Just giving a small update to give a heads up to everybody about what's going on with me. So of course I am still practicing my craft, however in the background I am putting up with personal health issues and also in the process of quitting smoking. So while C programming is still my main focus, naturally all this other stuff is slowing me down a bit. In regards to where I'm at with C, I'm currently learning about algorithms. Learning about Big O notation which is basically to help me measure how efficient an algorithm is for a particular problem. It would be nice if I could just judge the algorithms I use based on how much time they take to execute, but I also have to account for different hardware and things like this, which is why Big O notation is essential.
Like I mentioned in my last entry, I'm slowing down on the rate I'm learning new things because I need to practice and revisit the old stuff I have learned. Let's say I'm focused on strings for example, I have to learn the main functions strings use, I have to learn the different ways strings are used and with what datatypes they work with. C is a brutal language, you can't just throw stuff together and cross your fingers that it works. That's why I chose C to begin with, because I knew it would not let me get away with bad programming habits. Every line of code in a C program is logical, and with purpose. C's compiler is equivalent to a crabby old drill Sargent in the army.
Programming is not the only thing I'm studying either. I'm learning many different areas of computer science, which has already helped me quite a lot with understanding how C actually works beneath the surface. Knowing the 'how' rather than just the 'why' is something incredibly important, yet widely neglected too. I've heard such advice as "oh don't worry about that, you don't need x y z to learn how to code". This is because languages such as Python do a lot of the "thinking" for you. But in the end, if you keep relying on high level languages such as Python to cover for you, it stunts your overall potential as a programmer. It is such a good feeling when you KNOW how things work. Why do buffer overflows happen? Why does this program take so long to start up? What problems were certain datatypes/algorithms designed for? What is C programming bad at (not much)?
Ultimately, I ignore peoples opinions about programming, me, the world etc... And just keep pushing. As the great Rene Decart once said (supposedly) "“You just keep pushing. You just keep pushing. I made every mistake that could be made. But I just kept pushing.” I hold this quote in my mind every day. I won't lie, of course sometimes I feel doubt, or discouraged. There is a lot out there designed to do so. "You're too old", "You don't hold a CS degree", "You're not well versed in higher mathematics" and so on. But my love for computers and programming is too strong to give up. If I never succeed, you can bet I'll die trying. Anyway sorry for the "emotional speak", but I made this site to show the honest raw experience of my journey, I wanted to show all three of you, wink wink.
Anywho, I'll update when I update, no promises attached, except that I will continually update when I feel it's necessary.
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