Messages

201

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: invisible application to update a text file on ftp server

« on: May 06, 2006, 09:21 PM »

Actually, the best solution to this is for him to configure his FTP server properly.  Almost all of them (I say almost, because I haven't used every FTP server available, but every one I have ever seen has this) have an option to allow or disallow subnets.  All he has to do is configure his server to block all connections by default and then to allow his local subnet and that will prevent connections from anywhere other than at work.  You can usually specify multiple subnets on the allow list for situations where you have 2 branch offices, etc.

202

Developer's Corner / Re: Ok, I need some advice here.

« on: May 05, 2006, 06:31 PM »

I think I like C# so far, been playing around with it a little, reading some of the tutorials.  Its like taking some of the ease of VB, and the structuring of C++ and combining them. 

203

Developer's Corner / Variable naming conventions

« on: May 05, 2006, 05:53 PM »

Well since I am trying to get back into coding, I guess I will get some opinions on a few things.  One thing I have always sort of struggled with, and have changed my method many times over the years, is variable naming.  My current way is pretty much a single letter to designate the datatype i expect to see in it (i for integer) and then a descriptive name, first letter of each word capitalized for enhanced readability.  I really have never worried much about standard conventions to facilitate others reading my code because, frankly I have never written anything anyone would ever want to read.    But, who knows, if I can actually stick with it at some point I may be able to.

I also would like to see a few more threads on various, language agnostic if possible, ways to write code that is readable and such.  Also, maybe the more experienced guys (im looking at you Mouser!!) can give us some pointers on how to decide when to write functions to replace code blocks and when to just do it in place.  Here is one:  When do you write a class instead of a series of functions or methods?

204

Developer's Corner / Re: Ok, I need some advice here.

« on: May 05, 2006, 05:07 PM »

Yea, the project part is always the hard part, I can never think of anything I want to do when I sit down to do it, but when im not able to or whatever, I can think of a thousand things I want to do.

Not terribly interested in cross platform, really only windows stuff.  I will never be a professional programmer (not from desire, just cold hard reality) so really just hobby based.  I would love to be able to get to the point where I can make cool free apps for people to use.  Maybe be part of an open source project with several other people, that kind of thing.

205

Developer's Corner / Ok, I need some advice here.

« on: May 05, 2006, 03:28 PM »

A short background:  I have been programming off and on for about 12 (wow, i told mouser yesterday that it had been 8 years but while writing this I realized its been longer than that.) years, mostly off.  I love it, but have trouble sticking with it since no one I know is even slightly interested, and having a friend or two that shares your love makes it so much more fun.  My experience was with commodore asm and basic (mostly basic   then Borland turbo pascal and c/c++, all procedural dos stuff.  When Windows became big (hey, we all know 3.1 sucked) I scaled back since there weren't many free options for doing event driven windows programming back then.  I did do some Visual Basic with vb 4 and 5, but then I basically stopped other than doing ASP with data access via ODBC to Access 97 databases for years (a second job i have, part time).  Well, now you know my entire life history!  Well some of it.

Recently, I have really been wanting to get back into programming, over the last few years I have tried to get back into it, but books are expensive and there are too darn many options out there.  I am way too indecisive and always second guess my decisions.  I keep thinking I want to get back into C++, since that is the language that I did a lot of before I started drifting away, and really love how the language is structured.  But, keep in mind I only did procedural stuff in C++.  And, finally, we come to the question.  I have gotten the whole Visual Basic Express 2005 stuff from Microsoft and started messing around with it some, mostly Visual Basic, but a wee bit with the C++ product.  I keep hearing a lot about C#, and have been toying with the idea of just going for it with that language.  I have this little voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me any of the managed languages aren't really programming, not like a real C++ compiler that compiles to stand alones haha.  Shades of VB4 bytecode runtimes.  I know that is an outdated view, and its hard to shake, but I am trying.  So, C#, or C++?  Or keep on doing Visual Basic?  What do you guys think?  Also, anyone here know offhand if the C++ Express 2005 in that stuff from Microsoft compiles standalone exes or do they also require .net?

Thanks beforehand for any advice, and sorry for the rambling.

206

Developer's Corner / Re: Can you read and understand C? :-))

« on: May 05, 2006, 10:59 AM »

Yea thats what I was thinking, thats the reason for all the pointers.  Looks to be highly recursive too.

207

Basic / Re: What flavors of basic?

« on: May 03, 2006, 07:00 PM »

Maybe you should have seperate sections for vb.net and the rest, since in the .net version Microsoft really changed quite a lot of stuff.  In fact, I recently discovered the MS Visual Studio Express 2005 apps and downloaded them all and decided to get back into programming.  Right now, I am working on visual basic, but I think I am going to move over to C# when I feel pretty secure in VB.