[Tutor] Real world experience

[C Smith]

I think that is going to be my new wallpaper.

On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 8:25 PM, Martin A. Brown <martin at linux-ip.net> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
>   10 Pick one favorite specific topic, any topic (XML parsing; Unix
>      process handling; databases).  The topic matters for you.
>      Learn it deeply.  Keep learning it.  The topic matters less for
>      others (unless it is specifically within the computer science
>      discipline).  You have just begun. [0]
>
>   20 Pick a toolkit (minidom, etree; os, multiprocessing, threading,
>      subprocess; sqlite, psycopg, sqlalchemy, mysql).  Learn why
>      people solved the problem differently each time.  Ask.
>
>   30 Write a program that does something interesting with this.
>      Try a different toolkit.  What was hard?  What was easy?
>      What could you simply not accomplish?  Look at the source code
>      for the tool you used?  Why couldn't you accomplish what you
>      wanted?
>
>   40 Read all of the documentation.  Read it again.  Read papers and
>      books listed in the documentation footnotes.  Read the
>      documentation again.  Realize that all of this is a (fallible)
>      human endeavor.
>
>   45 Find other, related mailing lists.  Subscribe.  Listen.  Post.
>
>   46 Talk to somebody who has solved the problem.  How?  What tools
>      did that person use [1]?
>
>   48 If reference to something that was new or you did not
>      understand, GOTO 40.
>
>   50 Write a brand new program to solve the same problem.  Examine
>      what you did differently.  Ask somebody to review your code.
>
>   52 Read your old code.
>
>   53 Talk to somebody who has solved the problem in his/her own
>      way, potentially with different tools. [2]
>
>   59 If MASTERY and BORED, GOTO 10.
>
>   60 GOTO 20 [3]
>
> This discipline can be approached in depth-first or breadth-first
> traversal pattern.  Most people on more technical mailing lists
> appreciate the depth-first traversal.
>
> Time waits for nobody (Oh! I need to go eat!),
>
> -Martin
>
>  [0] For these purposes, mine was IP networking.
>  [1] What!?!  Not Python?!  Why?  There are reasons to choose
>      something else.  Do not be blind to those resaons.
>  [2] Find people who are motivated as you are and are working on
>      similar problems.  Work for them.  Keep reading.  Hire them.
>      Keep writing.  Keep reading.
>  [3] Oops.  I learned on BASIC.  I hope I do not get banned from
>      the list.
>
> --
> Martin A. Brown
> http://linux-ip.net/