The hardest thing about Programming?

planetsim

Ok its becoming quiet again in the EL, and I am quite bored at the moment.

So here is the question?

What was the hardest thing about Programming when you started or still is?

Now no one can say there wasnt anything hard and no you were not concieved by Source Code so no chosen ones here :p

Anyway my introduction language was QBasic, which is a damn awful language to learn on I believe. Anyway I found a few things hard at the time such as Variables and Scope QBasic if I can remember correctly doesnt really have Variable Scope or a strict one anyway and control structures they seemed to get me quite a bit for some reason. Eventually one day everything clicked and I am now here today 😃

so what was yours ?

*Yes i am very bored

PickledOnion

Arrays in general. Why, how and when is the hardest thing. I get the concept, just not the why, how or when!!

I haven't found any particular language very difficult to grasp as such (mind you I have only done Bash scripting, Python, C++ and PHP), just that one concept.

Shrike

I learnt with Javascript which was damn awful too 🙂

The hardest thing was getting to grips with the principles of OO programming I think.

LarsLai

OO programming, too. Started programming with Java and it took a while to get the idea...

RossC0

working for not technical dunce managers 😉

Thats the hardest part! 🙂

onion2k

For me the hardest thing in coding, and every other aspect of my life actually, is finishing stuff. I have billions of ideas for cool things to write, and I'm not the sort of person to trudge through to the end of a project if I'm bored, therefore there are many, many folders with half-finished PHP toys sitting in them. The actual programming is the easy bit.

planetsim

Thats like me except when i also accidently do some silly things on the command line like

rm -rf * 🙁

Weedpacket

"Getting" the Big Picture on a programming project and keeping it in mind clearly enough while coding that the stuff I'm writing doesn't get itself tangled up in itself.

Bunkermaster

Hardest thing in programing? SIMPLE!
Program without requirements :glare:

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Warning😛ROGRAMER_IDDLE[/FONT]

piersk

I started with C.

The hardest thing for me?? pointers, every time!!

pohopo

the most confusing thing for me is regular expressions. i just do not use it enough to remember what everything means!

luckily i have the web to help me out

Bunkermaster

try maintaining code with embeded ternaries it's fun :glare:
damn newbies! KEEP IT SIMPLE DAMNIT!

mumbles about a red stapler and merry squirels

ahundiak

Originally posted by pohopo
the most confusing thing for me is regular expressions.

I second this.

Sgarissta

I'd definitely agree with Weed and say not getting too wrapped up in the small stuff. One thing recently that has helped with that is the concept of test-driven development. It's helped me keep from getting too wrapped up in the small stuff on several projects.

LordShryku

I'd go the other way with this and say the small picture is hard for me. Or more, getting the small picture from the customer. Most people I code for have a clear image of the "big picture". They know they want a blah system. Ok, well, what information do you need to collect from the user? Don't know, ok, lemme put a form together....here, how's this? Great? Okay, so lets move on to the handler. What? Change the form? Add these fields and take these fields away? Okay, done. Have to change the handler again. Now let's work on the administrative piece. What? Change the form again? Add these fields and take these fields away? Ok, change the form, the handler, the admin piece, an so on.

Now, this is really just the people I work for, but it's frustrating. They know they want a system, and they want it right now, but have put no thought in to the how part of the equation.
</soapbox>

pohopo

that is when good documentation, planning, and prototyping comes in. i code nothing without first getting a lock down on a prototype/mock up. After that any additions require the end users to go though a change control process.

visibility is another key. if they know what is happening at all times and know something is causing a lot of trouble then if you need to push the troubled item back they already understand.

LordShryku

Sounds good in theory...

But you can't always do that. And in the company I work for, you can't ever do that.

Bunkermaster

never gonna happen. even in corporate business with all their glowing theories and million dollars budgets they can't just stick to their past views... which is where good design and coding practices kick in and allow you to change the form the handler AND the admin side in ONE place.

LordShryku

So in so many words, I have bad coding practices? I can feel the love.

I think I'm done with this thread...

Bunkermaster

Originally posted by pohopo
that is when good documentation, planning, and prototyping comes in. i code nothing without first getting a lock down on a prototype/mock up. After that any additions require the end users to go though a change control process.

visibility is another key. if they know what is happening at all times and know something is causing a lot of trouble then if you need to push the troubled item back they already understand.

I was answering this not your post LordShryku. I was forced to take dramatic measures for my users have a creativity surge every 34s on an average caffeine/sleepless day. Design takes longer, took over 5 trial and errors loops to get a standard library ready but tada! Now I have it. I, as a former software quality expert (not just mehmehbleh slideware expert) know that most projects start with a great idea which ends up corrupted/enhanced/forgotten during the process of changing the icon color (watch Fight Club again for reference). Requirements evolve over time, coding practices have to take that into account and evolve.

Our customers/users don't open the cloud cover, strike a piece of rock and write their requirements for millenia to come, they're randomly picking a coffee at your street corner starbuck's on a hangover morning.