1. The recommended (not required) book is pretty outdated and, in my opinion, bad compared to all other C++ programming books I've owned (explains concepts in an odd order, gets things wrong). And it's *way* overpriced.
https://www.amazon.com/crappy_book/dp/013454484 so I'm just using a pirated PDF copy of it. Bleh.
2. The online labs/course work (in something called "Canvas") is hodge-podge, contradictory and just kind of a mess of video "labs" (more demos, with very low audio levels), bad copy/pasted UNICODE-translated (so, not compilable) source code
3. This professor seems to have internalized some incorrect idioms they repeat over and over (e.g. you #include a libarary in C++, "cout" stands for "console output", confuses declarations and definitions, etc.), has no concept of UNICODE, never bothers to explain *why* the preprocessor and C++ language are they way they are, depends on the IDE's editor to detect errors/warnings in the code (rather than the compiler), has no concept of the command-line, command-line options (e.g. for the builds tools), how to use Windows effectively (forget about MacOS, Linux, or ChromeOS). It's pretty frustrating watching/listening to them write code and explain concepts.
More than once, I've thought "aha! that's where these candidates that don't do well in our interview process got that wrong-concept from!". There's some fundamental stuff that's just not being taught correclty in some schools apparently.
I'm thinking of making a video series on programming in C and then later maybe C++. I've been reading a lot of (mostly C++) programming books in preparation for this project.
My first video series will probably be a deconstruction/analysis of the 2nd edition of the K&R book (though yes, that's a really old version of
C now).
Sometimes I wondered why they chose the books they chose. I remember the initial book for the C++ classes seeming a bit complicated, at least compared to the book used by the CS teachers.
Digital Man wrote to All <=-
I'm thinking of making a video series on programming in C and
then later maybe C++. I've been reading a lot of (mostly C++)
programming books in preparation for this project.
2. The online labs/course work (in something called "Canvas") is hodge-podge, contradictory and just kind of a mess of video "labs" (more demos, with very low audio levels), bad copy/pasted UNICODE-translated (so, not compilable) source code
Interesting.. Canvas sort of rings a bell, though I'm not sure if I've used it. My instructors in college just had us do our work in Visual Studio.
One time in my career, I was surprised to learn of something I didn't know, which apparently was not mentioned in my classes in college: That it's unsafe to do GUI-related things from anything other than the main thread. Either that wasn't mentioned in any of my classes, or somehow I missed it.
I did have a couple of classes in college pertaining to making a GUI (one in MFC with C++, and another with WinForms using C#).
So far, it's all console input (using std::cin) and output (using std::cout), sic math, algorithms, and now looping constructs. There's been a lot of focus
stream formatting (using of <iomanip>) which in my experience is not somethin
used much in most C++ projects, but whatever. I am learning *some* things ther
that I hadn't used before. But I have to keep reminding myself: I'm not here t
teach this class (or the professor) or even to get the highest score ever, jus
to learn what's good and bad about how C++ is being taught in schools these da
. And towards that goal, it's going good!
More than once, I've thought "aha! that's where these candidates that don't Now you know why so many people feel betrayed after getting their degree andtrying to get into the employment market. Half of what they have been taught was full of shit and the other half is outdated. If anybody exits college with useful knowledge, it is because their did their own research.
Sounds like the prof maybe needs to take a lesson from you and take a refresher course. ;)
Now you know why so many people feel betrayed after getting their
degree and trying to get into the employment market. Half of what they have > been taught
was full of shit and the other half is outdated. If anybody exits college with useful knowledge, it is because their did their own research.
I'm thinking of making a video series on programming in C
Re: Taking a community colleg
By: Digital Man to All on Tue Jan 16 2024 04:51 pm
I'm thinking of making a video series on programming in C
I'd be interested to know what fields or modern applications there are for C these days (besides vehicle automation apparently :)).
Have you checked out Dave's Garage? He's done some programming youtubes, so may give you some ideas on how to keep the interest level up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0zxIfJJLAY&t=430s
Interested to hear how this progresses.
