Review: stackoverflow

            Here is the obligatory review of stackoverflow. Look, if you are working on a project and come across a problem that you want some help on, go here. Someone else has quite possibly had the same problem, and someone has quite possibly helped them solve it on this site. If not, post your problem, and a bunch of bored programmers will solve it for you. Pretty neat, huh?

            The site is much like any other forum like this. You can search by question, by tag, or by text. Questions and answers are rated by users. Users create profiles and earn badges and reputation which gives more privileges and gives their votes more weight.

            As usual, the moderators try to get everyone to learn the rules and keep the discussions professional and on task. They also invite people to apply to help with the various tasks of managing the site. Stackoverflow is part of StackExchange, a network of similar sites for various areas of expertise.

Review: Google Developers University

            Google Developers UniversityConsortium presents a fairly comprehensive and emergent education program for anyone looking to master web development or simply expand their skill set — comprehensive in outline at least. I get the sense that it is curricula compiled by an information management specialist giant, not composed by educators per se.

            The well-organized site lists quite a number of offerings in three general categories: mobile, web development, and programming languages. The programming languages track leaves much to be desired, but the other two tracks appear to lead from a fairly introductory “classes” to advanced real-world application. The offerings range from free online videos or slideshows to university courses with tuition, to live webinars from any number of organizations.

            The free stuff sometimes is little more than a slideshow with no voice over, which makes little sense without the lecture it was designed to accompany. But, there are still some gems. I have selected this course from the University of Maryland on building Android apps to browse over the summer.

          Also, though many courses start off at a very introductory level, none of these are designed to build your knowledge from the ground up like Codecademy does. So, what you get out of Google Developers University depends on what you can put into it.

            As a site (or, subsite), it is well-organized and interactive. There is a forum area for collaboration, questions etc. But, mainly the content is well-regulated, which is good. It seems to be a good place for universities to attract students with “cutting edge” offerings. Also, there are some pretty cool applications available for developing and educational collaboration.

Review: Codecademy

On Codecademy, a person can learn to code for free, even someone who knows absolutely nothing about programming. You'd have to be pretty dense or unmotivated, or think you are pretty dense or unmotivated, to not be able to learn how to code from this site. But, it's not without its drawbacks and straight-up flaws.

The quick, easy lessons are broken down to the smallest parts, so you can spend as little as three minutes a day or as much as all day every day building your skills. Like a video game, the curriculum uses progressive complexity (levels), rewards and has a social element. It is kind of like a Facebook game, except you get something of value out of it. (c.f. James Paul Gee)

The site offers multiple lesson tracks within a number of coding languages: HTML, CSS, jQuery, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, APIs, and there are likely more on the way.

I personally used the site as an absolute novice to get a head start on my first JavaScript class, then again to extend my knowledge after that quarter. And, I plan on returning for some of the other offerings.

Collective genius?  Is that an oxymoron?  Whatevs.

Here is a piece of the genius that I love about the information age in the time of web 2.0: crowdsourcing and collective intelligence. Codecademy produces user-generated lesson tracks, curating them through user-generated evaluation! I mean, talk about leverage! Talk about socially driven evolution of content and technology!

Etc. But, that model does cause problems. Like biological evolution, things are constantly under development and change. This can cause a track you are working on to become obsolete, which interrupts your badge earning! Ugh. But, then you realize they replaced the track with a better one, which makes you wish you would have been doing the better one the whole time.

I mean, as a user, you are like a guinea pig used to cull out the not-so-great tracks generated by hacks who maybe are only like three levels ahead of you in Codecademy, and who often don’t seem have a lot of knowledge of pedagogy or even just writing in English. I came across a couple of these. But, look, they are learning too. We’re helping each other, right?

Easy, Whiskey.  Wait, who's Whiskey here?

Anyway, Belle Beth Cooper of Attendly wrote a critique of Codecademy. Her main argument is that it is not very good for absolute beginners, because there are too many basic assumptions about coding that are not explicitly taught in the lessons. I think there are some basics left out, but this is not really a problem, per se. I mean, I had a couple times when I felt kind of like I came to a wall because there was something I was not getting, but I did not know what it was. But, I worked through it, either using the hints supplied, or using Google or w3schools (which I found through Google), or just plain thoughtful trial and error.

