Too Little Too Late

[ron77]

here is me ranting or blabbering...

I started " learning" to program when I was 39. I started with VB.NET, then JavaScript, and Python, I got hooked on BASIC languages, and you can say I became a "RetroCoder" Programmer...

The thing is, it's been what? Seven years of "learning" to program and Code? And still, I never get it right... don't know to code or program properly and always have to "get help" from someone who doesn't care too much... can't know how to plan then code or program complex apps and programs - I don't have a clue as to Pointers or Assembly or C language and don't know FreeBASIC properly - and nobody wants to "code with me" or do a project with me - why should they when I don't know nothing properly? When it is obvious I don't have a clue as to what I'm trying to do? So now, after a bitter experience in mainstream BASIC communities where I burned myself out, we've opened "RetroCoders Community." but what does that help in knowing how to program? Most programmers start as teens or even kids. I started at age 39 without knowing anything about just what I was getting myself into and how hard it will be - and as for "community help" and getting help from other programmers, well, that is nice in theory, but the sad fact is this world is unkind and selfish, and nobody wants to help unless there is something in it for them if you know what I mean ($$$) the moment you stop to ask for help in programming (stop giving $$$ for private lessons) that is the moment where you need to choose if you continue to learn on your own and work on becoming a true self-thought programmer or an autodidact programmer or that you stay stuck and eventually give up on programming -

As for me, I reached the point of almost giving up - all my seven years of learning, I was never thought really to code or to program (all that $$$ for nothing), and when you ask for help constantly and ask questions instead of breaking your head to solve it on your own even if you do "get help" you don't really learn anything - when you are dependent on other's help for achieving something in programming - you never learn truly to program you are just wasting your time and $$$ for someone else to write the code for you and keep you paying them for more - that's the sad truth - in this cynical world these young programmers don't give a dam about an old dead beat old rookie programmer wannabe - I wasted my time and effort and money in those "communities" I was a joke a fool a sucker - we opened RetroCoders Forum and Community for people like us. Still, the more I look, the more I see nothing has changed...

that's my 2 cent

[CharlieJV]

It is a healthy thing to let off some steam in non-destructive doses.  Not good to totally blow a gasket or pop a blood vessel ...

Because of a couple of cognitive disabilities going on, I don't do so well collaborating with many people on anything, and can pretty much only handle collaborating with one person on any one thing that is pretty focused (i.e. not too big in scope.)

I'm a career Gupta Team Developer (aka Gupta "SQLWindows") guy since 1995 on large 2-tier government systems (Oracle back end) focused on everything related to Capital Construction Projects (new buildings, major renovations to existing buildings) and everything related to Facilities Management: project management, budget management, tender management, contract management, space lease management and space allocation, yadda yadda.

But my heart has always belonged to BASIC and I've always loved hobby programming.

I am fond of any BASIC implementation, but I only use my own (BASIC Anywhere Machine) because my computing at home is on Chromebooks only.  So no-install BASIC is my cup of tea.

If there are certain things you are trying to learn/solve, shoot me (or shoot "a" in general) message.  If I can demonstrate in BAM, I'm on it in the hope that you can port over to your favourite BASIC.

Programming is easier when "the right stuff" (whatever it is) is in your DNA, but don't underestimate the wildly good things only the programmer who might not have that "right stuff" can come up with.

Occasionally, the "right stuff" can actually be baggage that gets in the way, making it impossible to get to a really ingenious solution.

[johnno56]

Ron,

I can pretty much understand where you are 'coming from'. My major language is Basic and has been since the mid '80s. (For the last few years, RCBasic) I have tinkered with other Basics (sdlbasic for 6 years prior to RCBasic) and a few others as well...  I am not a programmer. I tinker. I 'still' have to ask questions! I am a member of several Basic communities... That will give you an idea of how much help I need... lol  My greatest problem is generating new ideas for games... After all... It's Basic. What hasn't been done?!

