Programming & IT Discussion

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anyway, do you guys think it’s good to make games using unity3d? or do you have any other advice?
 
My company has some pretty massive projects, none of which use either C or C++. But like I said, my perspective is limited. C and C++ is good for speed and efficiency, but keep in mind, a programmer in general is supposed to be coding efficient software. Poorly written and inefficient code is a cardinal sin no matter the language.
S_A_M said:
anyway, do you guys think it’s good to make games using unity3d? or do you have any other advice?
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Unity is a great gaming engine from what I’ve heard, but there is not much money to be made in programming games, and there are a lot of game programmers looking for jobs. I suggest you learn C++ as a doorway to object-oriented programming and learn some Python, which is also popular. You’ll also probably (as in more than likely) need a college degree. Most comp sci university students know at least one programming language going into university, so it’s important you do too. You can also major in computer engineering or electrical engineering (which is what I did).
 
SMHW said:
I don’t know what the best language/utility for that is. Maybe MATLAB?
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I’m not sure what kind of math you’re teaching, but MATLAB is popular and powerful. It was so wonderful for matrices! 😄 I think Python has a math library (NumPy?) that you might be interested in as well.
 
S_A_M said:
share your source codes
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Thanks for the invitation! I don’t want to take up too much space, so I’ll just post a little C program. It’s not illegal but it does break one or two conventions:
Code: 
int main()
{
    label: goto label;
}
😉
By the way, in the CAF editor, code can be formatted as shown by surrounding it with the
Code: 
 and
tags, each on its own line.
 
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I’m not actually a teacher at all but my husband is. But I’d love to help him design pre-Calculus and Calculus quizes and homework questions that could be automatically graded.

I like the logical/mathematical aspects of programming but I find much of it tedious so it’s been a long time since I’ve really done any.
 
Beryllos said:
It’s not illegal but it does break one or two conventions:
Code: 
int main()
{
    label: goto label;
}
Click to expand...
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
SMHW said:
I’m not actually a teacher at all but my husband is. But I’d love to help him design pre-Calculus and Calculus quizes and homework questions that could be automatically graded.
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If I could throw in my two cents about automatically graded calculus.

My Calc I professor graded only my answers and not my work. I was once doing a problem that involved using the chain-rule and I forgot to decrement my exponent. Everything was otherwise correct. He took off all the points for the problem. I got a C in the class and had to take it over again because I could only afford one C to transfer into the university I wanted to go to, and I couldn’t afford that C to be in Calc I, especially since I knew my calculus was better than that. I don’t know how one would program something to keep the work in mind when grading, and I wouldn’t want to overburden your husband, but if it would only look at the answer and move on, it would be an incomplete picture.
 
I have seen some online Calc I homework programs where you had to answer the problems in steps. That’s what I’d be looking to do. I wouldn’t want to do auto tests unless it was just a concepts portion of some other test.

One of the reasons I’d love to design our own homework is that the the banks of questions we’ve seen (that are available online) are too complex. I’d want to focus on concepts.
 
Fauken said:
My Calc I professor graded only my answers and not my work. I was once doing a problem that involved using the chain-rule and I forgot to decrement my exponent. Everything was otherwise correct. He took off all the points for the problem. I got a C in the class and had to take it over again because I could only afford one C to transfer into the university I wanted to go to, and I couldn’t afford that C to be in Calc I, especially since I knew my calculus was better than that. I don’t know how one would program something to keep the work in mind when grading, and I wouldn’t want to overburden your husband, but if it would only look at the answer and move on, it would be an incomplete picture.
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😮

That’s terrible! I once had a physics professor who gave 90% for the right answer, and 10% for the working, unlike most graders who look at the whole answer, and if working is correct with just a mathematical slip up, then you at least pass.

Personally, I think there’s a time and place for “it’s either right or it’s wrong”, but it’s not complicated college assignments.

It actually strikes me as lazy on the teacher’s part to just look at the answer and give full marks or not. That’s someone who doesn’t like teaching and wants to get the marking over with.
 
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Fauken said:
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S_A_M:
well, imma very much beginner… i actually wanna learn more of C++ (my fave lang) do you learn C++?
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I did, yes, but I don’t use it. Quite frankly I prefer C# since I don’t have to worry as much about pointers or memory allocation problems (not that they don’t exist in C#, since it uses methods from C++ that have to have allocation and deallocation taken into account, but C#'s garbage collector is nice). C++ and C though can be used to make sleeker and speedier programs because of that though. From what I’ve seen (and mind you, my perspective is limited as a junior full-stack developer), C++ is not as popular as it used to be, but I think it and C are still used a lot with programming firmware.
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I’ve written a lot of C++ and wouldn’t go back to it voluntarily. It’s over-featured (eg. all the different class and method signatures, along with macros from C), and then you have to know the STL to be up-to-date, and “design patterns”, …

AFAIK C++ it’s mostly used in legacy systems. But there’ll always be a lot of work in legacy systems…

C I think will always be around. Great language!

What do people think of “design patterns”? They were just coming in when I was in industry (Up to 2010). I enjoyed learning a few (in C#), but found it a lot of effort. They can solve problems which otherwise result in a lot of repetition and “special cases” as the program evolves and becomes more complex - as any useful program does.

