[Cialug] Cialug Beginnings

Wed Jul 20 15:15:50 CDT 2011

LoL :D My question really didn't have anything to do with a first language
but that's alright, I still got some good insight.

I already know C fairly well, but it wasn't really my first language. I
think my first was QBASIC. But the trouble I'm having is putting a language
to good use. I want to use C mainly to write drivers for 'that
old thingamabob I have lying around.' :) Also to peruse Linux source code,
mainly for curiousity's sake. But in a career sense, I'd imagine C probably
won't cut it.

I'll be getting my feet wet in the technical world with networking, so a
greater understanding of Perl is on my todo list. I *hope* that in the
business world, knowing how to attain knowledge is greater than actually
knowing everything. :/
On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 2:53 PM, William Christensen <wirewc at gmail.com>wrote:

>  Learning C is good for you. If you love C, you can be happy as a C
> programmer or if you need to learn to work with objects C++. If you hate
> memory management, C# and Java will great you with open arms. Either way,
> when it comes to languages just know what ever language you learn will most
> likely become obsolete. Most programmers will learn several languages and
> thankfully the concepts transfer nicely. If you ask anyone what language
> should you learn in first, unless it's a biased group (lets say, asking a
> Python group what language they recommend) a flame war will break out and
> then never get a straight answer. However the general consensus is stay away
> from languages like Visual Basic.
>
> Maybe we should just mention what NOT to suggest for a for a first
> language.
>
> -Will
>
>  On Jul 20, 2011, at 3:47 PM, John Lengeling wrote:
>
>   C is extensively used in Telecommunications/Networking industry,
> followed by C++.****
> ** **
> Also all that you learn in C or C++ helps you when you start learning any C
>  influenced languages like:****
> ** **
> Java, Perl, Python, PHP, JavaScript, Go  etc.****
> ** **
>  *From:* cialug-bounces at cialug.org [mailto:cialug-bounces at cialug.org<cialug-bounces at cialug.org>
> ] *On Behalf Of *Josh More
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 20, 2011 1:54 PM
> *To:* Central Iowa Linux Users Group
> *Subject:* Re: [Cialug] Cialug Beginnings****
> ** **
>
> I disagree!  Flame flame flame!  ;)
>
>
> More seriously, if you are interested in kernel or embedded development, C
> is fine.  There are other languages you'll want to pick up later, but it's
> not a bad starting point.  Just understand that it's very niche and you will
> experience career flexibility limitation if you choose to focus there.
>
> ****
>  ** **
>       *Josh More* | Senior Security Consultant - CISSP, GIAC-GSLC Gold,
> GIAC-GCIH
> *Alliance Technologies* | www.AllianceTechnologies.net<http://www.alliancetechnologies.net/>
> 400 Locust St., Suite 840 | Des Moines, IA 50309
> 515.245.7701 | 888.387.5670 x7701
>
> Blog: Public attacks are on the rise.  Are you protecting yourself?
> http://www.alliancetechnologies.net/blogs/morej
>
> How are we doing? Let us know here:
>
> http://www.alliancetechnologies.net/forms/alliance-technologies-feedback-survey
> ****
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* cialug-bounces at cialug.org [cialug-bounces at cialug.org] on behalf of
> Matthew Nuzum [newz at bearfruit.org]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 20, 2011 13:37
> *To:* Central Iowa Linux Users Group
> *Subject:* Re: [Cialug] Cialug Beginnings****
>  C is becoming a niche skill these days. It implies only three industries
> I know of: driver/kernel development, embedded development (we're arguably
> in the post C world here too) and algorithm/library/high performance
> computing world. At the least, many have moved on to c++.****
> I'm getting back to opinionated ground, but I don't usually encourage
> people to start out with old technology. The stuff that's bleeding edge
> today will be entering mainstream in 3-4 years and be in demand.****
> C as a language represents all that is archaic and old. At least use
> something object oriented. C++, Java, C# and Go are examples.****
>  On Jul 20, 2011 11:38 AM, "Pawel" <pdarowski at gmail.com> wrote:
> > So a hiring manager would like to hear about some personal projects?