There were many times I almost 'threw in the towel'. It wasn't for lack of desire. Mainly, lack of knowledge and creativity. There were times I would be working on a 'conversion' from one Basic to another... hours would slip by and sometimes wasted... Instead of focusing on a 'module' at a time, I would spend huge amounts of time trying to do the whole program in one sitting... I think I was too focused on the 'results' and the 'expected praise of others' that eventually caused too much frustration and anger...

If it wasn't for communities, like this one, I would have quit a long time ago... Majority of community members were more than willing to help... They exercised 'great' patience with my 'many' questions... lol I finally realised that the only person I would be effecting by quitting, was myself... I have quit SO many ventures over the decades that I decided to try and not make it into a habit...

I am still here... I still tinker... and I still have questions...

I found a cheesy, but helpful saying... "If you are not having fun then you are doing it wrong..."

If there is anything you need help with, assuming that I have the skill-set required... lol, I would be more than happy to help.

[ron77]

aural said:

so you wasted money on hobby programming ?

or you wasted money to learn programming  that you can be proffesional programmer?

i am confused 

Sorry for the confusion... what I meant is I can try and learn to program as much as I want, with or without communities. I'll never be as good at it as other programmers who started younger than I did, and there are things I will never know how to code...

So when you are in that position, you either a) join a community and ask for help or b) take private lessons from some young tutor to try and understand or succeed in doing something.

Those are the basic options, but like the heading says - if I'm too old to learn new tricks and subjects like hobby programming or programming in general, what is the point?

[ZXDunny]

Well, I'm very late to this particular party but here goes:

I started about age 9, on an old, old Sinclair machine. Loved it. Stuck with only BASIC, more advanced stuff - z80 machine code - was way too difficult for my young brain. It wasn't until much much later, having been through Sinclair BASIC, HiSoft BASIC, AMOS, Blitz et al on the Amiga, that I moved to a PC and nabbed a copy of Delphi from a coverdisk.

At that point I had a properly compiled language and I really wanted to be able to code in BASIC again. So I hit up a couple of friends who suggested I write a Spectrum emulator. I did, and learnt a HUGE amount about z80 machine code in the process. Which lead very nicely to x86 assembly (very similar) and stuff like pointers and crap like that fell into place.

After that, I eventually moved onto making BASin (an IDE for BASIC with a built-in emulator) and then finally SpecBAS.

And that got me my current job in the music industry as a coder. The downside is that I only really code for SpecBAS in my spare time and don't use other BASICs unless it's to test something so I don't really "do" FB at all, but can understand it when I see it.

SO I went all the way around from BASIC back to BASIC again. And I'm more than happy to help anyone improve their coding abilities, the same way I improved mine.

[CharlieJV]

Well, I'm very late to this particular party but here goes:

I started about age 9, on an old, old Sinclair machine. Loved it. Stuck with only BASIC, more advanced stuff - z80 machine code - was way too difficult for my young brain. It wasn't until much much later, having been through Sinclair BASIC, HiSoft BASIC, AMOS, Blitz et al on the Amiga, that I moved to a PC and nabbed a copy of Delphi from a coverdisk.

At that point I had a properly compiled language and I really wanted to be able to code in BASIC again. So I hit up a couple of friends who suggested I write a Spectrum emulator. I did, and learnt a HUGE amount about z80 machine code in the process. Which lead very nicely to x86 assembly (very similar) and stuff like pointers and crap like that fell into place.

After that, I eventually moved onto making BASin (an IDE for BASIC with a built-in emulator) and then finally SpecBAS.

And that got me my current job in the music industry as a coder. The downside is that I only really code for SpecBAS in my spare time and don't use other BASICs unless it's to test something so I don't really "do" FB at all, but can understand it when I see it.

SO I went all the way around from BASIC back to BASIC again. And I'm more than happy to help anyone improve their coding abilities, the same way I improved mine.

+1