What computer will make me a better programmer?

[freeside]

Hi, I'm just getting into computers and would like to be a famous programmer one day. I

am very impressed by the stories I've heard of great programmers who struck it rich, like

Marc Andreesen or Bill Gates. That is what I want to do.

 

What kind of computer should I buy to become a great programmer?

 

A dual CPU platform seems like it would compile programs faster, and I think the screen

should be at least

21 inches (LCD of course) so I can write longer lines of code. A search on Google doesn't

really say what kind of keyboard

programmers tend to prefer, besides the Happy Hackers keyboard, but I haven't actually

met any programmers who use it; most programmers I know just use an ordinary

keyboard, though sometimes the hands are separated like with the Natural Keyboard. But

one guy I know assures me that no great programmer ever knew how to touch type, and

those keyboards are for losers only.

 

In addition, I will install a home network. Should I get a gigabit ethernet hub or are there

advantages to 802.11g? Both seem to have their pros and cons. What do

programmers out there prefer?

 

To complicate matters further, I am told there is a difference between Windows, Mac OS,

and the Unixes like Linux and BSD. I met an Apple lover who swears that OS X is too slow,

but when I introduced him to an OpenBSD advocate, the two of them couldn't even agree

on anything besides "Bill Gates is the devil." Everyone tells me I have to choose a platform

and stick to it. I didn't know programming was so complicated!

 

One really old programmer said that I should just start out in an 80x25 terminal coding in

assembly just like he did. He keeps talking about programmers had to make do with so

few resources in the early days, and I respect him for that. But wouldn't it just be easier

with a faster machine and a GUI? Besides, text at 80x25 seems like it would be just too

big on a 21" display.

 

Also, if I wait a few months, I could probably get a faster CPU with more memory for the

same price. I know a guy who works for one of the big computer retailers and he said to

wait six weeks for the new models to come out. Should I wait? I could get 1 gig of RAM

today, but I might be able to get 2 gigs if I waited.

 

So I would appreciate any advice on keyboards, monitors, CPUs, etc that might help me

become a better programmer. I went to the library and checked out a pile of books on

data structures, client/server architecture, database theory, algorithm design, project

planning, and software development processes, but none of them said anything about

what to buy. For example, is a 2.6 Ghz single CPU Athlon better than a dual-CPU G4?

Those books were no help at all, so I had to return them.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Jerry_]

Not sure if what you posted is Nikon related, but if you are a whiz at programming: simply write the 'guts' for software that will expand the 1.5 multiplier factor on Nikon's digital camera(s) to a 100 percent image [what you see is what you get....like with the Kodak digital body] using the existing sensor. If you can do that -- long lines of code notwithstanding -- you will get your golden reward.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Wong,

 

Very droll. Thanks for the laugh. I recommend a Turning-Babbage mark II.

[spencer_hahn]

The difference is you can easily upgrade the guts in the future. DSLR's are more analogous to non-upgradeable notebooks, but I get your drift.

[chris1664876655]

The Timex Sinclair was a good one. That ought to do it. If you can't find one pick up a

Commodore 64. It's a real buyers' market for those.

[hugh_t]

Nice sarcasm. I don't think too many will get it though.

[steve_teale]

Don't get bogged down in details Meng.

 

Any keyboard is fine as long as it has biscuit and muesli bar crumbs in between and under the keys - in fact the detritous from any other substantial lunchtime meal will do equally. Coffee spills add an air of unpredictability also - you never know what serendipitous breakthrough you'll make as the sugar starts to crystalise on the PCBs.

 

All real programmers claim they run linux but in reality they all have dual boot machines to keep their options open.

 

Don't feel hemmed in by your run of the mill processor configurations either - overclocking not only keeps you on the edge but keeps you warm into the bargain.

 

Conventional wisdom, e.g. actually reading the books is a bit try-hard. Just name drop a few people like Ted Codd, C.S. Date, Peter Checkland etc - no one's read the books since college anyway and you'll sound like you've been around the block.

[steve_teale]

...but don't be too specific with the name dropping - i.e. saying that you were discussing the merits of open source with Charles Babbage at the last Oracle Openworld is likely to loose you a little credibility. Claiming you have an old PDP as a wardrobe though will help restore that cred.

[peter_h1]

Who cares about coding, become an IT consultant instead.

That way you can sell people the newest stuff without actually having to learn what the hell any of it actually does.

 

As the old despair.com saying goes :

 

"If your not part of the solution, there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem"<div></div>

[link]

Mr. or Ms. Wong,

 

I studied computer programming at an Ivy League institution (actually, I took 1 class).

