CC Stimulates! What do you think?

Hello,

I just wanted to share some experience from myself.

At first I knew you could do nice things with programming but I didnt really get into it because I thought it is too geek for me. ( dont be offended, im at the point that i think i am smarter than my peergroup aka geek)

I like to play games and one of my favourited was of course, who guessed it, minecraft. Vanilla became boring for me so I started using mods, espicially those who Direwolf20 played, now I prefer mindcrack pack, and I enjoyed them.

Then direwolf added CC, and I thought, why not got enough block ids, I see if I use it. And I started
watching CC vids, wich looked quite awesome. I wanted to do that too, so I made the first basic programs: locks, startup scripts that welcomed you etc. Nothing too major.

Then I started getting more in-depth Lua, and I could make more advanced stuff. At this point I feel like a pro in Lua, wich im a litlle bit, and thought I could learn other languages.

Since lua has most of the basis stuff, i had really an advantage at the tutorials I was watching for
java. And now im learning VB ( Virtual Basic ), wich uses events. Guess what I thought, os.pullEvent()! With that in mind I just know what an event does and is.

Now when I have to write code for school ( nothing too advanced ), my thoughts go:
LUA -> convert -> VB

I dont know, I think lua and especially CC can encourage people to do something with coding. CC helps visualise code, and that is awesome to see. Remember when your first lock program only sent the redstone output when you typed 'drowssap' when you only wondered what happend!

I of course want to thank the devs, and the people from ask a pro for what I have accomplished with coding. Its like headrush to me.

Those guys who kept reading untill this point, a thank you to you! And remember, leave your opinion about this, I am curious what you guys think about this.

PLEASE BE NICE TO EACH OTHER BELOW

Thanks for reading,
Engineer

Is the purpose of this thread to share our "CC experience"? I'm a bit confused here, but sure I'll give it a shot.


I started programming in ComputerCraft pretty much as soon as it hit the minecraft forums. I had been programming on and off with many different languages for years, but none of them ever really caught my interest enough to make it "stick". This was mainly because programs seem lackluster - no interaction with the real world and designing and creating a GUI is time consuming and annoying. ComputerCraft changes all that: With ComputerCraft, I am able to see things "happen". You password protect your fortress, keep track of inventory items in real time, and use computers in order to expand your world in a fun but useful way.

But to me, ComputerCraft isn't all just about the programming. It's about the community too and the interest that people here show. Without a community to keep the developers (and me) interested and engaged, where would ComputerCraft and my consequent coding skills be today? Probably down in the general vicinity of the South Pole.

So yes, to me ComputerCraft is both a way for me to learn and stay engaged, and also a medium through which I can just enjoy what other people have created. All in all I'd like to thank the devs for creating and continuing this awesome mod, and I'd also like to thank the community for making it what it is today.

You guys rock :)/>

That is leaving a thought isnt it? And YES thats the purpose of this!

Just like you I think that CC wouldnt come far without this community. I like CC because you can teach other people Lua very easy, but they need to want to learn it if that makes sense. You can share programs, start this thread :P/>/>, help people an get helped by people. That is what I like about the ask a pro section, I read the problem, try to solve it in my head and then I can see how other people solve it. If mine is easier than I ll post but the point is: we learn from each other. And thats what is so great about this community

Sorry for the wall of text :P/>/>

I think minecraft in general is a great influence on people (at least me) in getting them to learn programming.

I started by programming Java to make plugins for an old server mod for minecraft (hMod) which then 'branched' off in to Bukkit and CanaryMod.
I had a little bit of experience prior to this in VB, but nothing big. After a while of programming Java plugins I moved to Java games, which was probably the most fun I have had in programming. Unfortunately I grew bored with Java, though I retain my intermediate level of skill in it I soon found a place for ComputerCraft.

