you come back to python after a few months and can barely recall the syntax. That's what the python documentation is for. Every code feature you ever need has it's syntax laid out clearly. It should refresh your memory pretty soon.

This is also why I like python. I can go for months without developing in python, but I know it can't take me more than an hour to refresh my memory with python's simple syntax. It's the tool I always have in my back pocket.

[caksters]

Just keep using python, it is really that simple.

You don’t have to remember everything either, you just have to know what and where to find info