I'd be interested to know what fields or modern applications there are for C these days (besides vehicle automation apparently :)).
Most Linux (kernel and driver) work is in C. Android (and several other embedded OSes) run on the Linux kernel.
I'm thinking of making a video series on programming in C and then later maybe C++. I've been reading a lot of (mostly C++) programming books in preparation for this project.
My first video series will probably be a deconstruction/analysis of the 2nd edition of the K&R book (though yes, that's a really old version of C now).
I plan to take the follow-up C++ courses (at minimum) at this same community college and will hopefully get a better sense of what the
other professors have to offer. I hope it gets better, but either way, it's been fun so far. --
On 17 Jan 2024, Digital Man said the following...
I plan to take the follow-up C++ courses (at minimum) at this same community college and will hopefully get a better sense of what the other professors have to offer. I hope it gets better, but either way, it's been fun so far. --
what do you do for homework, interactions in class, etc? are you pretending to be a noob or do they know what you're up to?
fusion wrote to Digital Man <=-
i do enjoy reading my copy of the K&R book.. nostalgic.
Digital Man wrote to Nopants <=-
Most Linux (kernel and driver) work is in C. Android (and several other embedded OSes) run on the Linux kernel.
Digital Man wrote to fusion <=-
I created a Discord server for the class and have been tutoring
students there when I have time too.
Oh yeah, and you know all the smart bulbs, switches, thermostats, doorlocks, appliances, etc. in your house? They're most definitely running some code (there most critical coe) that is written/maintained in C.
Will C++ knowledge translate to C?
Yeah, C is roughly a subset of C++. The languages have diverged and re-converged a bit over the years (and versions of their standards), but yeah, almost any experienced C++ programmer can program in C, though they often groan about it. :-)
I created a Discord server for the class and have been tutoring students there when I have time too.
Re: Taking a community colleg
By: Digital Man to Nopants on Sat Jan 20 2024 13:53:44
Yeah, C is roughly a subset of C++. The languages have diverged and re-converged a bit over the years (and versions of their standards), but yeah, almost any experienced C++ programmer can program in C, though they often groan about it. :-)
I think the thing that put me off learning C is the 1001 different compile options for gcc. If you're going to be working on more portable open source projects then there's a whole subset of stuff you problem need to know like the autoconf tools and the like.
The code will run faster but I'm happy just to rip off a bit of perl and be done with it. no compilation, no makes files.
---
â– Synchronet â– End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com
Yeah, C is roughly a subset of C++.
Yeah, C is roughly a subset of C++.
Not quite. C came out in '72 while C++ came out in '85 and is an extension of C.
Re: Re: Taking a community colleg
By: anthk to All on Sat Mar 22 2025 02:32:11
Yeah, C is roughly a subset of C++.
Not quite. C came out in '72 while C++ came out in '85 and is an extension of C.
Not quite. C came out in '72 while C++ came out in '85 and is an extension
of C.
you reply to the person instead of typing all. you're using the fseditor.
Not quite. C came out in '72 while C++ came out in '85 and is an exten of C.
you reply to the person instead of typing all. you're using the fseditor.
Not quite. C came out in '72 while C++ came out in
'85 and is an exten of C.
you reply to the person instead of typing all. you're using the fseditor.
Synchronet is a pain in the ass.
Digital Man wrote to All <=-
I'm thinking of making a video series on programming in C and then later
maybe C++. I've been reading a lot of (mostly C++) programming books in
preparation for this project.
<SNIP>
I would be VERY interested in following this! Sure hope you're able to do it, and thanks!
I would be VERY interested in following this! Sure hope you're able to do it, and thanks!
I know this is an old thread, but wanted to poke DM and see if he has given any more thought to this. I would be very interested in seeing it too. I mostly code in C# now, but I still like to code on some of my old doors (FREQ ROBOT, door games) that I wrote with Open Doors and Turbo C 3.0 and also use C in some ESP32 projects. I also have kind of made a hobby out of picking up old books on C programing from thriftbooks.com, mostly Borland C/C++/Builder books I used to own, but got rid of back in the day that I wish I hadn't of. Anything on coding in C is very intersting to me, so, DM you still going to do the series?