Admittedly, I did know that there was a difference between a web browser and the internet.  But, look, if all you know is that you can use the code you're learning within the Codecademy framework, that is enough until you're ready to figure out how you're going to get it to work in the real world.

Here's the thing, Cooper. If a person arrived at the Codecademy site with the intention of learning to code, that person has enough prior knowledge. First of all, the person can navigate the web, knowing there are such things as web pages. Look, users have some reason for being there -- a website idea, or they want to be more useful at their job, or just plain curiosity. I mean simply picking a language to learn means that you have to know (or, to figure out) what each is used for and which would best meet your goals.

This all highlights the fact that they have some idea that there is something you can learn to do called coding, and it makes computers do stuff, maybe even the stuff you want computers to do. That's all you need to know. Codecademy's target audience is anyone who wants to "learn to code" not people who want to "learn about coding" or people who can not get to the site. You have to do the work...when you're ready.

I think a lot of people need to get in there doing stuff, trying to accomplish things (even the silly tasks within Codecademy), in order to have an adequate interest in the kinds of basics Cooper says are necessary. You really do not need to understand anything other than how to follow directions and pay attention to language to start learning code on Codecademy.

Don't get me started on the countless wasted chapters read and hours spent in class during the first couple of weeks of classes, "learning background," "building foundations." These "basics" were either old hat to me, or not connected to my motivations for taking the class. And, they were not necessary to start doing the stuff of it.

Learning a subject is not linear, so why should a course determine which angle you come into it at? Why not start in the middle and let the doing, the challenges, the frustration and confusion guide you in where you need to fill in the gaps and extend your knowledge? These will fuel your motivation and curosity, hopefully.

And, here’s my rant on how annoying I find it when people just throw up their hands when they encounter things they don't understand.  I mean, what happened to curiosity?  People need to learn that they can learn things by encountering them in use, not just by having things explicitly explained (side note: could the return to "common sense" contextualized application be the next step in the information age?).

Take the meaning of new words. Kids acquire language and new vocabulary mainly by encountering them in use and trying it out themselves. Only later do we use dictionaries, which are totally useful, but not necessary. Think about it. How and when do some people get intolerant of ambiguity, intolerant of not knowing for sure whether they "know" a thing?

lmgtfy

Anyway, someone who actually wants to learn to code will be able to do it just fine on Codecademy, and encountering the uncertainties will only prepare them better for real world coding, IMO.

That said, there are other resources I have found useful as I learn to code, resources that supplement Codecademy and will get anyone through the rough patches -- primarily w3schools and Google. Perhaps Codecademy could refer people there from the get-go?

Of course, some might then find the lessons on w3schools better and give up on Codecademy. And, of course, the ease of access to “answers” provided by Google is undoubtedly (to my born-in-1981 mind) a factor in expanding the populace of people unaccustomed to figuring things out. O, the irony. O, the humanity.

The bugs bug me, but not as much as...

Also, Cooper mentioned that Codecademy is buggy and hard to navigate. It is totally buggy. There were times when I knew that my code was right, that I followed the directions, and it even produced the right result in the console log, but the lesson did not approve, didn’t pass me along to the next lesson.

Cooper’s got to be kidding me about the site navigation issue. The site is one of the most user-friendly sites I have encountered. It uses the same sort of mechanisms and structures as the most popular social media sites and whatnot, so even if you have been living under a rock, you’ll be able to find your way around – unless you’re one of those people I mentioned earlier who just don’t normally pay attention to the way things work. If that is the case, give up now. Actually, don’t give up now. Turn over a new leaf, and stop giving up so easily!

Here's how it works. The evolution of semiotic domains as seen in typical web tech, and why I am not a teacher

The home page is very simple and easy to read with essentially three main options, in tabs: learn, teach, about. Smack in the middle of the page, you can click “Get Started” or simply jump right into the first exercise window and start without even clicking. You just follow the directions and type your name. In this first lesson, you’re not programming, but you're getting acquainted with the structure of the lessons.

