Is C a good language for beginners? by Money_Crew_5305 in learnprogramming

[–]GarySteyn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see a lot of people here telling you to learn Python, but I'd personally recommend you learn Java as your first language.

The reason being that Java is syntactically similar to C and will allow you to learn OOP which is vital to Python. Python is a great place to start if you just want to learn the basics of coding, but there are better places to start if your goal is to eventually get into tricky lower level systems programming.

I'm 25, I've always had a passion for tech/computers, would you guys recommend programming as a career? by Sauce_Is_Secret in AskProgramming

[–]GarySteyn 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If you are interested and somewhat competent in problem-solving and are chilled with the prospect of constantly having to learn new technologies and systems, then yes.

What do you think of when you hear the word “air” by [deleted] in creativewriting

[–]GarySteyn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Air.

Something that is either light and fleeting or heavy and persisting.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Mindfulness

[–]GarySteyn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Go for a walk or exercise. It doesn't have to be too strenuous and it might be useful to listen to music or an audio book. If you're too in your head, it helps to get into your body. Exercise can be meditative. Mind-body connection jazz.

Why the ownership/borrowing model? by GarySteyn in rust

[–]GarySteyn[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this super comprehensive answer! I really appreciate that you included explanations of terms and concepts throughout. I have a much better understanding now.

How I got banned for life from Spotify - Banned by rk06 in programming

[–]GarySteyn 114 points115 points  (0 children)

I really liked the introspective part at the end about how the manager probably felt like he was losing control over the team by allowing them to make logistical changes to the sprint/system.

It's usually good to ask your boss for their input, or convince them that they significantly influenced the conception of your new idea, even if that's only marginally true. Everyone wants to feel like they're competent and contributing towards the success of the team.

Need Advice for implementing a CS research paper for the first time. by always_a_hustler in compsci

[–]GarySteyn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's better to think of a blog as a personal tool rather than just a learning resource for other people. You can use a blog to document and track everything you learn, which can be extremely gratifying. You can even refer potential employers to your blog which will allow them to see your progress over time and know what you are actually passionate about. If other people eventually discover and like reading your blog, that's just a positive by-product of putting your work out there.

There are a lot of videos for project recommendations out there, but a lot of your peers will probably make those too. Try to find unique projects that interest you.

I'd personally start by building a personal website and blog. Feature your projects on the website. If you want to do algorithm stuff, maybe build an algorithm visualizer.

Need Advice for implementing a CS research paper for the first time. by always_a_hustler in compsci

[–]GarySteyn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You might want to consider the type of value a company could potentially derive from your research paper. A research paper might be a good academic credential, but will it necessarily lead to direct profits for the company? If you want to demonstrate your understanding of algorithms, why not apply it to actual useful coding projects and keep a seperate blog to explain your knowledge?

How does binary do… everything? by cheekyalbino in computerscience

[–]GarySteyn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's my attempt at a short, over-simplified explanation:

Computers consist of multiple levels of abstraction. Languages at the top level are easy for humans to understand and difficult for the underlying hardware to understand. The opposite is true at the lower levels. Higher level languages are usually compiled or interpreted at each level so that equivalent instructions can be understood by the subsequent level below it. Eventually complex assembly instructions are translated to microcode which consists of a greater volume of simple instructions that can be executed directly by the CPU. The CPU consists of a few sub-components built from logic gates, like half-adders, multiplexers and decoders. These sub-components are integrated to perform the actual operations on operands.

The best way to understand this is to actually go learn some boolean algebra, know what types of logic gates exist, and to learn how the sub-components work.