From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Path: border1.nntp.dca3.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca3.giganews.com!border4.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!goblin3!goblin2!goblin.stu.neva.ru!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Emanuel Berg Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: 4 beginner's questions on the PL Ada Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 19:55:26 +0200 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Message-ID: <8738qh77n5.fsf@VLAN-3434.student.uu.se> References: <87ob96ajv6.fsf@VLAN-3434.student.uu.se> <877gfucton.fsf@VLAN-3434.student.uu.se> <87pptmb4p9.fsf@VLAN-3434.student.uu.se> <88cb99c6-df8b-49f8-ac53-54b737a02c34@googlegroups.com> <87eha1787k.fsf@VLAN-3434.student.uu.se> NNTP-Posting-Host: SWN/nubmpQxYKwY7hPy4YA.user.speranza.aioe.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.4 (gnu/linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Cancel-Lock: sha1:a6Oo+sWI/qU78pFayiZmpewy8WY= X-Original-Bytes: 3144 Xref: number.nntp.dca.giganews.com comp.lang.ada:182946 Date: 2013-08-10T19:55:26+02:00 List-Id: Emanuel Berg writes: >> There's a *huge* problem with this: superficial understanding. >> This problem can lead to extremely bad code adopted as "best >> practice"/"standard practice". > > There is nothing superficial about code. Code *is* programming! > > And code can have a "maturing" side just as reading a book: > re-reading it two years later, and basically reading a new book > (and not because the book has changed by even a single letter). > > Can you honestly say you understood semaphores, pipes, etc., the > first time you used them? For one, I admit I didn't. But now I do, > because I wrote that code, and invoked those commands, so many > times. > > And all the while, I *did* something that made my system better, > more user-friendly, and/or more fun. > > I could have read that chapter in "Big Book of Unix IPC" (a couple > of times), and that would have given me - the same understanding? > Perhaps, but not for sure (actually, I doubt it). The same > experience? No. Not typing, not managing a project, not compiling, > nothing like that at all. All the million "side-effects" to doing > stuff: self-confidence, creativity, etc.? None. And all the > improvements to my system - all the .profile, .rc, .emacs, > .Xresources, all that stuff? (Now I move away from the IPC > example, but the principle holds.) Nothing. Just a very impressive > bookshelf! > > But, that being said, books are *great*. If they weren't so > expensive, I would own a lot more of them. References are great, > as well. But I like mine offline (i.e., on paper). > > I don't like Googling - it disturbs my workflow, and hearts my > eyes (I exclusively work in Emacs, in a Linux VT - see the > screenshots [1] ... Forgot the link: [1] http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573/gnus/index.html -- Emanuel Berg - programmer (hire me! CV below) computer projects: http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573 internet activity: http://home.student.uu.se/embe8573