You create a user-profile. You have a dashboard to track progress, select next actions, connect with users etc. You can share your activity on Facebook, Twitter etc. You earn points, pass levels, earn badges, complete projects etc. You know, there is everything a person acquainted with using the web would expect, and someone not acquainted with using the web would undoubtedly catch on if they wanted to, IMO.

Sure, these types of user interfaces and semiotic domains draw on the typical user’sprevious knowledge derived from using the tech that led up to this point, so those just now entering the world of the web will have a learning curve. But, I mean, if all the new user has is an index finger, an eye (or, comparable access technology) and a touch of basic human curiosity and intelligence, the user will do fine.

These standard web features evolved in the environment of human use. By now, they are pretty well adapted to human intelligence. Forgive my snark, but it really isn’t that hard to figure out. (And…this is why I’m not a teacher.)

Anyway, Codecademy has other stuff going on now too. Check it out. It has a blog with posts like keyboard shortcuts you can use onCodecademy, an interview of a programmer doing a hackathon, how knitters arelike human computers, an announcement of a fellowship opportunity with Codecademy, meetups etc.  The company also started an after-school program to help start school clubs.

Blog review: "Martin's Programming Blog"

“Martin’s Programming Blog” is chock full of posts and discussions that a programmer looking for solutions might find useful.

A quick look at the archives grouped by tags reveals the author, Martin Trojer, writes mostly about Clojure.  He also puts a good deal of writing into F#, JVM, and .NET.  He writes about quite a few other topics as well, mostly languages.

The minimalist home page simply listing hyperlinked post titles shows Trojer posts pretty faithfully once a month, and from what I can tell, these are dense and focused posts.  These posts sometimes spark discussions among his readers whom often have further questions or experience to share.

In one post, Trojer shared a hack to his Chromebook for using a Chrubuntu developers environment (Ubuntu for Chrome).  Giving a positive product review of the Chromebook, he recommended getting an SD card and using a few special methods for installation and use.  All questions were answered by Trojer or another reader. And, all the readers seem to be on the same page (pun intended) with the same valence.

In another post, Trojer critiqued what he said are thetraditional business planning strategies when they are used within software companies. He said a software company’s main assets are its programmers and innovation, not its products per se, but a traditional model that tries to make projects adhere to a strict schedule run contrary to good programming an innovation. He said a company should ask whether it is primarily a software company or a service company, which will inform it of whether it should plan and implement with more flexibility or not.

As a note about the blog as a blog, I'll say it is quite minimalist, which I kind of appreciate in this case.  The organization is thrust to the fore, so it is easy to see what is there and to find what you might want.  That said, it could use a little more graphics.

Maybe Trojer wants to avoid overuse of graphics when they don't lend anything useful to the writing, but, in case you haven't noticed, I think you can always find a graphic that will make your writing more interesting (and, adding interest is useful), even if it's not super-relevant (and, mere juxtaposition creates meaningful connection, btw).

In an interesting choice, Trojer left out an about page.  I mean, it is pretty clear what the site is about, and you get somewhat of a sense of who Trojer is through what he writes about and how he writes it.  I guess, in accord with the structure-forward design, Trojer probably wants the content to speak for itself, but, still, I would like to know a little more about him and his thoughts about, and intentions for, the blog.  I mean, sure, good code is best defined by how you can use it, but good code also has commenting, a meta level as a point of entry... The metaphor I'm using here is a bit of a stretch, but it makes sense, right?

Blog review: "Steve Hanov's Blog"

Steve Hanov’s Blog is a grab bag of content produced by an accomplished professional programmer, Steve Hanov.

Canadian Hanov has a Master of Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. He has worked at a number of companies, including Research In Motion. He has developed a number of pretty neat applications, a lot of which have to do with processing text, voice/audio, and image.

