Sip

quote:Originally posted by gamavor: That doesn't mean that I would encourage anybody to marry a prostitute, not because of her "profession", but because of the bad habits that that "profession" can bring into the family "nest". And then on top of that, you'd have to pay for something that you should get for free when you are married. I know, that was completely uncalled for but I couldn't resist. Plus, another chance to use that Smilie (one of my favorites) [ February 06, 2002: Message edited by: Sip ]

Very good point Garo. Basically anyone can learn to drive a car but the ones that are really good at it, must have good knowledge of how a car operates and how each of the components work. Computers are also the same way. You have to get a good idea of how different components work ... what is the general architecture of modern computers, how memory system works, how things are organized and stored in RAM and on disk, what happens when you call a function, etc. Having a good base there will make programming much easier. Visual basic hides a lot of the complexities from the programmer so in that sense it is great for beginners. But, it is easy to get caught up with the visuals and the hand-holding and forget about exactly what is happening in your program. You also have another complexity and that is the Windows environment. Usually, when people learn to program, they start with simple interfaces such as the command line in dos or linux (console programs). There are a LOT of things that go on in managing the GUI (Graphic User Interface) and Windows. Again, Visual Basic will take care of all of that so you don't have to worry to start, but it is a good idea to learn those and start thinking about them. So a good book on windows programming will be helpful. Unfortunately, I didn't use any books so I can't recommend any. I have a couple of books that teach the Windows internals for moderate to expert C/C++ programmers but they won't help you much. My main language is C/C++ but I would not recommend starting to mess with Visual C++ for Windows programming any time soon !!!! ... but for writing simple "console" applications, Visual C++ is great.

I know Visual Basic fairly well but haven't used it much in the past few years. The one I have used a lot was Version 3.0 and the stuff they have in MS Office to write some macros once in a while. In my opinion, you don't need any more books. You need books just to get you started. After that, you have to learn to use the references/help on your own. First, make sure you know all BASIC keywords. Then go through the statements and just take a look at what's there. Try to write simple programs that use some of the different statements. You don't need to memorize all of them but as long as you know that they exist, later on you can easily find them in the references and see how to use them. All these things are in the help and very well organized. After that, play around with all the controls ... like Checkbox, Combobox, etc etc. Try to make simple programs that use those. As you know, each of those things have methods, properties, and events. Play around with them to see how changing the methods effect the outcomes. You are not going to memorize each and every one. After some time, you will get a good feeling and "know" what to expect and how thins work (believe me!) That's pretty much it! The rest will just come to you. Once you master the basics of Visual Basic, then you can start doing more advanced things like using external libraries, talking to other applications and systems (like writing client/server stuff) but that will come later. Give it time and be patient but you have to play around and mess with stuff on your own. There is no other way around it. Of course ask if you are unsure about something

quote:Originally posted by hasmiek: ...Tell me; is 'assembler' still used to programm Eproms? Believe it or not yes! Computers have gotten so amazingly sophisticated but the basics have not changed. I have been working on several projects where we have to go and tweak things at the assembly level ... all these embedded chips that are in everything now (like cel phones, pagers, PDAs, cars, etc etc) are reaching the level where they are actually running software. For now, to get the best performance, software is usually tweaked by hand ... compilers will someday catch up but they are not that good when it comes to the very application specific things that these chips require. So this means that some day we will use high level languages even to program most embedded processors but not yet. Compilers are doing ok for normal PCs so no one touches assembly any more. (maybe for writing device drivers) For example, right now we are working on this little "sensor" device (Berkeley Mote) that has a 4 bit "processr" running at 4 Mhz and a couple of kilobytes of memory. It is running an operating system called TinyOS which uses about 200 bytes! That's for the WHOLE operating system. Of course it can't do much but with only that much resources you have to go and start messing with every instruction and tweak things by hand (a MAJOR nightmare) But I personally really like these new PDAs (like IPAQs). They are so unbelievably capable. The ones I am playing with run at 206 Mhz and have 64MB of RAM, running linux and we can do pretty much everything a PC can do with it. It doesn't have EEPROMs though ... most of them now have FLASH memory (same thing).

quote:Originally posted by hasmiek: i think that would be rather difficult... I am with hasmiek on this one. It is not easy going 20 miles in 0 time !!! It made me think though ... very confusing in the beginnig. Harut: About the bugs, they all start off perpendicular to each other. As they are moving, nothing changes this so they always stay perpendicular to each other and they are always walking. So essentially, each bug walks an edge of the square but that square happens to be rotating (and shrinking). We can work the equations with polar coordinates but I thought it was a neat problem when I first saw it Here's the solution. It's a neat website. [ February 06, 2002: Message edited by: Sip ]

quote:Originally posted by Harut: i'm just guessing for now. each has to walk as long as the side of the square. am i correct? You are correct. So now you can start to think why

I also get an error sometimes when I post in certain topics. Doesn't seem to be anything serious but I am not sure. In any case, if you see that "Internal Server Error" thing, just ignore it. I have a shortcut to the main forum page so I just use that to get back to the board.

quote:Originally posted by Azat: You know after posting my last message I started wondering if this is somewhat a sexist thing to do. Ladies, Do you find this idea an appropriate? Ok I am not a Lady but since they (ladies) can also do the same thing, I don't think it is sexist at all.

