some reflections

These days, I did lots of parallel programming. Although sometimes this activity does suffer from low efficiency, it do help me a lot for further preparing and studying of coding. Like other routine work, the more both of us prepared, the more efficient work we will have. Besides, there are several points worth mentioning in retrospect:

1) Format matters. Tab is a much better choice than several blanks.
2) Comments also matter. It will help others know why I wrote in this manner and what the underlying idea for some blocks of code.
3) Multiple screens are necessary: put severl UI in one screen, references in one, and debug windows in one. Cross referring among different dialogs and different screens is one way to improve efficiency.
4) As long as employ oneself in the subject, it will be more straightforward to achieve goals. After all, coding is only time-consuming in one aspect.
5) The use of short-cuts in vim definitely will improve the efficiency, and also seems like more professional:)
6) People will only accept suggestions when they know nothing about it. So, at most of the time, the better choice is just keeping quite and getting your own work done.
7) Reading more, practice more, improve faster.

Update:

Below is something I read from a programmer's blog.


At the time I was a fanatic chess player and my 'dream' was to build a chess program. Of course that was a fairly advanced thing to do, in the end my knowledge of computer programming, and my theoretical knowledge of chess, the memory of the computer, and the available time, they all limited me to writing a program that could do one of two end games (KQ vs K and KR vs K).
Looking back over all those years (I'm 45 now), I don't think there ever was a time when I wasn't programming or thinking about programming in some way or another since I gained that first little bit of insight into what makes a computer tick.

It's like a drug. I'm still fascinated by it, even almost 30 years to the day later I still read about languages, new ways to solve old problems, all kinds of developments in software and hardware, as though it is the first time that I hear about these things. It is a fascinating world, the world of software.
It has changed tremendously over that time, our 'small' computers of today are more powerful than the biggest 'big iron' that you could buy when I was a kid. Your average cell phone has more storage, computing power, and bandwidth available to it than a mainframe of 30 years ago. Programming itself has changed, from 'batch' programming to more and more interactive code, 'web' development and so on. But it has also - in essence - remained the same, small building blocks are piled on top of each other to create more complex constructs, which in turn can be used to create yet more complex constructs, and so on.

That process, the act of programming, is something that I need to do. Whether to make a living or to be fooling around with some idea, the bug is in my system and I highly doubt that it will ever leave me permanently. I can see myself taking a break, but I can't see myself ever stopping. All I'll end up doing then is to change my mode from work to play and eventually that will lead back to some form of work.

If you can't program yet, or if you think that it is 'complex', rest assured, there is nothing that can't be learned. Programming is not like playing a musical instrument, and it is not something that you have to have a genetic disposition for. The pay-off is in how much time you spend plugging away at it. Over time you'll get better, and at some point it will click. It may take a while (it took me more than a year to learn 'BASIC', which is a very simple language) and I gave up several times only to go back to it once more. Eventually, I got it, and I'm sure that everybody that can do basic arithmetic and that is able to put together a precise list of instructions on how to make coffee or a pizza can learn how to program.

Maybe you won't be the next Donald Knuth, but that's not what it takes, all you need to be is a little bit better than you were yesterday and to keep doing that for a long time.

Beware of that bug though, once it bites you, you'll be hooked for life.