> Perhaps
> > one good example of an overcome challenge? I guess it would paint a
> decent
> > picture of the applicant's self-motivation and ability to seek answers.
> >
> > Thanks for all your input. I'm beginning to see that the biggest
> challenge
> > of development [in my eyes] is having a vision or finding that
> interesting
> > problem that needs solving. Once it's found, the rest is research and
> > determination.
> >
> > Two more quick question while I still have the floor! :) How important
> are
> > certifications in the real world? And please, what is the "industry
> > standard" for C certificates? I'm having an impossible time finding a C
> > cert... And my instructors don't really know of any.
> >
> >
> > See you around,
> >
> > Pawel Darowski
> > PDarowski at gmail.com
> >
> > On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 9:44 AM, Matthew Nuzum <newz at bearfruit.org>
> wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 5:03 PM, Pawel <pdarowski at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> Since I cannot attend meetings for quite some time, perhaps the IRC
> >>> channel would be a good place to start taking advantage of the
> knowledge
> >>> that already exists in this group. My question is: how did some of you
> start
> >>> your careers as Linux professionals? My goal is to use Linux in my
> >>> professional life from Day 1.
> >>>
> >>
> >> I too am usually unable to make it to the meetings. I do about one per
> >> year. However I still feel reasonably involved with the group by
> >> participating on the list.
> >>
> >>
> >>>
> >>> Any tips, stories, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
> >>> Thank you,
> >>>
> >>
> >> The common thread among the people I've met through this group is that
> >> we're tinkerers. Find some fascinating problem or challenge and dig into
> it.
> >> Back in "the day" the most interesting linux problem was figuring out
> how to
> >> get it to actually install. This one has been pretty soundly dealt with
> now
> >> though. :-)
> >>
> >> (in my case I owned only about 5 working floppies and lived off campus
> at
> >> ISU (near towers) and had to ride my bike to Durham to download 5
> slackware
> >> disks, then ride back home to complete the next phase of the install -
> >> which, btw, is slower than a 14.4k modem)
> >>
> >> Some people are financially motivated - they want to run PHP or Ruby or
> a
> >> server and make websites for money. A huge number of people I've dealt
> with
> >> are into Games and want to make their own. You'll not find a more
> diverse
> >> set of development tools than is available in Linux (check out PyGame).
> Yet
> >> others are into robotics or hardware hacking which is yet again very
> well
> >> suited for Linux. A few people use Linux to hook up to their TV to
> record
> >> and watch TV shows.
> >>
> >> By the way, this kind of activity looks great to potential employers.
> They
> >> really like to see people who are problem solves and are self-motivated
> to
> >> learn new skills and explore new ways of doing things.
> >>
> >> I will say that there are three trends to keep in mind as you're looking
> >> for interesting challenges:
> >>
> >> 1. We're in an increasingly heterogeneous environment - windows, mac os,
> >> linux, ipads and more all need to talk to each other
> >> 2. The web is either the most important application deployment platform
> >> now, or is right up there (this ties into the prev point)
> >> 3. Mobile is huge (and the number one mobile platform in the world runs
> >> Linux)
> >>
> >> (You asked for opinions...)
> >>
> >> --
> >> Matthew Nuzum
> >> newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin and twitter
> >>
> >> ♫ You're never fully dressed without a smile! ♫
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Cialug mailing list
> >> Cialug at cialug.org
> >> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug
> >>
> >>****
> _______________________________________________
> Cialug mailing list
> Cialug at cialug.org
> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Cialug mailing list
> Cialug at cialug.org
> http://cialug.org/mailman/listinfo/cialug
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://cialug.org/pipermail/cialug/attachments/20110720/3b690983/attachment.html>