I was giving some extra time for Harut to figure it out Since it was a "child" sled and George was 20 years old, I'd say there was something fishy about the whole thing Man, how much I wish I were skiing today

Wow, very interesting

quote:Originally posted by Harut: ... because i'm not good at English. It's: I am not well in English.

Ok then here's another one (assuming the previous one is solved): Four bugs are placed at the corners of a square. Each bug walks always directly toward the next bug in the clockwise direction. How far do the bugs walk before they meet?

quote:Originally posted by MosJan: ... when you enter Sardarapat park, front of you stands up the Arches witch has bells in it. ... Wow!!! A McDonalds with a Taco Bell inside it? Now I know I have to visit Armenia one day

quote:Originally posted by Azat: Here is the secret, use babies or small dogs. Borrow your sisters, brothers, friends young(under 2 year old) child and ... I am SO GLAD you explained the rest since the way that message started had me worried

quote:Originally posted by Azat: I wonder how many songs MP3 players will be able to store in 2 years?... Not much more in 2 years but a few years down the road, probably only a few songs because there will be no need to store much locally (where space and cost are at a premium) THINK outside the box (i.e. internet connectivity, 45Mbps wireless, etc) [ February 02, 2002: Message edited by: Sip ]

I think the best one is the one about the "napastak" sitting under a tree. I just love that one Napastak jan, napastak Her es nstel tsari dak? Ari gnank mer tdune' Chem gali chem gali tzer tdune', Tzer en baki sev shune' Hap gani, hap hap gani, Tempelik potches ke kandi.

This will help you remember. It has very nice music so make sure you turn on your speakers. ... then CLICK HERE.

I think you'll find THIS interesting Who would have thought (traditional vs. modern gift )!

quote:Originally posted by Antranig: ...let me know if you guys need directions on how to get it... hmmmm let me see: 1) Drive to bank 2) Get hard earned cash out of ATM 3) Drive to store 4) Pickup game from shelf 5) Stand in line at cashier to give hard earned cash 6) Give hard earned cash 7) Wipe away tears 8) Go home and play the game. Is there any other way?

I think you'd have much better luck asking where the girls DON'T hang out and then apply the classic process of elimination. I'll start: UCLA, computer science department UCLA, most of the engineering buildings Any FRY's electronics Any electronics/hobby store K-mart (well now there're outa business ) 24 Hour fitness in Woodland Hills Local basketball courts (parks, schools, etc) Pepboys Autozone Any 4 Wheel Drive specialty store (like 4 Wheel Parts) Any Men's restroom Ok, I think that covers just about every place I ever go so that's all I can offer for now. I'll let you know if I find out more. [ January 30, 2002: Message edited by: Sip ]

Juggernaut, just out of curiosity, your screen name is not from Mechwarrior is it? I used to love that game and the Juggernaut was on of my favorite Mechs.

quote:Originally posted by ARTURian: ...May God open your eyes as mine as i was a non-believer who did not believe in God at all. And i was trying to prove that God does not exists... I think this is where the problem comes in. What you (and all closed minded religious fanatics) are saying is that if someone does not believe in YOUR God, that person will end up in YOUR hell, doesn't matter if he is a good person or a bad person. That just doesn't make sense! You are assuming that if someone does not believe in a god, that person is a bad person. That assumption is totally wrong in my opinion. THOTH, very nice post by the way

Tiberian Sun ... Need For Speed is more like a 5 minute type quick race once in a while. When I have a couple of hours to waste, I usually play C&C Tiberian Sun in skirmish mode against a couple of computers (or against my smaller brother).

My favorite is Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. It really looks great with my 3D glasses (Asus 7700 Deluxe video card). I have been playing it on and off for the past year or so. I never could get into the 3D shooter type games. But my brother has been playing this new Wolfenstein and the graphics are just incredible. I used to love the original but I am just amazed how much things have improved in the last few years.

quote:Originally posted by ARTURian: yes... That's what I was thinking so thanks for being honest You actually seem to have a stranger schedule than I do. I was looking at the different times you have been posting but I just couldn't figure out a pattern! Are you just there temporarily? Because from a lot of your posts it sounded like you are sitting in the middle of Yerevan. [ January 29, 2002: Message edited by: Sip ]