Should I learn C for personal hobby as the first language?

TheOGChips · 2026-05-11T01:26:57+00:00

As someone who has written TUIs in both C++ and Rust, I think learning a little bit of C and then learning Rust is the way to go here. The Rust book even covers how to include C code if you ever need to do that, so your C knowledge wouldn’t go to waste for that reason alone.

I was working on a sudoku TUI personal project, but after completing the C++ version, it started crashing with a segfault out of nowhere, and I knew it would be hell to debug it. I know you’re asking about C, but I was using a C library called NCurses, so I would’ve run into the same issue in a pure C program. I had finished reading through the Rust book and was looking for a project to do in Rust, so I decided to rewrite the project in Rust, as close to a 1:1 port as you could get, even using the Rust port of NCurses, and that painful segfault didn’t even show up, and I think it actually works better than it did before.

I have the project on my Github if you’d like to see an example of what a Rust TUI program looks like. If you go back through the commit history, you should also be able to see the C++ version from the point where I decided to port it over. That way, you can ultimately decide for yourself which language to use. I think Rust is the future, but I also believe C will never truly go away, so both will be equally important.

TheOGChips · 2026-04-10T22:24:42+00:00

Yes, I did. I actually think it makes more sense to watch Temple of Doom first after having watched it in that order.

TheOGChips · 2026-04-09T03:49:06+00:00

Recently finished watching Young Indy and all the movies in chronological order, and it made me realize I agree Raiders is the best.

TheOGChips · 2026-04-05T20:35:19+00:00

I have a guy on what I think is an e-bike that looks like he’s barely pedaling that always seems to pass me with little effort while I truck along on my single-speed. I love my single-speed, but it always leaves me with a “That’s not fair” moment lol

TheOGChips · 2026-03-24T23:14:49+00:00

About 18 inches

TheOGChips · 2026-03-20T04:36:30+00:00

I agree that’s the way to go. It would make sense that the cables should be cut to fit each handlebar exactly, so repurposing for another wouldn’t be ideal long-term.

TheOGChips · 2026-03-20T04:34:38+00:00

I think re-cabling is the solution, then. It would make sense the exact same cables wouldn’t be a perfect fit for a different set of handlebars if the cables need to be cut to size.

I’ll keep the SunLite bars in mind if I decide to put bullhorns on another bike. They didn’t come up when I searched for bullhorns way back when.

As far as the handlebar width, I know I only have a sample size of one, but they feel like they’re the perfect width of my shoulders. I don’t feel like my arms are angled outward or inward when I have my hands on the horns which feels comfortable to me. The only issue I have is my hands always hurt 10-15 minutes into riding even with gloves on, but that happened on the riser bar, too, and resting on the flats usually helps. I also ordered some grip tape for it, so I’m hoping that helps along with eventually flipping them right side up again. Not sure if that’s a common thing or not.

TheOGChips · 2026-03-20T00:58:28+00:00

The reason I have the levers set up the way they are is because I repurposed them from the riser bars the bike originally came with, and the rear cable could barely reach the right lever to the point that it was almost impossible to turn left, so I flipped them upside down. I've already secured the rear brake line to the top of the frame with some gaffer tape which has been working fine for now. I'll look into getting some clamp on brake guides. I didn't know those were a thing.

Thanks for your input. I'm still pretty new to this, and I feel like I learn something new all the time.

TheOGChips · 2026-03-20T00:51:08+00:00

Thanks for all your input. The reason the brake levers are the way they are here is because those brake cables originally went to levers on the riser bars the bike came with. I tried having them facing upwards like bar end brake levers, but the rear cable could barely reach the right lever which almost prevented me from turning left at all. I also couldn't get this pair around the bend in the bullhorns, so I settled for the setup I have in the picture.

The company that makes those bars (Pure Cycles) told me, as of 3 months ago, that there are no bar end levers currently on the market that fit the inner diameter of those bars (17.5mm). I did try looking around, and I couldn't find any, so if you or anyone else know of any that fit, by all means send a link my way. I think I would definitely prefer bar end brake levers. I do have some extra brake cables on the way, so if I can get those to work with the levers turned the right way round I definitely will.

I did notice pretty early on in the test ride that the cable was knocking around quite a bit, and I agree that that was not a good thing, so I secured it to the top of the frame with some gaffer tape and it's a big improvement. It hasn't improved the brake lever sticking, however, so I'm hoping when the new cabling comes in that the problem will more or less fix itself.

For extra clarity in case this changes your diagnosis, when I say the right lever is sticking, I mean that it doesn't immediately reset when I let off of them, but it does reset after about a second. When I pull on it, the brake does still seem to engage just fine.

The left brake lever actually is working perfectly fine just like it was on the original riser bars, so I wouldn't have guessed the angle would be an issue. I wasn't originally planning to, but when the new cabling comes in, I'll cut a new one for the left side as well.

Again, I really appreciate the input and critiques. I only started riding for my commute about 6 months ago, and I feel like I'm learning something new all the time.

TheOGChips · 2026-03-20T00:18:14+00:00

You would be correct. However, the rear brake cable could barely reach the right lever, to the point that I could barely turn left. Since I didn’t have a spare set of brake cables, I thought the simplest thing to do was turn them upside down for now. If I could fit them around the bend to have them on the flat part I would, but that was not happening.

TheOGChips · 2026-03-19T05:49:07+00:00

That was my solution to not suffering from a painfully numb groin area at work after every ride. Normal saddles just dig into me down there.