 

Back in the day, we used punch cards to enter data. After a while we were given

access to a terminal, whoopee! That said we had low priority on the main frame and

could wait hours to have a program run after hitting the return key ( beat the punch

cards, that took 3 days).

 

What I learned from this experience is that if I continued learning programming, I

would become bald. Why? Because I was pulling out my hair out of frustration.

 

With your additude, I think photography will be a good fit for you, and it's a lot more

fun in the end. Of course you won't be the next Bill Gates, but you'll have a wonderful

treasure trove of memories in your photo album --if you ever get around to taking

pictures.

 

Thanks for the chuckle!

[vito]

I always set my keyboard to aperture priority. I just upgraded my monitor to 6 megapixels. Still looking for a medium format hard drive...

 

I am a computer programmer and a photographer. My brain is full. Can I be excused?

[mick_j]

The computer is not important..its the strap that hangs off your shoulder that makes all the difference. Make sure its "WIDE" and "BRIGHT", and then people will repsect you as a programmer.

 

 

Oh...and it helps if its a Notebook.

[jason_paris]

Any good programer can program on any computer. The computer doesn't make you a better programer. Its simply a light tight box to hold the film.... I mean the code, you get the picture.

[40mm]

Whatever you get, make sure the case is black.

[alex_lofquist]

I would recommend a Dalton E6B. It does pretty well in vector analysis. I still have one around somewhere.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Format F10.4<BR><BR>I=0<BR>X=0<BR>Z=0<BR>IBM 360.<BR><BR>punch cards<BR><BR>Fortran<BR><BR>@FIN

[leslie_cheung]

Meng---

 

Here a little secret, if you want to be a great programmer study mathematics

not computer science. And if you want to be a great photographer, study

painting and graphics;O)

[kelly_flanigan1]

Stick with core and drum memory. Avoid the new expensive; unproven disc pac. <BR><BR>"Computer" and "Calculator" were once a person's JOB TITLE; those who did the computing of optical ray tracing; projectile paths; census info; antenna calculations; ball bearings stresses. The credits of technical journals in the 1930's thru 1950's often listed the "computers" ; or "Calculators" that did the number crunching; as computer #1; #2; #3 etc. <BR><BR>The Xenotar for the Rolleiflex C was calculated by an "Electronic Brain" calculator is Switzerland. This is mentioned in Popular Photography; May 1953; p24. The term "electronic" computer; or "electonic" calculator then was used; to mean a machine; instead of an actual person as the "Calculator" or "computer".<br><br>mechanical calculators often were listed by model. These one would turn a crank. This is where the term "turn the crank" came when one is about to run some calculations; even today. <BR><BR>

[steve_chan5]

I suggest that you get a long roll of tape, a big piece of graph paper to write down the state transitions, and just do everything using a Turing Machine.

[arnabdas]

Another vote for the Turing Machine!

 

You'd also need a sound grasp of Infinite State Automata.

[staticlag]

If you want state of the art equipment and open code, then I suggest you build your PC from scratch, buying each part retail and assembling it yourself. As computers you would buy from discount places like Dell and Gateway basically give you low class outdated bulk equipment. There is a lot of variation when computer chips are made, some are under the labeled clock speed, some are over, these places usually never get the good chips.

<p>

On most of these systems, they cripple the BIOSes so the average person has to crawl back to them for upgrades, and in giving you crippled versions they also introduce many problems when you try and map your ports(among other things) yourself as a beginner in programming.

<p>

I like Unix OS, because it allows me to rewrite the kernel as I see fit to improve performance, and it has many ready-made free programming applications and compliers for virtually every known language. I hope you like headaches, because the average command and config list for an advanced Unix system is several phonebooks thick.

<p>

If you don't feel comfortable building yourself yet, then buy from here.

<p>

<a href="http://www.falcon-nw.com/">Falcon Northwest</a>

<p>

If you are paying less than 5K, then you are probably missing something.

[staticlag]

Oh, and don't get an LCD, they suck at color balance/contrast and refresh rates.

 

Get a pro CRT flat screen.

[frank uhlig]

What you meant to ask and were afraid to is:

 

" What camera will make me a better photographer? "

 

Right?

 

And the answer to both questions is: what is between your ears. The tools have nothing to do with it. So face it. Cheers!

[mskovacs]

Commodore VIC 20. Did some of my best programming on that and its still sitting in a box at my parents' home. Used to enter code for games published in the magazines of the day, spent many wasted hours debugging only to find there were misprints months later!

[chris1664876655]

Mike, I used to do that too. I loved it. I would spend the whole weekend typing in hexadecimal code. It was great when they finally came out with those little checksum programs.