kicking it old skool

Got it into my head that I was going to give a “real” programming language another shot. And by “real”, I guess I mean C++. I understand how this can be quite subjective, and to date I have not had any real guidance as to why this is either a good or bad choice. All I know is that I really enjoy figuring things out and building things (maybe more so than one would consider healthy). I like being creative, ‘s all.

It’s always been that way. I used to take all my toys apart. Remote control car? Taken apart before the batteries are even installed. Motors stripped, lights, speakers etc out, all primed to become the next big feature in what ever the bucket of lego would allow me to build. I’ve always enjoyed the sense of achievement of creating something new.

Fast forward a few years and this is kind of how I visualise software development. A big problem consisting of little atomic problems (lego blocks). I think what I also need is a mentor, someone I can bug and bounce questions off of. I don’t think the problem is so much in finding one or asking, it’s just that my super-mega-Ego gets in the way. I hate not knowing things.

Or rather, I used to :)

After Defrag Day (an activity commonly resulting in Life 2.0) I no longer have such reservations. Just very keen to dig in. Another limiting belief that’s sooooo life 1.0 was that I can’t be any good at it. Bah!

So I’ve dug around and found this site which has been quite useful: http://freecomputerbooks.com/languageBooksIndex.html. I’m currently working through the “C++ for newbies” section i.e. the “C++ Language Tutorial”. So far it’s going quite well, finding a few similarities to T-SQL in how the code flows and basic things like declaring variables and loops etc etc. I have yet to write the token “Hello World” app and until then I’m still very much a virgin. I was going to say that I don’t have Visual Studio or any equivalent IDE to work in, but out of nowhere I received a huge mental wedgy from my subconscious and was presented with a VERY VIVID picture of a DVD collecting dust on the bottom rung of a bookshelf in my room… clearly marked, in big black letters, as “Visual Studio 2005”. Oh subconscious, you’re crazy sometimes, just… NUTS!

Also, signed up for Tai Chi. I have done stranger things. Though those are best left unsaid. First lesson starts in January, a most excellent way to start off a new year.

[G], out

I ain't sayin' she a gold digger