I don't exactly remember how I found CC, or why, but as soon as I gave it a go I fell in love with lua. Ever since then ComputerCraft has been the for-front of my programming 'life'. Unfortunately exams and League of Legends has led to a decline in my time left for programming, though I still start (and occasionally finish) the odd game for it (I've got an idea for a simple - but hopefully fun - game currently, and hope that I can get my self to finish it).

Minecraft and all its possibilities are amazing in so many regards - from redstone to mods, from pixel-art to noteblock music :)/>

For me programming started when i found out you can make gates and memory cells with redstone in minecraft alpha xD
We had these system boards at school which did kinda the same thing so minecraft was a great way to practice at it :P/>
The first big thing i created with redstone was this huge redstone system. what it did? you had to press 6 buttons in a specific order to make a door open xD when you pressed the wrong button the thing would reset. the whole system was probably about 200x200 squares, and i made it without cheating items in xD
So after that I happened to get into roblox a bit, where i learned basic lua.
When CC came out i was like "omg this thing uses lua too, ive got to try it" and it turned out to be absolutely amazing xD
Then i forgot about CC and did a bit of minecraft modding.
I didnt really do much with CC though untill half a year ago, when i really started to get into it.
I then remade the huge redstone system into a small CC system with some redpower bundled cables. It turned out to be incredibly easy so i started taking on bigger challenges and now here I am xD I still have a lot to learn about lua and CC but I've improved immensely (mainly due to CCuni I have to say, not only because of the classes they give but also because it's a huuuge motivator to keep going on longer projects)

So yes, absolutely, CC has been a huge stimulator. Even more so when you join these forums, It's just incredible.
Future plans (if i magically get the time for them): Learn either java or C++ and learn how to code software for windows. Not only for the heck of it but because I want to be able to create software to controll external chemical analytic machinery. I might even do a bachelor in ict if the time is right and if I haven't chanced my mind by then…

ikke009, on 14 March 2013 - 05:43 AM said:

For me programming started when i found out you can make gates and memory cells with redstone in minecraft alpha xD
We had these system boards at school which did kinda the same thing so minecraft was a great way to practice at it :P/>
The first big thing i created with redstone was this huge redstone system. what it did? you had to press 6 buttons in a specific order to make a door open xD when you pressed the wrong button the thing would reset. the whole system was probably about 200x200 squares, and i made it without cheating items in xD
So after that I happened to get into roblox a bit, where i learned basic lua.
When CC came out i was like "omg this thing uses lua too, ive got to try it" and it turned out to be absolutely amazing xD
Then i forgot about CC and did a bit of minecraft modding.
I didnt really do much with CC though untill half a year ago, when i really started to get into it.
I then remade the huge redstone system into a small CC system with some redpower bundled cables. It turned out to be incredibly easy so i started taking on bigger challenges and now here I am xD I still have a lot to learn about lua and CC but I've improved immensely (mainly due to CCuni I have to say, not only because of the classes they give but also because it's a huuuge motivator to keep going on longer projects)

So yes, absolutely, CC has been a huge stimulator. Even more so when you join these forums, It's just incredible.
Future plans (if i magically get the time for them): Learn either java or C++ and learn how to code software for windows. Not only for the heck of it but because I want to be able to create software to controll external chemical analytic machinery. I might even do a bachelor in ict if the time is right and if I haven't chanced my mind by then…

What the thing is to my opinion, you come to CC to program for fun. And also hobby programming is just for fun and I do it when I want to program. If you do the bachelor, and find your job in ICT then you MUST program something and that might not be as exciting as what you do now.

Well I started with VB in 2008 (VB scared me for life). Messed around in that for a few years. Then in 2011 I started Objective-C, which compared to VB is like trying sprint at the speed of light when you only just learnt to crawl. Then I found ComputerCraft, did some more messing around, made a server to control a base. About a two months ago I came back to Minecraft to play FTB and I saw the advance computers. Lots of my friends on our server were like "Oh cool, I wana use computers…", however they had no idea. I was constantly having to make tedious and boring things for them such as doors locks. So then I realised that someone needed to make a way for 'normal' people to be able to use the computers. On the way to school that morning I thought about what a graphical system for CC would look like and work. That afternoon I tried making it. 1 month of solid coding I made this. And, yea that 'bout it.

