FG coding club!

[Diddums 4,346]

Ever since Dave's Linux thread I've had a little niggling idea in the back of my head and I think now is as good a time as any to get cracking!

 

First off, I'll personally be using Linux, because I've always wanted to learn it properly and this is as good a time as any. I have an old laptop at home which I'll stick Linux on and go from there. I'll be concentrating on Python as it's easy and fun to learn. 

 

The next step is looking for ideas. We need to create a goal which we as a community can work towards (those who are interested anyway). I need to learn about Github because it might help with this, but I'm yet to explore that (if anyone knows Github and wants to explain it, feel free). This allows multiple people from all over the world to work on a project, so would benefit us greatly. If Github is for something completely different, then I could always set something up on this server, but again that's something I'd have to learn. 

 

There will be no pressure, no timescales, no requirements apart from the odd discussion, it will all be an as and when thing where people can hop in and have a go and we can all learn together. This way we help each other, and motivate each other as well. 

 

Let's start off by seeing who's interested in this and we can go from there.

 

Here's a little inspiration to get you started

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/beginnerprojects

 

 

On this page, there's a text based game idea which I think is fantastic, we can all work towards something like that and it'll stretch the imagination muscles too.

 

http://knightlab.northwestern.edu/2014/06/05/five-mini-programming-projects-for-the-python-beginner/

 

 

 

So fellow FGers, let's hear your thoughts!

[GazzaGarratt 11,058]

You know I'm game for any learning on techy stuff when i can.

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

I would be ok with it. 

 

Python works on about any platform. Is there a reason you want linux as well?

 

Python is one of the languages that I would like to learn and I know a number of them already. So I can work on some of the stuff. 

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,453]

I'm absolutely interested but I know literally nothing about it. I'd love to be a fly on the wall and just learn from you guys.

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

Here is a free course. It requires high commitment but it is complete

 

It starts in JUne

 

https://www.edx.org/course/cs-all-introduction-computer-science-harveymuddx-cs005x-0?gclid=Cj0KEQjwrZ24BRC098fr-OqnuMkBEiQAKQ9lgGJcEFp8D0i-VTztjcfSVHnlJNcehHdEOVopbTz5P8UaAjQv8P8HAQ

[Plumbers Crack 4,062]

I'm absolutely interested but I know literally nothing about it. I'd love to be a fly on the wall and just learn from you guys.

This for me as well

[Capn_Underpants 401]

I did coding in HS and this all sounds interesting to me.

[Diddums 4,346]

Is there a reason you want linux as well?

 

 

I've always wanted to learn Linux for various reasons, the most important being that it can run on anything and it's great for servers. I love that it's so flexible and versatile as well as it being open source. It's not a case of having to learn it comprehensively, but rather install a distro and learn it as I go. 

 

I tend to keep my goals to myself because nobody believed in the possibilities that I do. There are people out there who make tens ouf thousands of pounds a month without having to lift a finger and that's what I want to do. It's not so much about the money, that's a nice bonus but it's a niche field I am extremely interested in. Once I start reading about things like this, I tend to go on for hours. Whether it be a trading bot, betting bot, whatever, it interests me. Obviously to many people this is all voodoo and refuse to believe that this is possible but I have seen it with my own eyes and have seen what these bots can do. I had a little bot a while ago made by someone I know which traded cryptocurrencies on an exchange. It made a wee bit of money for me but then the exchange went bust and I had no idea how to modify it for other exchanges so that was the end of that.

 

This is a great read, very interesting as well. 

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20121009013006-921366-make-money-without-working-automate-your-business

 

The possibilities are out there, there is a shedload of money waiting to be tapped in to by people who know how to twist the system to their advantage, and I intend to be one of those people. Quite how I'm going to approach this I don't know yet, but I'll start somewhere and work it out as I go. 

 

Until then, I think it'd be great to learn something I enjoy with the people I enjoy spending time with, and maybe we can even do something together and all get rich and visit each other in private jets and stuff.

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

OK,

 

My point was more when learn Linux while learning to code. That's 2 variables as opposed to 1. 

 

Since most people here a familiar with a Windows environment, it would simply learning the coding because they would have to worry about the Linux stuff as well.

 

Admittedly I don't know much about linux at the client  level. I am use to getting into the system as an admin and do everything command line because I learnt Unix, Solaris and IBM AIX. So it might be a lot simpler now with everything being open sourced 

 

so commands I am use to would look something like this

 

$mkdir -p /tmp/diddums/project

$cd /tmp/diddums/project

$chmod 555 /tmp/diddums/project

 

Which is something else that people would need to learn but that's fine. It's just more learning

[Diddums 4,346]

Ah, I see what you're saying Pat. To be honest the Linux thing is purely personal choice, and I remembered Dave asking about it so thought it'd be cool to learn it as well, but it's absolutely not required for Python, Python works just as well in Windows as it does Linux.