Thanks again for all your contributions to the hobby,
Synchronet is a pain in the ass.
but you have the ability to change it into anything if it's a pain in the ass to you. i see you're running mystic.
mystic bbs became what those guys said synchronet was. just a bunch of boring stock boards mostly. on top of that it still doesn't have its
own fossil driver, right?
btw, i never got a thank you for getting their domain name back to them. tacky.
Synchronet is a pain in the ass.
but you have the ability to change it into anything if it's a pain in the ass to you. i see you're running mystic.
The stock Synch boards (aka all of them) have a feature where you can
make your menus and hotkeys similar to a stock Renegade board, which
makes the experience ok until you enter the message reader or the
message editor. That's where the buzz is killed completely.
mystic bbs became what those guys said synchronet was. just a bunch
of boring stock boards mostly. on top of that it still doesn't have its own fossil driver, right?
There's no need for one unless you want to play old door games.
btw, i never got a thank you for getting their domain name back to them. tacky.
When you do something for someone, you should do it out of the
goodness of your heart, not to get a thank you. You want g00r00 to
get on both knees for you?
shitty wrote to MRO <=-
The stock Synch boards (aka all of them) have a feature where you can
make your menus and hotkeys similar to a stock Renegade board, which
makes the experience ok until you enter the message reader or the
message editor. That's where the buzz is killed completely.
There's SlyEdit and DDMsgReader, which give you a decent editor and threadable message lister/reader - that makes a nice bump and both come with Synchronet in the XTRN directory.
I dont like the DMmsgreader. are you talking about that?
The regular synchronet msg reader is comparable to other bbs softwares. BBS sysops can install whatever editor they want. i even made one out
of AI and a lot of tweaking. right now i'm using quikedit aka iceedit.
There's no need for one unless you want to play old door games.
well doorgames are a big thing with bbses, right?
And before i thought you were the guy running mystic. you are a user on these bbses. if you have suggestions you should send feedback to the sysop. it won't hurt anything.
I'm running the Renegade menus, with some ANSIs and color
customization. Not sure that the stock message experience is a
buzzkill, but I like the old school look of stock. Then again, I do
most of my messaging through QWK, which is does well - I can FTP
packets and replies to/from the BBS.
I dont like the DMmsgreader. are you talking about
that? The regular synchronet msg reader is comparable to other bbs softwares. BBS sysops can install whatever editor they want. i even made one out of AI and a lot of tweaking. right now i'm using
quikedit aka iceedit.
I visit Shenk's Express (a synch board) sometimes. I don't know which message editor it has, but it's a pain in the ass. Ctrl-U to quote,
Ctrl-Z to save. It's just hard to remember.
There's no need for one unless you want to play old door games.
well doorgames are a big thing with bbses, right?
I'm not sure, but it would be interesting to read a statistic
that tracks how many people are still playing them (and which ones.)
My suggestion to all sysops: Focus on making apps for the Google
Play Store and the Apple store (whatever its called.)
I'm running the Renegade menus, with some ANSIs and
color customization. Not sure that the stock message experience
is a buzzkill, but I like the old school look of stock. Then again,
I do most of my messaging through QWK, which is does well - I can
FTP packets and replies to/from the BBS.
Are you using BlueWave?
That's probably what I should do to join the conversation on Synch
boards.
Shitty wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Are you using BlueWave?
That's probably what I should do to join the conversation on Synch
boards.
I visit Shenk's Express (a synch board) sometimes. I don't know which message editor it has, but it's a pain in the ass. Ctrl-U to quote, Ctrl-Z to save. It's just hard to remember.
That's probably what I should do to join the conversation on Synch boards.