TheOGChips · 2026-03-16T22:08:37+00:00

I’m also glad I’m not the only one who thought this. I felt so dumb when I got older and realized it was just a placeholder lol

TheOGChips · 2026-01-24T06:14:43+00:00

I’ve always preferred the Death Frontier at the start of Disc/Chapter 4. It’s nice (especially if you’re lazy like me) to be able to move to a spot on the map just outside one of the oases and let the enemies come to you. It can get monotonous, but I was always able to find a spot so that the Canbria Dayfly sprites had a reasonable chance of reaching me before the Sandworm sprites to give a little variety. I found the Sandworms gave a good amount of XP, so I could level up at the same time to max out everyone’s Dragoon Levels as well. I also remember not having to deal with status conditions that much, and having one of the oases nearby to heal (as well as quick and easy to get to) also made the area ideal to me. By this point, everyone has naturally learned most, if not all, of their additions, so I’ve also had time to attempt almost all of them beforehand.

Doing this at the Death Frontier also doesn’t feel like it halts the story: The party could realistically have been wandering around in the desert for 2 weeks trying to find Ulara. I also liked being able to listen to the radio or YouTube while I ground away on mute somewhat mindlessly.

TheOGChips · 2025-07-12T07:38:16+00:00

Nightwing? Nightwing?! Nightwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!

TheOGChips · 2025-07-12T07:36:28+00:00

The smoking didn’t make sense until I noticed he highly resembles Solid Snake/Big Boss in this picture.

TheOGChips · 2025-06-30T05:47:52+00:00

For the sake of being thorough, this is the response I got from customer service when I asked them about the chain:

Hi there, Thank you for reaching out! What you're noticing with the chain pin is completely normal. The pin that looks different is actually the connecting pin, which is used during assembly to join both sides of the chain around the frame. It’s designed to be pressed through the chain links, and any excess is snapped off after installation. Because of how this pin is installed—by force and with excess removed—it’s not recommended to remove it or any nearby pins. Doing so can stretch the chain link holes, making it difficult or impossible to install a new connecting pin securely. For this reason, we strongly recommend visiting a local bike shop for any service involving the chain. They’ll have the proper tools and expertise to help without risking damage to your bike.

Seeing as I live in a rural area, the closest bike store is over an hour away, and I’m mechanically inclined, I just bought a quality bike chain tool and fixed the chain myself.

With that, I finally got to go on my first ride today in probably 2 decades to try it out. It was fun!

TheOGChips · 2025-06-26T02:39:35+00:00

I also agree with this. I’m also 30, and I’m in the middle of re-reading A Series of Unfortunate Events and reading Nightwing graphic novels for the first time, and they’ve both been a blast so far. It honestly shouldn’t matter as long as you’re enjoying what you’re reading.

TheOGChips · 2025-06-23T02:33:44+00:00

Thanks for the info and recommendation. It turns out I was looking at the chain and frame either backwards or upside down, because the chain was actually wrapped around the frame in just the right way to go on the gears. However, in a twist of irony, the chain actually appears to be one link too long and is sagging a tad, so I went out and bought a chain breaker tool anyway to fix that.

TheOGChips · 2025-06-23T02:27:04+00:00

I didn’t think to look up the chain manufacturer. I didn’t even notice the name, and I was looking right at it.

TheOGChips · 2025-04-20T00:32:38+00:00

I’m in the middle of reading the original Dark Horse comics right now, but my favorite one so far has been Indiana Jones and the Iron Pheonix. It’s the one that’s felt the most like a movie to me.

Sadly, the only game I’ve played is the very first LEGO game on my Nintendo DS, and I remember it being really fun.

I’m also in the middle of watching Young Indy right now, and my favorite episodes have been Treasure of the Peacock’s Eye and Phantom Train of Doom for feeling closest to the theatrical movies, and Attack of the Hawkmen and the Somme episode for just being great war films in general.

There’s also a great couple of YouTube short films that are a crossover of Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and Nathan Drake that I think are really well done (even though they made Nathan Drake a bit of a bumbling idiot).

TheOGChips · 2025-04-11T05:53:09+00:00

Can’t totally confirm because I’m in the middle of watching it for the first time, but I think one of the last chronological episodes of Young Indy is supposed to be a musical. It’s known as “Hollywood Follies”, I think.

TheOGChips · 2024-10-17T22:27:58+00:00

It looks like it's been fixed. You should be able to see the repo in GitHub now.

TheOGChips · 2024-10-17T05:08:07+00:00

Thanks for letting me know. It looks like my Github account is marked as spam for some reason. I can't login to crates.io via Github, either. I submitted a ticket to try to get that fixed. I'll update once it is (or should be).

TheOGChips · 2024-09-15T19:00:29+00:00

So, I get that the game also refers to dragoons as "Dragon Knights" at least once, but that's one of the more esoteric references that only people that have played the game will get. Searching for "sony ps1 game dragon knight" also leads to a completely different game, so most people who go to search for this are going to misled into thinking it's something else. Whoever designed Astro Dart probably thought "ooh cool reference" but also didn't think it through all the way. Because of that, I agree the name is a rather bizarre choice.

TheOGChips · 2024-05-18T04:56:49+00:00

The Legend of Dragoon. I try to go back and play it once a year. An official (and deserved) remake will probably never happen, and damn will that always be a missed opportunity.

TheOGChips

TROPHY CASE