It’s on my “todo” list to re-study design patterns.

I mentioned F#. That’s a functional language, with OO features. It’s in Microsoft’s .Net stack, and sits beside C++, VB, and C# in Visual Studio. In the open source world, people are using Erlang, Scala, Haskell. The initial learning for functional programming is steep, but once you’ve “got it” you’ll never want to go back. The programs are just shorter.

forums.fsharp.org

Does F# have a future?

I like F#, I hope I can use it in most of time in my next job in Shanghai China.
forums.fsharp.org forums.fsharp.org

Not for argument (F# has a big future), but just because it has good info about the topic.
 
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Edmundus1581 said:
I’ve written a lot of C++ and wouldn’t go back to it voluntarily. It’s over-featured (eg. all the different class and method signatures, along with macros from C), and then you have to know the STL to be up-to-date, and “design patterns”, …

AFAIK C++ it’s mostly used in legacy systems. But there’ll always be a lot of work in legacy systems…
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You’re right, it’s only being used in legacy systems, but ours is a constantly developing field: one shouldn’t aim to program legacy systems as their career.
Edmundus1581 said:
What do people think of “design patterns”? They were just coming in when I was in industry (Up to 2010). I enjoyed learning a few (in C#), but found it a lot of effort. They can solve problems which otherwise result in a lot of repetition and “special cases” as the program evolves and becomes more complex - as any useful program does.
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They can either be lifesavers if implemented correctly or a nightmare if done poorly. That would be my succinct answer.
Edmundus1581 said:
I mentioned F#. That’s a functional language, with OO features. It’s in Microsoft’s .Net stack, and sits beside C++, VB, and C# in Visual Studio. In the open source world, people are using Erlang, Scala, Haskell. The initial learning for functional programming is steep, but once you’ve “got it” you’ll never want to go back. The programs are just shorter.
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I’ve heard of F#, and I use VS so I see it on there, but sometimes short is too short… 😜

code golf - A square of text - Code Golf Stack Exchange

(What money-crazed computer scientists cooked up some of these weird languages? Some of the language names are not appropriate, FYI.)
 
Fauken said:
40.png
Edmundus1581:
What do people think of “design patterns”? They were just coming in when I was in industry (Up to 2010). I enjoyed learning a few (in C#), but found it a lot of effort. They can solve problems which otherwise result in a lot of repetition and “special cases” as the program evolves and becomes more complex - as any useful program does.
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They can either be lifesavers if implemented correctly or a nightmare if done poorly. That would be my succinct answer.
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Great tip! thanks. Sounds like you gotta do them then, but just make sure you do it properly. Study and practice, I’m afraid. 😦
Fauken said:
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Edmundus1581:
I mentioned F#. That’s a functional language, with OO features…The programs are just shorter.
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I’ve heard of F#, and I use VS so I see it on there, but sometimes short is too short… 😜

code golf - A square of text - Code Golf Stack Exchange
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😝 Yup!

Good link there! But taking your comment seriously, F# and other functional programs are not shorter because of fancy string handling, or other “cute” features. I don’t think it would shine in this contest.

It’s in the primitives of the language - generics, pattern matching, type inferencing (which is still very strong typing), tuples. When you get to “thinking” with these, rather than “if … then …”, “while … do …” it clicks and you don’t want to go back.

The easiest way to describe it is: imagine C’s “case” statement being on the RHS of an assignment. Not as a feature, but as the essence of the language. That’s the “functional” part.

These features are being added to C# with each release, but to me that’s just turning the language into a dogs breakfast. Java too, but i think they care more about language economy (although I’ve heard C# generics are better - from the F# people… 😆) .

C# and Java veterans may disagree, and I’d be interested in their opinion.
 
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S_A_M said:
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Fauken:
but there is not much money to be made in programming games
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really…? wasn’t game programming skills is very valuable?? because making game is very hard…
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Certainly, programming games is hard. Programming anything is hard, and harder than it appears, but games are especially hard.

However the games industry has a reputation for being a “sweatshop”, with long hours, and gruelling pressure under deadlines. I think the pay is high, but not worth the hard work. I suspect the reason the employers get away with it is supply-and-demand. Many programmers are attracted to the business.

Your best bet for employment is to try and avoid “glamour”, such as games, and stick with databases, the web, and commercial applications. That’s where the supply-and-demand works in your favour, and you can have balanced life.

I have a friend who, like me, has been in the business since the 80’s, and had a steady, high, income, as a DB consultant. His rule has been “The further away from the UI you are, the better. Don’t do things which can be done by any 16 year old with a computer”. ie. do stuff which is a little boring, and takes books and study, and involves a “back end” on another computer.
 
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Edmundus1581 said:
“The further away from the UI you are, the better. Don’t do things which can be done by any 16 year old with a computer”. ie. do stuff which is a little boring, and takes books and study, and involves a “back end” on another computer.
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So true. I work in the business analytics space. There are new front end tools that are appearing all the time to make pretty graphs and charts. However, if the data you are using isn’t good, those tools just show you bad data. Hard to get end users to recognize that. I have been working on the back end / DB side for a while and enjoy it.
 
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