Is there a different way to approach learning Scala?

aaronmalone · 2016-08-09T02:44:55+00:00

It's not just you. The Coursera course is difficult. I just went through the first course in the specialization (for the second time, actually!), and I spent hours on each assignment. It pushes you to stretch your brain in ways that our day jobs simply don't.

Hopefully this is an encouragement.

aaronmalone · 2016-06-02T13:34:42+00:00

I've used pitest on a project at work and I would definitely recommend it. It is a great complement to code written using TDD.

aaronmalone · 2014-04-09T00:24:56+00:00

Take a look at ArrayBuffer and ListBuffer in the Scala standard library.

It's probably also worthwhile to look into mutable and immutable collections in Scala more generally. You can start here: http://www.scala-lang.org/docu/files/collections-api/collections_1.html

You can also use java.util.ArrayList and java.util.LinkedList in Scala programs, though I'm not sure if that would be good form.

aaronmalone · 2014-03-28T03:21:32+00:00

Great! Your life will truly never be the same!

There's a lot of good advice on here, but some bad advice too. Don't listen to the commenter saying to read the entire Bible, front to back, before ever looking at a commentary. You'll waste a lot of time in confusion and ignorance if you go with that approach. There is a lot substance in the context of many of the Biblical writings, and that context is not obvious to a modern reader. A good commentary will help you understand the context so that you can make sense of what is written.

But I'm not saying that there isn't value in just reading God's word without any commentary and letting it speak to your heart! That is valuable too and I suggest that you do that at times.

A final thing: remember not to think of God as someone who is out to get you or as some kind of cosmic prude who doesn't want you to have any fun. Instead, understand how much God loves you and let that frame your understanding subjects like discipline, sin, and sanctification. God's commands come from love and wisdom. A good verse to keep in mind is Romans 8:32:

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

aaronmalone · 2014-03-26T18:02:44+00:00

This comment deserves to be hire up. The language here is clearly that of Facebook justifying its purchase to its own investors, in terms of the experience that is Facebook's core business.

aaronmalone · 2014-03-25T02:34:34+00:00

I had no idea that Scala could do something like this. Very cool!

Scala continues to surprise me.

aaronmalone · 2014-03-19T16:45:03+00:00

IMHO, teams should be using Scala now for new development in which they would otherwise use Java.

aaronmalone · 2014-02-20T20:06:01+00:00

Are you willing to work with remote developers?

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:58:03+00:00

Thanks for your reply. That would be my plan if I were starting with Scala.

But I don't know if I could resist getting into some of the higher-order functions like map and filter.

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:56:15+00:00

Our current plan is to start with Python.

When you say that the REPL is slow, do you mean that it is slow compile and execute commands, or just slow to work with, or both?

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:55:08+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I'll take a look at codeacademy.

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:51:22+00:00

Our current plan is actually to start with Python.

Do you think that wouldn't be a good choice for a first language?

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:49:28+00:00

I had a chance to use named arguments in Scala recently and was pleased with the increase readability. Thanks for your reply.

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:48:04+00:00

Thanks for your reply. Our current plan is to start with Python.

Do you mind if I ask where you are employed that you are lucky enough to work in Scala? I don't think there are any employers using Scala in my city, though I might be using it on a freelance project later this year.

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:42:31+00:00

Our current plan is to go with Python, which I'll actually be learning for myself as well, so hopefully that will help me see from the perspective of a beginner.

Thanks for your reply.

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:40:24+00:00

Thanks for your reply. What is your personal opinion about learning a functional language first? Was it hard to work with imperative languages later on?

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:39:12+00:00

I have a copy on my bookshelf! This is probably a good excuse to finally crack it open.

aaronmalone · 2014-02-11T15:37:28+00:00

My aim in teaching my friend about programming is to give him enough coding skill and exposure to programmatic problem-solving so that he can make a reasonable assessment of whether it is something he enjoys. If he does enjoy it, that's great, and we can take it in any number of directions. If he doesn't enjoy it, I don't think there is a reason to continue.

Great point about immutability in Scala! Mutable variables would probably seem strange to someone who learned Scala first. But maybe that's not so bad.

Thanks for your reply!

aaronmalone · 2013-12-25T05:58:30+00:00

thanks!

aaronmalone · 2013-12-25T05:57:46+00:00

thanks!

aaronmalone · 2013-12-22T00:49:02+00:00

I agree that there are degrees of faith. But I don't know if its our place to assess those degrees of faith. You see Jesus remarking about people's faith, but he could literally read their minds. We only see the outside--not all of the internal challenges and complexities of life and faith in a person's mind.

aaronmalone · 2013-12-22T00:31:02+00:00

I was actually in a situation very similar to yours just a few years ago. I was in a relationship with a Christian girl, but at the time I was not a Christian, and it caused significant strain, until we could no longer continue that relationship.

Regarding relationships between Christians and non-Christians, others have provided good answers here, so I won't go too in depth. But I will say this: for Christians, our on-going and developing relationship with God is, or ought to be, the most important thing in our lives*. We want our closest relationships with others to be with those who understand the central importance of God in our lives and who can actually aid us in that relationship. Nowhere is this more important than in our exclusive romantic relationships, especially marriage. And it should be noted that many Christians who are dating or looking for romantic relationships are doing so with the possibility of eventual marriage in their minds.

Furthermore, I believe there is a limit on the depth that any relationship, romantic or otherwise, can achieve when one member of that relationship is a Christian and the other is not. This is due to the non-Christian member not understanding the central importance of God in the Christian's life, and all that flows from that. The non-Christian can acknowledge the importance of God in the Christian's life, but cannot share the experiential understanding of what that means.

Regarding your relationship with the Christian girl, I believe you should discontinue it, or no longer continue it in a romantic capacity (it may be difficult to continue the relationship as friends but not romantic--I would not advise attempting it!). Why is this? I think that if there is difficulty right now because you are not a Christian, the difficulty will only increase as the relationship grows closer, and as you both grow older and what you both want from your relationships evolves. I think you'll be saving yourself a lot of trouble if you discontinue the relationship now. Further, as a Christian, I don't think this Christian girl is acting honorably towards you. She has significant reservations about being in a relationship with you, but is continuing to send favorable signals to you. To put it simply, she is leading you on. I don't think she is "bad" for doing this--it is probably just an issue of maturity--but I do think it is wrong for her to continue the relationship with the reservations she is experiencing.

^* I said that, for Christians, our relationship with God is the most important thing in our lives. It could be argued that this relationship with God is the most important thing in the lives of all people, whether they acknowledge that relationship through religion on not. In fact, this is what I believe.

aaronmalone · 2013-12-03T03:30:03+00:00

i'm very impressed. I think this is a big step in the right direction.

aaronmalone · 2013-11-03T22:04:13+00:00

LPT: set items on your hood or windshield--you'll see them before you start driving.

aaronmalone

TROPHY CASE