A lot of Hanov’s posts are fairly technical and immediately applicable, but still quite informal and human. You can tell what he is posting is derived from experience in the field (because he generally tells you about the context that gave rise to the idea or app he’s sharing).

He shares a lot of work and useful ideas, but also some quirky projects and humor. He started a comic strip in Imprint, the University of Waterloo student newspaper, which he continued and archived on the blog.

One very abstract post on using visual data structures may be useful to me in thinking about how to analyze algorithmic trading patterns as I test them and compile a shit-ton of data. Maybe it won't be too useful, though. We'll see.

In his most recent post, he shared what he has learned about operating a Canadian business that sells software to Americans. At the end, he asks his readers to share their tips, a good blogging practice.

As for his style as a blogger, I like the variety. He offers a variety of content (from hardware to programming to accounting to humor), and he switches up the length and depth of his discussions as warranted.

This allows you to alternate your level of engagement. I think this, combined with the useful content and easy tone, encourages both staying on the site longer and returning for more.

One post was almost fitting for a meme it was so short and to the point. He chose a font style and a larger font size reflecting this.  In it, he breaks down why it’s important to think before you program about whether you will be handling “o, 1, many, or ‘a zillion.’”

Blog review: "Ken's Programming Blog"

"Ken’s Programming Blog" takes the tack of the informative older sibling or mentor. Kenneth Parker shares tools and tips for using code as well as no-nonsense advice for developing coders.

In some posts, Parker demonstrates an expert knowledge, yet he doesn't share much in his about section about his credentials. Sometimes he alludes to his role as a decision-maker in his company Beverage Metrics.

His post on whether you need a degree to be a programmer seems useful in creating a self-directed path of education to supplement and outpace a formal path of education. Here and elsewhere, his "down and dirty" "here's what you need to know" attitude is very helpful. I appreciate it.

Many of Parker's posts are opinionated in some way, which is fine, but like I said, he doesn't do a great job establishing his credibility, so it works against him often. At times, the way he expresses and supports his opinion actually undermines his credibility, IMO.

For example, Parker's argument to stop using privates is a little thin. He may be totally right, but I'm saying he's not convincing. The argument basically boils down to some underlying frustration he has with someone or some people he is working for/with whose use of privates makes his job harder. He slips into an oppositional first person voice (e.g. "So let your interfaces handle communication and stop trying to force good developers from solve problems with your solutions.") He kind of lost credibility there IMO.

And, here's why. He doesn't handle this thinly veiled frustration with a candid sense of humor, poking fun at his bitterness. It's not healthy. You get that reflective darkish humor in other blogs by professionals who are opening up the "human side" of programming, and it lends to enjoyability and trust.

Parker addresses programmer burnout in more than one post, and I think I know why. That said, he seems to have a genuine concern for programmer burnout, perhaps due to his personal experience with a coworker "losing it."

He does have a sense of humor though. Uses religious parody to poke fun at programming dogmas and crises.

Visually and audibly, the blog is uninteresting.

Now, here's a note on English. I’m really going to show my underbelly here. It’s one thing to have typos and missed punctuation etc. And, it’s one thing to have a casual or culturally specific style. But, it’s quite another thing to have a sloppy style. Parker has a sloppy style that I probably shouldn’t judge too harshly, but I do. I can’t help it.

I don’t like it, because it shows a character of carelessness, and it usually accompanies a similar carelessness in reasoning. You find that carelessness resonating in his shoddy arguments when his opinion is stronger than his expertise warrants. If he reads, he probably doesn't pay attention, or he reads others with similar sloppy habits. I don't have respect for it. Maybe it is cultural. I don’t like that culture then. Is that bad to say? Can you tell I am a copy editor who has to deal with this kind of thing all day?

Blog review: "Maya's Programming Blog: An attempt at a proper programming blog"

"Maya’s Programming Blog: An attempt at a proper programming blog” is all business. Yet, the author Maya Posch herself presents an incredible degree of human intersectionality through the context of the blog.

Posts are almost exclusively about the technical details of the projects Posch has worked on, a marked difference from other programming blogs I have seen so far.