Suggestion, while I don't recommend completely dropping VB take a look at JavaScript and work your way in to C. Maybe C# as you are on Windows.

Ah, when I first started computer craft.
I was a complete noon at computercraft. Like seriously. I even had trouble making a door lock. Eventually after maybe a week, I started working on chest locker with a couple of features. Any who over the time I started making more computercraft stuff for about 1/2 a month, which then I made some more complex stuff. Like thus browser which allows you to browse through files on an Apache server, and even download them. I only started making Firewolf after seeing the popularity of rednet Explorer. I really enjoyed messing around with comoutercraft, normally just improving on programs with potential or any requests that people ask me to make that I would think to be quite fun to make.

I remember I first started almost 5 years ago, with Objective C. I had a book, and followed it through. I spent quite a while doing simple, small things with that - To Do list managers, I started but never finished experimenting with Box2d (physics engine), re-made 1lann's Missile Dodge (that he made originally in Scratch for school), a few networking tests (nothing that worked very well). I met 1lann (from school), and he sorta taught me Java, which I now have to teach him because he's forgotten most of it. 1lann was also the one to introduce me to CC, where one of the first programs I made was a server managed door lock system, that encrypted everything in SHA-1. I also remember making a Rednet forwarder program, which all the way through I was bugging 1lann to no end to tell me why it wasn't working…
I started helping 1lann on Firewolf, kept learning new languages (main reason Thunderbird exists), and re-making 1lann's original programs (main reason Lightshot exists).

GravityScore, on 14 March 2013 - 08:47 PM said:

I remember I first started almost 5 years ago, with Objective C. I had a book, and followed it through. I spent quite a while doing simple, small things with that - To Do list managers, I started but never finished experimenting with Box2d (physics engine), re-made 1lann's Missile Dodge (that he made originally in Scratch for school), a few networking tests (nothing that worked very well). I met 1lann (from school), and he sorta taught me Java, which I now have to teach him because he's forgotten most of it. 1lann was also the one to introduce me to CC, where one of the first programs I made was a server managed door lock system, that encrypted everything in SHA-1. I also remember making a Rednet forwarder program, which all the way through I was bugging 1lann to no end to tell me why it wasn't working…
I started helping 1lann on Firewolf, kept learning new languages (main reason Thunderbird exists), and re-making 1lann's original programs (main reason Lightshot exists).

Oh I never knew you and 1lann knew each other.

I started 'programming' together with my father, at age 7. I tried to make a webpage in HTML. I thought that creating something in Notepad made it visible for everyone on the web XD I got bored and wanted to try something a bit more difficult: creating a shooter game. In BASIC. I didn't get further than a simple 'ship' moving on the screen, then crashing after 5 seconds. I quit programming for a while.
At age 11, I got introduced to Game Maker, which I failed at. In the 2 years after that, I experimented with a lot of 'languages' (like Visual Basic Script, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual C# in MS Visual Studio). I did not manage to understand it and quit that too.

But then I found out about ComputerCraft, I failed at it, a lot. Like 1lann, I had trouble making a door lock. However, somehow I did manage to make a simple calculator. Then my interest for ComputerCraft (and Minecraft in general) faded. Minecraft got updated and I felt too lazy to redownload ComputerCraft. However, after half a year or so, I felt I was missing something. So I reinstalled it, played with it for another few months and here we are :)/>

I'm currently trying to get a bit into web programming, but also C and, of course, Lua. I hate Java, though I'm 'learning' it to create Android Apps.

By the way, any tips on other languages I should learn (and are not too hard to get into)?

