Developing a program to make a family tree.

[rantingrick]

On Jan 15, 3:43 pm, Michael Hunter <tahoe... at gmail.com> wrote:

> I think you are probably coming at this from the wrong direction.
> Either you want to solve your family tree problem in the easiest way
> possible in which case there are already packages available or you
> want to develop this because you want to do the project to learn
> (more) python, etc.  Assuming the later the fact you have to ask the
> question in the way you did means you are short on software design
> experience and don't know much about the problem domain (genealogy).
> Additionally you probably havn't written much code although you came
> here so you probably have a little experience.  That is triple death.
> You need to hold a couple of those variables stable.  I'd suggest
> finding a existing open source genealogy program and use bug fixing as
> a way to learn basics about the package and then try to add a feature
> as a way of learning something about software design.


While i mostly agree with this statement i must also whole-heart-ly
disagree.

 I have many projects that i am currently "developing" that are far
beyond my skill set at this time. However this "lack of experience"
within the problem domain does not scare me away. Actually i want to
learn how many things work "under the hood". So what i do is develop
and design until i hit a wall. Then i move over to another project and
develop and design until i hit another wall. Sometimes i have to go
back and re-write the hole thing, but hey, its part of the learning
curve.

 And in the process something interesting always happens... I find
that solving one problem lends knowledge and insight into another
completely different problem. This technique may not be for the weak
of heart but it works well for me. I like a challenge. I also like to
learn. So this drives me to keep going.

I can tell you that i have written code i previously thought was
impossible for me to create. Nothing is impossible if you want it bad
enough or if you can manage to live long enough! :). Sadly even if
your thirst for knowledge is unquenchable, your life will be quenched
in due time :(. But i do not want to image a world where we all live
forever, what a nightmare!