v0.8.9 (Bugfixes + translations) released to Google Play!

Useful links
Source code of the game - Contribution guide - ATCS Editor - Translate the game on Weblate - Example walkthrough - Andor's Trail Directory - Join the Discord
Get the game (v0.8.9) from Google, F-Droid, our server, or itch.io

Coding in business school

A place to discuss anything not related to the game.
justin40
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:04 am
android_version: 4.0

Re: Coding in business school

Post by justin40 »

:D
palemantle
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue May 24, 2016 4:52 am
android_version: 3.1 - Honeycomb

Re: Coding in business school

Post by palemantle »

rijackson741 wrote:Here's my two cents worth. Over the years I have written code in more than 10 languages, and with the exception of one (C) I didn't choose any of them. I either had them forced upon me by some professor (Fortran: a horrible langauge), or learned them because I inherited legacy code (Algol, and some Pascal), learned them because they were used for scripting in some piece of software (more versions of Basic than I care to think about, Python), or for some other reason. So if you want to learn a programming language, the first thing you have to decide is what you want to do with it. If you want to write code for embedded processors, learn C (which is very different to C++). If you want to do numerical computing, Python is a good choice. If you want to write an app for Windows use one of the .NET languages (I would personally recommend C#; I've not written a lot in it, but it's a good language). If you want to write an app for Android, learn Java (which I have never written even one line of code in!).

It's not that different to choosing a spoken language to learn. Spanish may be a lot easier to learn than Chinese, but it won't do you much good if you are going to live in China ;)
Python is, indeed, a very good place to start.

I'm probably being horribly nitpicky but Python isn't what I'd go with for numerical computing. You can get Python extensions (Cython?) that'll give you a performance boost but its hard to match the raw performance (and availability of legacy libraries) of Fortran (or C to some extent) for heavy numerical work (fluid flow, weather prediction blah blah blah). I absolutely do understand the hatred for Fortran though :D
Tagnar
Lvl: 29, XP: 40493, AP: 11/7, HP: 94, AC: 153%, AD: 9-20, CHS: 15, CM: 2.0, BC: 116%, DR: 5
Skills: BS: 2, CS: 1 (damn Kazaul Rotworms!), DS: 1 (thanks Kazaul Rotworms!), IF: 2, Reg: 1
User avatar
rijackson741
Posts: 4451
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:04 am
android_version: 10 - Android 10
Location: Somewhere in Dhayavar
Contact:

Re: Coding in business school

Post by rijackson741 »

I recommended Python for numerical computing because of the free libraries that are available, mainly numpy and scipy. I agree that it's not that fast though, and for computationally intensive tasks many other languages would be a better choice. The main numerical libraries that I know of for Fortran are the NAG libraries, and the last time I looked (which, given my dislike of Fortran, was a very long time ago) they were hideously expensive. So I agree with you, but would say that it also emphasizes my point. To choose the "best" language you have to first define your needs. There is no best language for everything.
Level:71, XP:6493739, PV:608, FQ:84
HP:210, AC:212, AD:58-77, AP:4, ECC:16%, CM:1.5, BC:188, DR:3
Gold: 237559 | RoLS:1, RoL:1, GoW:1, VSH:1, RoFLS:1, WoB:1
HH:1, WA:1, CS:2, Cl:1, IF:4, Ev:3, Re:2, WP:DA:1, WP:1S:1, WP:B:1, AP:L:1, FS:DW:2, S:DW:1
User avatar
Voom
VIP
Posts: 617
Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2015 5:24 pm
android_version: 7.0
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Re: Coding in business school

Post by Voom »

rijackson741 wrote: To choose the "best" language you have to first define your needs. There is no best language for everything.
That's what I hear, it becomes a personality test. I am learning VBA b/c I am a heavy excel user, but I have set my eyes on Python as well.
Voom
User avatar
rijackson741
Posts: 4451
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:04 am
android_version: 10 - Android 10
Location: Somewhere in Dhayavar
Contact:

Re: Coding in business school

Post by rijackson741 »

If you are a heavy Excel user, then VBA is an obvious language to learn. But to take it one step further, is Excel the best choice of computing environment for what you want to do? Excel is a good choice for some things, but a very bad one for others. So what is your end goal? Accounting? Engineering? Science?
Level:71, XP:6493739, PV:608, FQ:84
HP:210, AC:212, AD:58-77, AP:4, ECC:16%, CM:1.5, BC:188, DR:3
Gold: 237559 | RoLS:1, RoL:1, GoW:1, VSH:1, RoFLS:1, WoB:1
HH:1, WA:1, CS:2, Cl:1, IF:4, Ev:3, Re:2, WP:DA:1, WP:1S:1, WP:B:1, AP:L:1, FS:DW:2, S:DW:1
User avatar
Voom
VIP
Posts: 617
Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2015 5:24 pm
android_version: 7.0
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Re: Coding in business school

