Would you donate U$S10 to a group developers to build a better contentlister?

[jharker]

Hey, James! Thanks for the support!

Well, my first reaction is to say that the best language to learn for programming on the iLiad is C or C++. However, those are notoriously NOT the best languages to learn if you are new to programming. To learn programming, I think I would suggest Python... but this is one of those things where everyone has a different opinion and they're all correct.

[JamesT]

Hi jharker

Thanks for the info....I agree about C or C++ I have already had the pleasure of being confused by these! I have a book on Python and have it on the Linux side of my laptop. Talking to a programmer about how difficult I found getting to grips with programming he said he had heard programming was more to do with how your brain is wired than how intelligent you are...you either 'get it' or you find it hard!

I guess my brain may be disconnected!

All the best
JamesT

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by JamesT

Talking to a programmer about how difficult I found getting to grips with programming he said he had heard programming was more to do with how your brain is wired than how intelligent you are...you either 'get it' or you find it hard!

There's probably a lot of truth to that. I think in one of my very early programming classes they illustrated this point by asking us to write down how you would make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Some students wrote a descriptive paragraph of three or four sentences. Other students wrote about two pages of step by step instructions. A lot of it has to do with the way you look at problems and think through solving them.

The other thing that I personally feel comes into play is the difference between science and art. Usually someone who is very scientific minded does not think very artistically, and vice versa. The best programmers are the ones that can do both. There's a lot of science/math in programming, but there's also a lot of artistic/creative thinking as well.

[ePossum]

Originally Posted by Napoleon

Hey!
I don't know if it is just me, but it looks as if the "money thing" in this post/poll kind of offended some people, or led others to believe that if they actually do it for the money they would be "stepping on people's toes". (snip)I would love to hear your opinions!

I think it's just you - I don't think people are offended - they just think that the donation idea is not a very good way of actually getting development to take place.

The feedback from the various developers can be summed up as:

- the "$10" donation idea wouldn't go anywhere near the real costs of development

- the donation idea would impose a whole range of liabilities on the developers (not to mention incurring 'administration' costs in terms of collecting, accounting for, and distributing donations...)

- the 'market' is unlikely to wear the real cost of development

In this context, the open source model of donation of developers time is actually a more realistic model for making things happen than a (not particularly well thought out) idea about soliciting small donations.

[Napoleon]

Originally Posted by ePossum

a not particularly well thought out idea

Well, thanks for your support and constructive criticism.


“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do.”
Benjamin Franklin

[ericshliao]

Originally Posted by Napoleon

“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do.”

Do you think it funny to quote such sentence? I think it's rude and impoite. Please stop it.

[zerospinboson]

Originally Posted by ericshliao

Do you think it funny to quote such sentence? I think it's rude and impoite. Please stop it.

The practice is a bit sophomoric, yes.

"Seine interessantesten Züge verdankt das Zitat wohl dem Umstand, daß es einem Dinge zu sagen erlaubt, ohne sie selbst vertreten zu müssen." (G.G.)

[Napoleon]

to ericshliao:

Originally Posted by ericshliao

Do you think it funny to quote such sentence? I think it's rude and impoite. Please stop it.

You may think whatever you want to. I couldn't care less. I won't stand silent when someone tells me ironically this is (and I quote again) "a not particularly well thought out idea". And, answering to your first question: no, I don't think it's funny. I didn't quote it as a joke. I'm not laughing.

to ePossum:

For what is worth, in post #15 of this thread I clearly state that this poll was neither an strategy plan nor an idea; I just simply wanted to make a statement showing the interest (at that time) the user community had in a better contentlister. The actual existence of this interest was indeed proven by the results of the poll.

to zerospinboson:

Actually, the adjective 'sophomoric' means conceited or overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed. It's not the case.


and for all of you out there that loved the quotation (including ericshliao) and would like to know in which of (the many) Benjamin Franklin's works it can be found, here's the reference, enjoy:

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do."
Benjamin Franklin

in Poor Richard's Almanack (first published in 1732)
Franklin used the pseudonym Richard Saunders in this text.


Have a nice weekend!

[axel77]

@topic, If 10$ would make somebody like AdamB to work full time on iLiad development I'd be ready pay that every month for quite some time! Considering how fast you spend 10$ for other crap (and this altough I'm currently not using my iLiad any more, and altough I'm in a student position in life).

@programming. Well first it's like every craft. 1% of people are "naturally" talented, that get it in no time, 1% of people are "naturally" untalented that will never be able to do it, and 98% of people can just train/learn it. I once read a funny article that said (by Scott Adams if I remember corretly), "learn programming within 10 years!" Since it really takes that time until you can consider yourself a master in this topic. But even as "apprentice" or "assistant" you can do stuff, and this "21 days" courses get you on the level of apprentice that can do *something*...

About the language, I don't consider C or C++ a worser start than most others. Altough some stuff is a little more complicated to do, and its easier to make "wrong" programms, you get the pointer concept that is fundamental to coding much better than in other languages that try to hide it from you (but through objects still is there).

[Ido Ilan]

I would gladly donate 10$ each month.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by ePossum

I think it's just you - I don't think people are offended - they just think that the donation idea is not a very good way of actually getting development to take place....

Perhaps not.

Unfortunately, the way it is now, not much is happening either.

Individual developers are tweaking stuff they need, or find interesting, but other than the new content lister, I can't think of much that has happened since I bought my iLiad last year.

The technically-challenged among us can't even get a response when asking for an installer/OS integration for fbreader 0.10.2 (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39802). And fbreader 0.10.2 does seem very useful improvement, at least without having tried it.

Not even "Sorry, it's too hard/impossible/not worth the time," if this is indeed the case.

So, maybe donations are not a great solution, but it can't be much worse than the current one.

---------

I am saying this with all the respect and thanks due to people who have spent time developing stuff for free.

[axel77]

I agree altough if there would be something workable I'd be ready to add money to it, I don't see this actually as a developed idea. Money is not the magic you can put to anyting and make it suddendly work that wouldn't work.

And its not much good now either, is not a valid argument.