Why are exams so easy?

[clapham_gull]

Visual Basic sucks balls big time

It doesn't really, but I wouldn't advice a serious developer to learn it first.

Someone mentioned "maths" in regard to programming - you don't need to any good at maths to program really.

( Most developer can only count to 10, sometimes backwards...)

You need to be able to think logically.

 

[brighton_girl87]

What about the internet? When I had to learn Python and Java I found loads of tutorials and useful bits of code online.

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Yes I did. Sussex likes to teach Java, I didn't do any C++ (in 2003). Maths was alright, but some of it was a right mindfuck.

Here are wikipedia pages of the maths stuff I at least remember...

Algorithm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Computability theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Computational complexity theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Turing machine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Formal language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was speaking to someone in CS year 2 at Sussex this morning, from what they were telling me the Maths (and that Maths you've just showed me) is a walk in the park compared to what I've been doing

 

[KneeOn]

What about the internet? When I had to learn Python and Java I found loads of tutorials and useful bits of code online.

I've looked about, but none of what i've found is suitable. I'm going to obviously continue but the rant was more at AQA rather than Delphi.

AQA are shocking.

 

[8ace]

is it not better to learn the most difficult and daddy of them all (C?) first then learn the backwards compatibles? in your opinion, like

I'd say so (this is what I did).

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Not if you don't want bad habits !

I've just realised i'm trying to stop Danny Seagull developing bad habits

Can you expand on that.... I quite like C, have been told if you can program in C you'll be alright in pretty much any other language. Might just have to PM you and Clapham for some homework help!

Clapham did I meet you on the train back from Villa, were you the shaven headed bloke chatting with me and the Wolves fans with the pork scratchings?

 

[gullshark]

I was speaking to someone in CS year 2 at Sussex this morning, from what they were telling me the Maths (and that Maths you've just showed me) is a walk in the park compared to what I've been doing

I graduated in 2005 so I have no idea what's different, but you don't need to be a hardcore mathematician to be good at computer science, you just have to be comfortable around it as it helps explain some theories and whatnot. I work as a software engineer now, all the maths fell out of my head after my final exams and I've not needed it since!

And yeah, learn C or Java (or another C type language) as you are able to use that as a base if you want to learn other languages as they are suprisingly similar once you get your head around the semantics.

 

[brighton_girl87]

I've looked about, but none of what i've found is suitable. I'm going to obviously continue but the rant was more at AQA rather than Delphi.

AQA are shocking.

They can't bad as OCR, anyone in Secondary Schools at the moment studying OCR Nationals ICT I feel seriously sorry for them

 

[KneeOn]

They can't bad as OCR, anyone in Secondary Schools at the moment studying OCR Nationals ICT I feel seriously sorry for them

I didn't do one, not two (the minimum our school let us do) but FOUR OCR Nationals. They are utter wank as well.

Print Screen Sending An Email...

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

I graduated in 2005 so I have no idea what's different, but you don't need to be a hardcore mathematician to be good at computer science, you just have to be comfortable around it as it helps explain some theories and whatnot. I work as a software engineer now, all the maths fell out of my head after my final exams and I've not needed it since!

It would be nice if someone told the course tutors this. I've heard some of it plays quite a big part in gaming though, if that's your thing.

 

[clapham_gull]

is it not better to learn the most difficult and daddy of them all (C?) first then learn the backwards compatibles? in your opinion, like

Well - you need to get a good teacher.

I can do a bit of programming - nothing serious, knock up the odd one/two screen application that jumbles up some very specific text files that drive certain software into something else.

Tends to be throw away software for a specific one off task.

I'll usually do it in C#, but I do quite a bit of Visual Basic (in the form of VBA) for Excel sheets when asked.

But I've never learnt it formally until a couple of years ago - when I went back to Uni to do a masters.

I had a fantastic lecturer in C++, the bloke is quite brilliant.

There is no point learning the really old stuff, but if you jump in with say C#, you sort of miss out on how things really work. For example, in C++ it doesn't have "garbage collection" which means sometimes you have to "clear up" after yourself - i.e. release the memory you have used.

That's good practice and really makes you think about what you are doing.

These days - you don't need to do that, but it's well worth actually having to do it.

So C++ is a good step in, or possibly Java.

I was joking about assembly - but it's fun to get that close to the processor.

 

[brighton_girl87]

I didn't do one, not two (the minimum our school let us do) but FOUR OCR Nationals. They are utter wank as well.

Print Screen Sending An Email...

Oh dear, was it that Downloadable Tunes crap when you did it too?

I have never known anything like it, absolute joke of a course. Rather than teach the kids useful knowledge, get them to screen print all the stages it takes for them to open a file etc.

 

[clapham_gull]

Can you expand on that.... I quite like C, have been told if you can program in C you'll be alright in pretty much any other language. Might just have to PM you and Clapham for some homework help!

Clapham did I meet you on the train back from Villa, were you the shaven headed bloke chatting with me and the Wolves fans with the pork scratchings?

Yeah - I'm no programming genius, but I can get by - well enough for exams etc..

C++ is probably better to learn than C because it has proper "objects". Don't bother with C...

Get into objects as soon as possibly - because they can be head f*ck at first.

I'll PM you (if not remind me) with a link to some great C++ lecture notes.

You will probably NEVER write anything serious with C++, or even create a "window" - but it's good to get under your belt.

.. or learn Java.

At that level, not anything in it.

 

[8ace]

I've heard some of it plays quite a big part in gaming though, if that's your thing.

3d maths, vectors and shit.

 

[clapham_gull]

Depends on the application - I did a final project (not programming, with SQL) that involved Fuzzy Logic.

So had to really get to grips with that - but really I probably did harder maths at O Level.

Computer Science Maths tends to be nich touchy feely maths - like regular expressions or Turing Machines (as mentioned above) which really are the study of long rolls of toilet paper.

 

[Grendel]

Firstly my college is wank. We're using Delphi/Pascal. THAT HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE THE f***ing EIGHTIES. I'm learning it just to learn a new language in a years time at Uni since Delphi is utter shite.

Delphi didn't even exist in the 80s, the first release was mid-90s and it's still updated. That said, I do agree that Pascal and its derivatives are fairly horrible (or, at least, I never got on with them).

There was a fairly interesting opinion piece on The Reg a couple of days ago about Computer Science graduate jobs, HERE, which is worth a read.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I've got a job thank you very much.

4.35 an hour.

I chose to be at college, I enjoy the idea of learning. I love computing, it'd be nice if the exam boards let us have a book that covered a more advanced spec, and didn't fill it with useless shit. that way you can't complain exams are too f***ing easy.

I'd stick with it if I were you - my last contract job doing Delphi paid me £750 a day, thank you very much.

 

[clapham_gull]

Delphi didn't even exist in the 80s, the first release was mid-90s and it's still updated. That said, I do agree that Pascal and its derivatives are fairly horrible (or, at least, I never got on with them).

There was a fairly interesting opinion piece on The Reg a couple of days ago about Computer Science graduate jobs, HERE, which is worth a read.

On my masters, the biggest part of the two years is the first year of C++. You can't opt out, every Monday night for three hours - over two and half terms. That was at another London university - so the article is a bit inaccurate.

They don't let you go through the next year - unless you have a 60% pass mark or something... they see it as that important.

They drill recursion into - then make you do it in assembly.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I was joking about assembly - but it's fun to get that close to the processor.

Girl's language - real men do NAND and NOR gates

 

[clapham_gull]

Girl's language - real men do NAND and NOR gates

Which we did on Wednesdays and I still have nightmares about.

Where do we go from here - atomic physics ?