Any programmers out there?

[srpeters18]

We've got a new forum topic, and I don't want it to be empty forever! Post a little bit about what languages you're working in and whether you are a professional programmer, just learning (like myself), or just like to play around with it a little bit.

As for myself, I'm a computer science student in my second year. Currently working on iPhone development with a friend of mine in addition to the standard C++ at school.

[Gizmo-guy]

Back when I was a freshman in high-school, 1986, I studied BASIC, of course, and PASCAL. Being able to read programming languages has came easy to me, although I picked the Army over collage I still use my limited programming skills today.

[srpeters18]

Didn't realize we had another soldier on here. I too started programming in High School, strictly in C++. I then joined the Army and didn't do any programming for 13 years, but you'd be amazed at how quickly you remember.

[Gizmo-guy]

Programming can be fun, I mostly monkey around with very very small mods to games or custom random map scripts for Age of Empires III. My limited programming skills is also helping me learn HTML and CSS along with PHP.

I was in the Infantry, 11B, with the 25th.

[srpeters18]

13F, worked as an FO with 3BDE, 2ID at Ft Lewis.

[peti1212]

I'm currently learning Advanced Java, and moving on to C++ in about a year. I've been doing Java for about a year now, and as soon as I have some of this mastered, I will move on to C++. I'm currently a Comp Science student as well. Not too simple, but as long as you put time into it and some taught, it goes pretty well.

[srpeters18]

You'll find that C++ is fairly similar to Java. Concepts are similar, syntax is similar, they're both pretty decent languages. I prefer C++ though, mostly because I know it better than I know Java.

[ET3D]

I'm a C++ developer. Had the fortune of working at quite a few interesting startup companies, most of which didn't survive. So while this meant I rarely got a great salary, and at times worked for nothing (but stock options, which are typically worthless), I did get to be the 3D engine developer on the MMORTS Ballerium, did a lot of different stuff at AIseek (which developed an AI accelerator) and worked at Lucid (which is still alive and where I got a good salary, but the very long commute was too much).

Regarding C++ vs. Java, while I have a lot more experience in C++ I feel that Java has much better libraries and shields the developer much better from some complexities and potential errors. I'm still more comfortable with C++, but if I want anything that's not performance sensitive and requires a UI, then Java or C# are good options and I've used them on occasion.

[srpeters18]

I don't like the inability to use pointers in Java though. In C++ they're incredibly powerful, and useful, but the Java devs decided that they lead to too many programming mistakes, so they don't allow them, I have a problem with that line of thinking.

[ET3D]

I don't like the inability to use pointers in Java though. In C++ they're incredibly powerful, and useful, but the Java devs decided that they lead to too many programming mistakes, so they don't allow them, I have a problem with that line of thinking.

I agree that not having pointers feels limiting to a C++ developer, but I think it was a good decision. For most software references are enough, and not having pointers does allow much easier and safer programming, with features such as garbage collection and array size checking. Microsoft went half way with C# by allowing "unsafe" code segments where you can do ugly things with pointers, but really if you need pointers then C++ is probably a better place to be. The potential for really crazy bugs does go up considerably with C++.

[srpeters18]

True enough. I'm spending 4 years in school (maybe slightly more) to learn how to avoid those kind of pitfalls though. College is a great place to learn what those mistakes look like and how to avoid them. I just don't understand some colleges propensity to teach primarily through Java. Because then you do have programmers out there in the wild that have no idea what they're doing with pointers and reference parameters.
You can also do some really amazing things with pointers.

[Neal_White_III]

I'm a professional programmer; I use MFC C++ these days. My first programs were in Fortran on punch cards, so you know I've been at this a while.

[peti1212]

Nice, now I know who to lean towards when I have programming questions! :P

[gstillman-Stephanie]

I have a similar background to Neal. Professional C++ developer lately, though some projects are in VB and Matlab. Started out with punched cards and FORTRAN II in the mid '60's. Other languages over the many years while in the Air Force (22 yrs) and civilian life include: HP Basic, multiple FORTRAN flavors, ALGOL, COMPASS, COBOL, PASCAL, ADA, C, Java. I have lost count of the operating systems, machine languages, and assembly programming systems over the years.

I have overclocked most every computer I ever used, back to the 8 bit Z-80 days. Water cooling and Peliter enhancements can be fun as long as the condensation problems are handled well. Makes nice pretty smoked motherboards if not. Always a bit sad that the power supply dies before the circuit breaker pops.

[Joshua_Mahr]

Sorry I don't program but I do have a need for some programming help. I do not know what I need but I would be willing to give some compensation for the help. Computer parts or cash. I need to run a site just like bitcoin.cz a mining pool. I don't know if I need a programmer or a network engineer. Any help would be great!