Post by Voom »

rijackson741 wrote:If you are a heavy Excel user, then VBA is an obvious language to learn. But to take it one step further, is Excel the best choice of computing environment for what you want to do? Excel is a good choice for some things, but a very bad one for others. So what is your end goal? Accounting? Engineering? Science?
As a matter of fact I just got accepted for a Masters program in Assurance/Auditing. One of my professors calls it financial investigation b/c sometimes you have to wear a gun. Anyway, I'm gonna use a ton of Excel. Macros up the wazoo. How about yourself, what is your end goal with coding, large or small doesn't matter?
Voom
User avatar
Zukero
Lead Developer
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:56 am
android_version: 8.0
Location: Eclipse

Re: Coding in business school

Post by Zukero »

I use Java for Android, desktop, and large-scale projects.
I use bash scripts for tasks automation (batch renames, templating, sys admin...)
I use Python for small-medium sized projects.
I used to use php for web, but I'll go with JavaScript if I had to do it today.

IMHO, the single most important aspect in choosing a language is if it was designed for the task you want it to do. Perl was made for string manipulation, so it is well suited for handling a large amount of text files for example.
Using a hammer to drive a screw *can* work, but it's rarely a good idea.
Last edited by Zukero on Tue Jul 05, 2016 5:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Stupid autocorrect
Lvl: 78, XP: 8622632, Gold: 271542, RoLS: 1, ElyR: -, RoL: -, ChaR: 1, GoLF: 1, ShaF: 1, SRoV: 1, VSH: 1, WMC: 1, GoW: 1
HP: 71, AC: 301%, AD: 38-47, AP: 3, ECC: 50%, CM: 3.75, BC: 101%, DR: 2
User avatar
rijackson741
Posts: 4451
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:04 am
android_version: 10 - Android 10
Location: Somewhere in Dhayavar
Contact:

Re: Coding in business school

Post by rijackson741 »

LOL, an accountant with a gun. That's a scary thought :D

Everything I do is science and engineering, hence my interest in languages that have easy access to libraries of high level numerical functions. Most of my programming needs are "one off", in that I need to solve a specific problem, and then I'm done with it. To that end, I mostly use Mathcad, which is not really a programming language at all. It's more of a programming environment. It's like a white board interface where you can write equations, function definitions, etc much like you would on a piece of paper. The difference to a piece of paper is that the calculations are live, and actually work! I also use vbscript and Python because they are the scripting languages in other software I use (and sometimes VBA in Excel). I recently narrowly avoided having to write some stuff in C for an embedded processor, which is good, because I haven't written anything in C for about 15 years :D
Level:71, XP:6493739, PV:608, FQ:84
HP:210, AC:212, AD:58-77, AP:4, ECC:16%, CM:1.5, BC:188, DR:3
Gold: 237559 | RoLS:1, RoL:1, GoW:1, VSH:1, RoFLS:1, WoB:1
HH:1, WA:1, CS:2, Cl:1, IF:4, Ev:3, Re:2, WP:DA:1, WP:1S:1, WP:B:1, AP:L:1, FS:DW:2, S:DW:1
User avatar
Voom
VIP
Posts: 617
Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2015 5:24 pm
android_version: 7.0
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Re: Coding in business school

Post by Voom »

Zukero, what do you mean by web? Does it concern web design where you can use HTML/CSS? What kind of projects do you do, creating programs for tech companies or like gaming, design, etc.? Btw, well said with the hammer and nail phrase, it makes a lot of sense.

rijackson, I never heard of Mathcad and I'm a big math type of person. I use Wolfram Alpha for complicated calculations, but that's just a calculator on Nitros oxide. What have you used VBA for specifically? My brother dislikes C greatly, I guess it just doesn't mesh well with him. It might not mesh well with a lot of people, idk. Do you use Autocad for engineering or SDKcad?
Voom
User avatar
Zukero
Lead Developer
Posts: 2028
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:56 am
android_version: 8.0
Location: Eclipse

Re: Coding in business school

Post by Zukero »

Yeah that's what I'm talking about. JavaScript has a funny history, and it's really becoming the only necessary language for the web. Html5 is easily driven by JavaScript (with jquery and the like), and so is CSS (with velocity for example). Node.js is also making it immensely useful for the server side, so JavaScript is really your one-stop shop for web development now.

I won't discuss work matters but it has nothing to do with gaming, and covers almost all jobs on the technical side of computer science from hardware specification to software integration.
Lvl: 78, XP: 8622632, Gold: 271542, RoLS: 1, ElyR: -, RoL: -, ChaR: 1, GoLF: 1, ShaF: 1, SRoV: 1, VSH: 1, WMC: 1, GoW: 1
HP: 71, AC: 301%, AD: 38-47, AP: 3, ECC: 50%, CM: 3.75, BC: 101%, DR: 2
Post Reply