How to Program

[TAVOSOFT]

Hi, I´m tavosoft , I wanna learn to program computers.

1. Which are your advice to become a good programmer?
2. How do you acquire the logic?
3. Is necessary to know mathematics , specifically algebra to be a good
programmer?

Thanks you.

 

[Lord Fauntleroy]

Practice, practice, practice.

Have a goal in mind. The way I did it was, I wanted to create a small
program to store contact information. I then tried to build the application
and when I got stuck, I looked it up in a book or posted a question.

Not necessary to know math unless you want to be a scientific programmer.
Otherwise, No big deal.

 

[Göran Andersson]

Hi, I´m tavosoft , I wanna learn to program computers.

1. Which are your advice to become a good programmer?

I see a concrete and an abstract side to this:

Try to understand what the code is really doing. Don't just use some
code because you have seen that it works, try to understand why it
works. I have done some machine code programming, and I find that
knowing on a bit level what's happening really helps in understanding
what's going on.

Try to learn how to write good code. Good code is not just code that
works, but robust and well behaving code that is easy to understand,
easy to maintain and easy to debug.

2. How do you acquire the logic?

By reading and by doing.

Pretty much all has been done before (you just rearrange or reinvent
existing knowledge), and a lot of people write about what they have
done, so there is a lot to learn from reading some of it.

Some of the process of problem solving can be learned theorietically,
but you definitely need a lot of practice to be good at it.

3. Is necessary to know mathematics , specifically algebra to be a good
programmer?

Definitely. You use abstract algebra and boolean algebra all the time
when programming.

You can muddle throught with simple expressions without knowing the
theory behind it, but when you need more complex expressions you are
lost without at least a basic knowledge of the mathematics used.

 

[Cor Ligthert[MVP]]

1. Which are your advice to become a good programmer?

Try to find in all situations the most efficient (not the shortest) route
from A to B, that is not only for a computer.
Moreover, your program is one part, for example the user another, they both
need to corporerate to get the best result.

2. How do you acquire the logic?

Write the steps you did today between each other, you will see that you did
a lot of irrelevant things. Be aware that as in past those steps were only
in a kind of mathematical sequence, now they are very much lead by events
which happens.

Logic is not only something that has to do with computers.

3. Is necessary to know mathematics , specifically algebra to be a good
programmer?

No there are programs that have almost no mathemetics. Using algebra is a
route, using logic is another route.
Programmers who take the algebra route are mostley direct devoted to C type
languages. That is just because they want only one way to do something, the
others like often more VB because they can explore their expressions in a
better way.

Another aspect of the algebra route programmers is, that they cannot accept
another way of thinking then their strict way.

Just my opinion,

Cor

 

[Göran Andersson]

No there are programs that have almost no mathemetics.

Shouldn't a good programmer be able to do both?

Using algebra is a route, using logic is another route.

Well, you need the algebra to express the logic...

 

[Family Tree Mike]

Hi, I´m tavosoft , I wanna learn to program computers.

1. Which are your advice to become a good programmer?
2. How do you acquire the logic?
3. Is necessary to know mathematics , specifically algebra to be a good
programmer?

Thanks you.

Just to add my spin on this topic, yes math in a broad term is necessary. I
think though that the specific areas which needed study are geometry and
logic. At least, in my studies those were separate classes. Linear
algebra, calculus are less neccessary for some large percentage of
programming situations. They become necessary if you get into creating
computational engines for a game or physics model.

Geometry and logic classes teach you to set out a list of steps to prove a
principle/theory or to construct an object from smaller pieces. These are
critical in programming, or more directly, solving a development task.

I'm a believer however that very closely after mathematics, communications
is overlooked as a skill requirement. To many developers never communicate
the design to their boss, nor listen and interact well enough to identify
requirements or describe a design well.

 

[Mythran]

No there are programs that have almost no mathemetics. Using algebra is a
route, using logic is another route.

Hmm...just pointing this out here:

Logic is basically following a route that constantly hits a split in the
route with a possibility of turning left (TRUE) or turning right (FALSE).
Therefore, logic can be considered Boolean for this point.

Therefore, using Boolean Algebra is a constant in the programming
world...regardless of whether standard "mathematics" is used, one form of
algebra is always used On a bit level, Boolean Algebra must be
understood in order to code at all. People who use IF...ELSE.. are using
boolean algebra, in part, and most don't even realize it nor ever heard of
Boolean algebra...

Boolean Algebra was my second favorite class in college, with my first being
physics....

HTH,
Mythran

 

[Cor Ligthert[MVP]]

Mythran,

Right, however as I turn my steering wheel from right to left, am I then as
well using algebra?

Cor

 

[Göran Andersson]

Right, however as I turn my steering wheel from right to left, am I then
as well using algebra?

If you are doing it programmatically, then yes.

 

[Jordi Maycas]

Forget to sit down and start typing something like... void main().

Before write down any piece of code, you must do an algorism... read google
about it first of all. That is the analist job. After an algorism has been
done, programmers job start... and is converting from the algorism to a
language like C++.

The hard work is the analist job, so..... write the algorism, so the
how-to... the algorism is a limited group of instructions that their
execution solves a problem. If you are able to make the algorism... you
could write after that the program.