OSDev.org

Just found this site, primarily because I'm writing an operating system, unsurprisingly.

Started programming at 7. By age of 9 could program fluently in PHP, VB and ASP(VBScript, effectively). Now 13, can write in Assembly, C, C#, PHP, VB, ASP, Javascript and do some Perl and C++.

TheUnbeliever wrote: Started programming at 7. By age of 9 could program fluently in PHP, VB and ASP(VBScript, effectively). Now 13, can write in Assembly, C, C#, PHP, VB, ASP, Java Script and do some Perl and C++.

If you like learning new programming languages, don't do like I did. I didn't learn Lisp young enough, because it looked weird when I saw it. Instead learn Lisp now that you are still young. Oh, and learn Ruby too, but that's not as critical.

I think I wasted about 10 years of my life (I'm 23 now, starting today, so happy birthday to myself) by not learning Lisp earlier.

mystran wrote: (I'm 23 now, starting today, so happy birthday to myself)

congrats!

mystran wrote:If you like learning new programming languages, don't do like I did. I didn't learn Lisp young enough, because it looked weird when I saw it. Instead learn Lisp now that you are still young. Oh, and learn Ruby too, but that's not as critical.

I think I wasted about 10 years of my life (I'm 23 now, starting today, so happy birthday to myself) by not learning Lisp earlier.

It's on my list of languages to learn (which effectively is a list of all languages I'm aware of, and don't know). I've not really looked at it, but I'll take your advice and start trying to learn it.

Happy Birthday by the way, congratulations.

I started studying programming at the age of 15. My first language was C++. I studied it about two months and then I gived up. Then I switch to Java but I didn't like it. Then I had about six months without programming. In January I decided to start programming again and started to study C++. Soon after that I start with assembly. Now I am 16 (Soon 17) years old and trying to do my own OS (I started to program it yesterdey).

P.S I'am not very good at english. I hope that you understand what I am trying to say/write.

I started on C++ at around 10. Now at almost 15 i do C/C++, C#, Java, some Assembler, Perl, and Java Script. About two weeks ago, I started to work on my own OS.

It's amazing how much keen interest there is. Now the question becomes: who will become professional (that is, spend a few years in college/university)??

Dragon_Hilord wrote: It's amazing how much keen interest there is. Now the question becomes: who will become professional (that is, spend a few years in college/university)??

graduation is planned for next year february . If you feel like it and are around (Enschede, the Netherlands) consider yourself invited (all of you, that is).

Candy wrote:graduation is planned for next year february . If you feel like it and are around (Enschede, the Netherlands) consider yourself invited (all of you, that is).

Would be fun..
I wonder what it would cost a poor student like myself to get there.. ::)

Dragon_Hilord wrote: Now the question becomes: who will become professional (that is, spend a few years in college/university)??

Erm, sorry? How are those two related?

Having a quick look around, I have two co-workers with a degree in maths, and four (including myself) without any degree at all. Does that make us any less professional?

Kids, don't believe that a CS degree will make you a better programmer. It won't, full stop. And as for becoming a better designer... that issue is subject for many a heated debate among those who have earned a living in the business for a couple of years. Most of those I spoke with prefer not to have degrees in CS in the team.

Solar wrote:
Kids, don't believe that a CS degree will make you a better programmer. It won't, full stop. And as for becoming a better designer... that issue is subject for many a heated debate among those who have earned a living in the business for a couple of years. Most of those I spoke with prefer not to have degrees in CS in the team.

Of course, you can be right, but there's one thing you should keep in mind. A company, normally, will hire you faster if you have a degree in CS, AFAIK.
I can be wrong, but I'm seeing all the time in advertisements a CS degree is more preferable than not having one.

Firstly, I think that there's too much emphasis here on how many languages someone know. Today I've been looking at some university sites etc. and there's a quote which I think sums it all up (from a lecture to new CS students):-

The point is that it doesn't matter which programming language we use to write down the rules of the game. The interesting thing is not what language we use, but the game itself, and most importantly the reasons why it works. These things are the same whatever language we use.

Surely a good programmer is someone who can work out an algorithm rather than implement it in lots of languages...


Secondly, on the issue of whether a degree helps:-

I can't claim to know much about this (not even at uni yet), but it seems to me that whilst a cs course might make you fit a "mould" of programmers which some employers might not like, I'm guessing that if you don't have a degree you're leaving your employment very much to chance and rely on referals / reputation which noone's got when they first start out...

Just my $0.02

Pete

Nice to be here after a while!

Here it comes again.... This is an old topic whoever started should read old messages first!

Solar wrote:

Dragon_Hilord wrote:

Kids, don't believe that a CS degree will make you a better programmer. It won't, full stop. And as for becoming a better designer... that issue is subject for many a heated debate among those who have earned a living in the business for a couple of years. Most of those I spoke with prefer not to have degrees in CS in the team.

I agree with this Solar's well known opinion!

hmm, ok. i'd have said that designers don't particularly design algorithms, but design concepts... but that#s another debate (i'd say that designing the algorithms was the programmer's job)

Pete