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

You are right. However since it is open source some of the Libraries may different depending on what users have developed.

 

Anyways, I installed ubuntu which is Linux today on one of my laptops. I chose it because many engineering programs I used are supported on that platform. It also looks a lot like MacOs for the basic stuff. I have the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (long Term Support, which means it will be available for a while). I have the 64 bit version installed.

 

I also have python 2.7 and 3.4 and tool kits installed. 

 

I also have code editors installed. 

 

You guys don't need any of that do to Python programming. However if you don't want to re-invent the wheel and feel free to ask me how and what I did

 

I am running "brackets" as my code editor. Vim would be another good one

 

I am doing pretty much everything command line if you want to learn out to do that using the GNOME terminal

[Diddums 4,346]

I'll be using Notepad++ as my editor. I've been watching a few vids and it's quite exciting really, I found a little project which is to make a keylogger which I think is a great start. I can't think of anything else which could be fun, I'll give this a go

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

How do you plan to use it? 

 

Do you plan to install wine and then Notepad++ on the your linux system? Notepad++ is native to Windows. 

 

However it can be installed on Linux

 

On Ubuntu its

 

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install wine

 

then you install it wine which is the windows program loader

 

You can also use notepadqq which is native to Linux instead

[Diddums 4,346]

I thought ++ was available on Linux too, apparently not. qq looks good as well, I'll probably just go with that. WINE would defeat the purpose of Linux for me, I have no intention of groing from Windows to Linux, then using WINE to run a Windows app

 

Thanks for the heads up.

[Diddums 4,346]

Right, change of plans. I eventually got Linux working on my netbook last night but I'll be coding in Windows. Everything in Linux is a chore at the moment. Even the most basic tasks require lots of jumping through hoops and box ticking. I'm sure that an experienced Linux user could blaze through it very easily but at the moment working seven days a week, I'd rather commit my time to learning and playing with Python. 

 

So next time I have a bit of free time I'll be sorting out my laptop and installing Python, Notepadd++ and whatever else on it. I'm at work at the moment but I'm only here as a precaution so I'm going to start this and see how it goes. 

 

Going in!

 

 

EDIT:

 

I've also been a bit of a naughty boy and printed this off at work. If anyone wants a copy of the PDF, click here.

 

 

Here's another good book: Python programming for the absolute beginner: 3rd edition. Also free.

 

 

I'll have to update this at some point with a nice index and stuff so anyone wanting to hop in can just click on the links. 

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,453]

Thanks for the links, Dave. Glad to hear this will be Windows. Trying to follow along on two new ventures would have been tough.

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

Just as a note, Python is a high level interpreted programming language which means it is not compiled.

 

That means that any programming you write on Windows will run on anything else as long as your libraries are compatible.

 

If you use python 2.7, you should be ok as long as you are trying to access specific hardware which will potentially have different drivers between operating systems

 

You guys should also look at https://www.python.org/

[JsinOwl 644]

Nooooooooooooooooo use Python 3!

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

I disagree

 

 

 

There are a few minor downsides to 3, such as slightly worse library support,  and the fact that most current Linux distributions and Macs are still using 2.x as default

 

However, there are some key issues that may require you to use Python 2 rather than Python 3.

• Firstly, if you're deploying to an environment you don't control, that may impose a specific version, rather than allowing you a free selection from the available versions. So if you are going to write apps for people they might not run in 3
• Secondly, if you want to use a specific third party package or utility that doesn't yet have a released version that is compatible with Python 3, and porting that package is a non-trivial task, you may choose to use Python 2 in order to retain access to that package.

For something for your own use that always runs on windows however, 3 is probably better to use because it is newer 

[JsinOwl 644]

People who use 2 are guilty of holding back 3 which is superior and the version of the future. Don't be one of those people.

Really not a big deal though, I just felt like posting something. [emoji38]

I've mucked about with Python and Django, but I'm quite sure I'd get frustrated working with a group and want to do it my way, so I'll spectate. Good luck lads, have fun with it.

[cyberninja2601 1,106]

I guess you are the kind of guy who said that people who use windows 7 are holding back 8 and was the version of the future

 

I don't want to be that type of person . So there 

[JsinOwl 644]

I guess you are the kind of guy who said that people who use windows 7 are holding back 8 and was the version of the future

I don't want to be that type of person . So there

All my computers run win 7 and one is still on win XP. I refuse to update to win 10 out of spite!

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,453]

Win 7 for life.

[Sennex 1,903]

There are portions of 10 that I really enjoy.

 

it is a small % of the total package, but regardless, I don't know anything about Python as I don't code in any language that requires it and my few forays into CGI, or PERL were absolutely horrible

[The3rdWalker 1,271]

... am I a bad person for enjoying Win10?