The Art of Code

[KageRyu]

I have been trying to distract myself from my depression and stress and watching and wading through various VFX, Film, Cinema, Modeling, Rigging, Scripting tutorials on Youtube (among other things) trying to get my muse back, and stumbled on this great video about code. I am not done watching it, admittedly, but I immediately thought some of the more advanced coders here in the forums and at HiveWire, such as Ken1171, would truly appreciate some of this video. Though likely Ken already knows about it and I am late to the party.

I have also been watching some wonderful TED talks on YouTube.

 

[Miss B]

WHOA! OK, he got me with Benoit Mandelbrot. I'm a huuuge fractal fanatic, and have quite a few in my gallery at Renderosity!!

Thanks for the link Kage.

 

[KageRyu]

I particularly was amused with the section about Rockstar Coders and Rockstar code.

 

[Miss B]

I didn't get to watch the whole thing yet, so haven't seen that section. I'll continue watching it again tomorrow.

 

[robert952]

I enjoyed the video.

I don't write code though I dabbled in FORTRAN and BASIC way back when.

Yes, I am that old. I stopped programming (as they called it then) when I dropped a set of punch cards and couldn't get them back in the correct order. You would write the sequence number on them just in case you (or someone) got them out of order. I dropped them on the way from the punch machine to the desk where I was going to write the sequence numbers on them.

I enjoyed the concept of writing code that does neat stuff is totally useless.

I'd challenge coders to write code that would still FORTRAN...talk about useless code!

 

[Miss B]

I don't write code though I dabbled in FORTRAN and BASIC way back when.

Back in the day, when I was getting my degree, I was coding in BASIC and COBOL, so probably around the same time frame.

 

[DanaTA]

Three semesters of COBOL getting my AS in computer science! Wordy! And not COBOL for Windows, this was all text and ANSI graphic characters. Well, mostly I did that. I made a menu system for my final project. That was only part of it, it had "windows" with shadows. Damn code was so complex it wouldn't run on the student compiler. My professor took it home and ran it and I aced it. Only one class in dBase. That was a mistake in my opinion. Most businesses were using it, or the better FoxBase +. I went on to work with FoxPro, and later FoxPro for Windows. Right up until MS decided to kill it. I never understood that. It was the fasted database alive, so to speak. It ran rings around their still active Access. Even when they stole the Rushmore tech from FoxPro and put it into Access...Access was still a dog! Now I use SQL Server on my site.

Dana

 

[Miss B]

Three semesters of COBOL getting my AS in computer science! Wordy! And not COBOL for Windows, this was all text and ANSI graphic characters.

That sure brings back memories. I went for a second degree 25 years after getting my first, mostly because I as getting bored at work, but I got mine in Computer Information Systems, with programming. Yes COBOL's wordy, but it was easy to get through because all statements were plain English sentences.

The version of BASIC I took my first semester was called spaghetti code back then, and I did all my programming classes on my first DOS computer, even after they started to upgrade all the computer labs with Windows computers. I took my last class at home. I just showed up in class to hand in my projects, because my computer at home was still DOS, and I couldn't run any of my programs on the Windows computers at school. We even worked on a mainframe one semester, and that was fun.

 

[DanaTA]

I had, I think, two semesters of RPG II, and we worked at the terminals for that. I think the third semester of COBOL we worked at terminals of WANG minis. We had one class of ASM on Apple IIe's, I think they were. Green text on black background. Didn't care for that very much. Only had BASIC in the first class, I think. Introduction to Computers. for that class, I was mostly helping my classmates with the homework assignments. I already knew everything that was covered from my own studies before signing up for the degree program. I went to community college 20 years after I graduated from high school. But I found it was such a different experience. All the classes were so much more interesting than most of my studies in high school.

Dana

 

[Miss B]

Yes, college courses are always more interesting than what you learn in high school, though I don't think personal computers existed when I went to college the first time, so nothing really interesting then either. I only went because my folks wanted me to. I already had a good job, so went for a Liberal Arts degree, and didn't take classes that specialized in anything.

It wasn't until I decided to go back that I was interested in computers, so found the degree/classes I wanted to take, and after taking my first COBOL class, my professor asked me if I wouldn't mind tutoring some of his students in that class the following semester, and I said yes, because I could always use the extra money ($20/hr.) the students would pay me. That was even more fun, because even though I hated the idea of becoming a teacher, I enjoyed the one-on-one tutoring sessions.

 

[Ken Gilliland]

Interesting video... I started coding around 1981 with the TI-99/4A. I, of course, started with its native languages; Basic, Extended Basic and TMS9900 Assembly Language, and eventually introduced to Forth and C/C+. When the TI-99/4a waned, I moved the MS Basic, C++, HTML and Javascript. Now a days, most of my coding revolves around editing/rewriting Poser and DAZ Studio files.

 

[Miss B]

One of my courses was supposed to be Assembly, but they changed it to C the semester before I was to take it, and the "textbook" required for class was one I had already purchased to see if I could learn C on my own.

My first Basic course was, IIRC, GW Basic, and then I started playing with Visual Basic once I got my first Windows computer.

Of course, once I got my degree, and since I was already into 2D graphics, I took a left turn into web design, so HTML, CSS and eventually Javascript. These days, however, it's mostly PHP.

 

[KageRyu]

I do not consider myself any sort of programmer or coder, though I know enough to understand the concepts and procedures. There was a time I wanted to be a programmer - I wanted to make games - and I mean back in the late 80's before the rush of game developers we have now. Unfortunately, I was still in high school, had limited patience, and really was not supported in this idea by my parents or any of my teachers. I did a fair bit of Basic programming on the good ole C64 - made a few cute little ANSI games, hacked a few door games and local BBS. I Tried to learn Assembly on the C64, even picked up an assembly cartridge to compile with. Unfortunately I was teaching myself and what I wanted to do was so far beyond not only my own skills, but the tech of the time (I wanted to do a multi player graphics based tactical war game where you built empires a-la Civilization but could design and field custom units and troops a-la Crossout and take control of an individual unit to battle in real time a-la Battlefront...though none of those games existed yet just using them for comparison for what I imagined). I also experimented with Various Game Making software but was very disappointed in most of it.
Following this when I picked up an Amiga 4000 VT Flyer in the early 90s and was doing freelance video and motion graphics I taught myself and wrote a fair bit or ARexx script to synchronize batch processing and editing jobs between the Video Toaster and 3rd party software. I experimented with the Amiga's AMOS language set available as separate software to install, but never made anything special or really good.
Toward the beginning of the Millennium I was teaching myself Javascript and HTML 3, and wrote a few great scripts and web pages - sadly none survive now. I also had recently moved to PC and was learning to write DOS bats for a variety of applications...though I have little patience for working in command line.
My most recent dabbles were from 2010 to 2015 I was doing a lot of ERC and Advanced ERC coding for Poser figures for hire... but now because of life issues and time constraints I mostly only do it for personal projects or by special request. I'd like to think I was good at it - but I am probably fooling myself.
I have toyed with trying to learn Unreal a few times, but lately I do not even have time to render for myself or make products. Shame too, I had something spectacular planned for the fourth - doubt I will even have it ready for QA due to real life complications.