[ModerNietz]

I have little experience with programming but now I decide to make a commitment in this area. Since I'm the kind guy who likes big concepts. so here I have a few maybe unusual questions. I will be very grateful if they can be answered clearly.

1 How does it feel when programming?

2 What's the similliar mentalities in writing an article and programming? I'm also kind of new in studying English and now I regularly write at least three articles every day to make it a part of my life. Should I do the same thing with programming? Can I combine the two?

3 What interests you the most in programming?

I think I'll stick around with this wonderful site and hope I can find some mentors.

[Vormund]

This sounds more like one of those assignments where they force ye' to interview people in the field... hah, I did all of those via e-mail.

1. It really depends where you're working. Outside, in Arizona, on the laptop - YUCK - it's terribly hot... Inside my house, with the A/C set at 69*, well, it feels great.

While that's not what you wanted (small guess), climate does impact my tolerance level of programming issues... like any job, even though it's a nice and lazy one where you sit in front of the screen.

But when you're given a complex problem with pre-existing code, it feels oh-so-nice to find the bug and fix it... primarily code in which you did not write.

I think the most important part of 'feeling' while programming is just keeping a clear mind, and 'thinking outside of the box' when analyzing the task...which can be quite hard to do when pressured by the boss or other deadlines...ahh, deadlines.

2. I hate writing...beyond coding comments... so I couldn't tell you the similarities... but of course you can write articles on programming, people do it all the time. New ideas are always great, and if you could come up with three per week, well, that'd be awesome. Or just analyzing common problems in coding practice/theory... perhaps even tutorials, depends what you're in to. Point being, 'tis limitless!

3. Two big things for me: first, working on pre-existing code from some other person/organization, usually on the large-scale. These problems are usually pretty complex and push ma' limits in trying to find it, so it's great. Secondly, finishing my own projects. Once you start 'coding', you come up with so many fun things to write...and start writing 'em as you think of them. However, life doesn't allow for that - school, work, family and friends... exercise, all of that. Psh, I don't know what to say about that...!

You scare me already: first the liking of writing, and now hoping to find a mentor here...ah!

[Meithan]

I love programming. It's about human-machine communication. It's about telling a machine, which is capable of doing many things humans can't, exactly what you want it to do. It's a constant mental challenge, since you must find a way to translate your own ideas into a language the machine can understand. The human mind is capable of thought so abstract that in a way, the process of programming is a journey to understanding how our minds work, how we think.

I encourage you to learn programming. If you like writing, you'll easily grasp the concept of structure, which is very important in a program. One must always have in mind an abstract picture of the program, where one can easily see what parts are in it and how they interact. However, unlike writing, you can't use metaphors and figures of speech. In order for the computer to understand, you must be extra explicit in everything you want it to do.

[Taimandored]

I can't really answer some of those questions, but I can tell you 2 things:

1. When I successfully create some awesome program, I get this amazing feeling of accomplishment.

2. Programming is a good skill, so learning to program is a good idea.