InputUsername, on 15 March 2013 - 10:04 AM said:

I started 'programming' together with my father, at age 7. I tried to make a webpage in HTML. I thought that creating something in Notepad made it visible for everyone on the web XD I got bored and wanted to try something a bit more difficult: creating a shooter game. In BASIC. I didn't get further than a simple 'ship' moving on the screen, then crashing after 5 seconds. I quit programming for a while.
At age 11, I got introduced to Game Maker, which I failed at. In the 2 years after that, I experimented with a lot of 'languages' (like Visual Basic Script, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual C# in MS Visual Studio). I did not manage to understand it and quit that too.

But then I found out about ComputerCraft, I failed at it, a lot. Like 1lann, I had trouble making a door lock. However, somehow I did manage to make a simple calculator. Then my interest for ComputerCraft (and Minecraft in general) faded. Minecraft got updated and I felt too lazy to redownload ComputerCraft. However, after half a year or so, I felt I was missing something. So I reinstalled it, played with it for another few months and here we are :)/>

I'm currently trying to get a bit into web programming, but also C and, of course, Lua. I hate Java, though I'm 'learning' it to create Android Apps.

By the way, any tips on other languages I should learn (and are not too hard to get into)?

If you're trying to get in to web programming I reccommend JavaScript. It is reasonable close to C and makes a good stepping stone. I've heard that codecademy.com is a good place to learn it, however, I've never used it.
What hardware do you have?
If you have Mac you could start learning how to make iPhone apps, but I wouldn't recommend it until you would consider your self 'proficient' at coding, it takes a while to get your head around.

oeed, on 15 March 2013 - 10:17 AM said:

InputUsername, on 15 March 2013 - 10:04 AM said:

—

If you're trying to get in to web programming I reccommend JavaScript. It is reasonable close to C and makes a good stepping stone. I've heard that codecademy.com is a good place to learn it, however, I've never used it.
What hardware do you have?
If you have Mac you could start learning how to make iPhone apps, but I wouldn't recommend it until you would consider your self 'proficient' at coding, it takes a while to get your head around.

Haha, I've actually used CodeCademy before :)/> I (think I) am familiar with the syntax of JavaScript, I just have to learn all those different function names and programming strategies :P/> By the way, I'm using a Windows desktop PC.

I guess I'll go

I started perhaps…3 years ago, at age 12. Im not sure if I learned Applescript before or after HTML. Nonetheless, I used Applescript for some bit, just small things. Many don't consider it a language, but it is a good start to the basics of coding. Next was basic HTML and some javascript. Nothing much. I don't quite remember what for, but I do remember thinking "How the hell does anyone spend that much time to write a nice page?". Of course, I later found programs that will build it for you, with you creating it with a visual editor. Anyway, later on, I began running a Minecraft Classic server on McForge or some Mc(Forge, Derp, Lawl, etc.) server program. Those servers allowed people to add commands by writing them in C++ and sticking them into a specified folder. With that, I began to learn C++. Not much later, I began running a Minecraft (beta) server with bukkit, where I got the inspiration to write a plugin. That began Java for me. I have only released one plugin since I lost interest in the others or just forgot about it :P/> . I needed a web proxy for school, so I put one up (not created one). Slowly, for other purposes, I began adding things to the site with it. Thats where PHP and CSS came in. Somewhere along the line, I played Roblox, in which I developed the knowledge of Lua. Recently, I have found AutoIt, which I began using to replace some programs I have on my windows that I thought was lacking features or something. And then, finally, I found ComputerCraft (through tekkit lite). So here I am now, developing SmartOS and SmartMail.

I learned all of these languages by looking at examples or looking up things as I needed it. I don't normally read full tutorials.


Sorry if that was badly worded or rambled on and on. I just poured it from my mind, no distillation. :P/>

great idea

LuaEclipser, on 16 March 2013 - 09:29 AM said:

great idea

???

Smiley43210, on 17 March 2013 - 11:55 PM said:

LuaEclipser, on 16 March 2013 - 09:29 AM said:

great idea

???

Seconded.