I'm using MultiMail. I was a longtime BlueWave user, but after Y2K
started using Multimail instead. It looks/feels like BlueWave did, but there are DOS, Windows, OS/2, Linux and Mac versions. Only does QWK
format packets, but I don't think anyone's running a BW door these days.
I visit Shenk's Express (a synch board) sometimes. I don't know which message editor it has, but it's a pain in the ass. Ctrl-U to quote, Ctrl-Z to save. It's just hard to remember.
that's a bad example.
that bbs is kinda stock and corney.
I'm not sure, but it would be interesting to read a statistic
that tracks how many people are still playing them (and which ones.)
we would all have to be running some data gathering software and i dont think we can get everyone on board with tht.
My suggestion to all sysops: Focus on making apps for the Google
Play Store and the Apple store (whatever its called.)
make what apps? you mean like a stand alone app that calls our bbses?
it's kind of hard to use a bbs on a phone.
Are you using BlueWave?
That's probably what I should do to join the conversation on Synch boards.
he's probably using multimail for offline reading.
you can connect to some synchronet bbses via nntp.
we also have web interfaces.
Are you using BlueWave?
That's probably what I should do to join the conversation on Synch boards.
I'm using MultiMail. I was a longtime BlueWave user, but after Y2K
started using Multimail instead. It looks/feels like BlueWave did, but there are DOS, Windows, OS/2, Linux and Mac versions. Only does QWK
format packets, but I don't think anyone's running a BW door these days.
Like BlueWave, you can install whatever text editor you'd like to create/reply to messages.
https://github.com/wmcbrine/MultiMail
I visit Shenk's Express (a synch board) sometimes. I don't know which message editor it has, but it's a pain in the ass. Ctrl-U to quote, C to save. It's just hard to remember.
I just checked that BBS out - They have FSEditor and SlyEdit set up.
With SlyEdit, as alternates for those quote & save keys, you can quote
by typing /q on a blank line by itself & pressing enter and similarly, save with /s .
No I meant let's ditch BBSs and make our own modern social networks.
That way we're not just sniffing Digital Man's farts.
Are you using BlueWave?
That's probably what I should do to join the conversation
on Synch boards.
he's probably using multimail for offline reading. you can connect
to some synchronet bbses via nntp. we also have web interfaces.
Do you have a web interface set up? I heard that it could be done
with Synch but I haven't seen it in action yet.
Thanks and I am going to give it a try. It sucks getting timed out
on BBSs that have inactivity timeouts. (Doesn't it seem like that
shouldn't be a thing these days?)
MRO wrote to Shitty <=-
Thanks and I am going to give it a try. It sucks getting timed out
on BBSs that have inactivity timeouts. (Doesn't it seem like that
shouldn't be a thing these days?)
events have to run and people can't hang online all day.
if you hit ctrl p you can get little telegram popup that that might
stop you from timing out.
Mike Powell wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
False statement! MultiMail is what I use to read Bluewave packets. :D
It can handle either.
Shitty wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Thanks and I am going to give it a try. It sucks getting timed out on
BBSs that have inactivity timeouts. (Doesn't it seem like that
shouldn't be a thing these days?)
yeah there's like 2 web interfaces with synchronet that allow you to
view and post msgs or send email. other people are doing cooler shit.
other people are using ai to make bbses. like that claudes bbs guy and stinray. they have systems that look the same.
I did not know that! I liked the BW format more than QWK, wish more
boards supported it.
if you hit ctrl p you can get little telegram popup that that might stop you from timing out.
Yeah or maybe wake the fuck up and pay attention.
makes me wanna tinker with mine again. i mostly wanted to make the
reader scroll the whole thread like you would a web forum rather
than it being message based.
also get rid of the initial login entirely and just ask before
posting or loading a door or whatever.
| Sysop: | Saxainden |
|---|---|
| Location: | Littleton, CO |
| Users: | 59 |
| Nodes: | 10 (0 / 10) |
| Uptime: | 13:59:35 |
| Calls: | 1,555 |
| Calls today: | 1 |
| Files: | 44 |
| Messages: | 50,856 |