Working out of The Netherlands, her native country, Posch focuses mostly on graphics and gaming, her most recent post being on using Qt to create an accessible app for a blind client.

She is not very prolific on this blog, but obviously quite knowledgeable.

Amazingly, with only two (well, three) posts for 2012, Posch reported 30k views?! Cross traffic? This blog merits reading in and of itself, and it is linked to her other blogs which I think draw more interest than this wordpress blog of hers.

Posch's main site immediately identifies her as being born intersexed. Here, she introduces associated political and personal struggles. Though she clearly identifies as a woman, she says she was born a hermaphrodite.

She is engaged in a campaign to get Dutch surgeons to perform reconstructive surgery which she says would make her existing sex organs more functional. She has not been able to get the surgeons to perform the surgery, she says, due to an oppressive culture in The Netherlands.

Along with the programming blog and her sort of main PR page, Posch maintains an extremely personal blog and vlog, and a blog called “Jinzou Ningen – Artificial Human Project.”

Through an amateur exploration of reverse engineering of the human body, the artificial human blog shows the intersection of her interests in science and engineering with her personal and political struggles as an intersexed individual. How fascinatingly cyborgian post-structural!

I wonder how much of the serious tone and focus of the programming blog has to do with Posch’s target statuses as a woman and as an intersexed individual. I wonder if she feels like she needs to present herself as more competent to be perceived as equally competent in a masculine-privileged, binary-privileged world and industry.

This experience might be revealed through the ambivalence of the blog title's tag line where "proper" both asserts competence within and compliance with programming discourse, while the doubting "attempt" undermines that assertion either as self-doubt or as a critique of the system.

Looking at her other blogs, she maintains a similarly intense tone and focus, so maybe that’s just how she is. But, that begs the question, doesn’t it?

Blog review: "Coding Horror: programming and human factors"

As is appropriate for a blogger, I will periodically review other blogs of a similar focus. Here is the first of those reviews. One of the most-read and most-recommended programming blogs out there is Jeff Atwood's "Coding Horror: programming and human factors."

Atwood says he started the blog in 2004 to track software development as he thinks about it. The blog offers keen insight into the actual working world of programming at a professional level that is not restricted to any one programming language or technology. As the title suggests, he illuminates a human side of programming.

He writes, “Computers are fascinating machines, but they're mostly a reflection of the people using them. In the art of software development, studying code isn't enough; you have to study the people behind the software, too.”

Atwood founded Stack Overflow, a programmer employment resource. He is currently developing Discourse, a forum platform. So, true to the purpose of the blog, a lot of the entries have to do with these projects.

As a novice to the field, I find the integrated discourse of an expert both challenging and useful. Kind of like reading literary criticism as an undergraduate, I find the language is rich with contextualized learning opportunities. That is, there is a lot I don’t really understand, but the unfamiliar becomes familiar and understandable through repeated used by masters of the discourse (and a little google-grease as desired).

The subject matter is given life and texture in a social context. You find a substance lending to a deeper quality of understanding—both through the interactive nature of the conversation the author engages in, and, in the case of Coding Horror, through the human element of the subject matter itself.

It is kind of like learning a language through full immersion in the culture. Rather than encountering the basics explicitly in limited contexts, reading this blog, you immediately encounter what may be the most complex and relevant concepts and issues of the field.

All that said, if I had absolutely zero programming knowledge, the blog would be out of reach to me.

One noteworthy feature of the blog from a blogging standpoint is its use of self-referential hyperlinking. In general, I likey, and I can appreciate the intrigue and quirk of Atwood's vague, yet telling, in-stride hyperlink phrasing (e.g. He hyperlinks the phrase “this ugly American programmer.”). But, when I can’t really tell what most of the links lead to, I start to ignore them. He is probably fine with that, and I suppose that, from time to time, a turn of phrase blued into a new context all its own will still strike my fancy.

The entries are a bit long, but they warrant it. He definitely doesn’t seem to be creating too much filler. [I don't feel qualified to rate this blog at this time.]