Checking out Visual C#

I haven't had time to do any programming on my own time and didn't take any programming classes this semester so I thought I'd check out C# (C-sharp) now that I have some time.

I don't know why I picked a new language, I don't consider myself especially fluent in any language. Well I have a pretty good grasp on Java and of programming in general but I don't have that really deep knowledge of all the bits and pieces. Of course I don't think anyone can know everything about such a huge language as Java in the sense that you'd know every method of every class in the API. That wouldn't even make sense. Once you know the language itself, the basic syntax and such, and the object-oriented concepts in Java's case, you can always open up the API reference and search for what you need for your specific task.

I like the fact that the programming classes at the Uni so far have emphasized that we're learning programming in general, not how to program with a certain language. Once you know the concepts, it's pretty easy to pick up a new language at least if follows the same paradigm. That's why it's pretty easy for me to pick up C# which is object-oriented like Java while for example functional programming languages would probably be a whole new world as I'm not familiar with them at all. Actually the introductory programming course of our department used a functional programming language called Scheme before as the language of choice but they switched to Java the same year I started. Anyway.. where was I?

Maybe I'll just get back to C#. Microsoft offers a lighter version of its new Visual Studio 2005 under the Express-name. It's targeted for students and others who want to learn the tools. It's pretty sweet as you can get them for free. I like the idea that they really offer it for free for learning as the full version of the suite costs a fortune. Anyway C# is part of their .NET software development platform and it is based on Java and C++. You could of course program C# in a simple text editor but the big thing about Visual Studio is the IDE. All the laborious tasks like creating windows and their components are automated, you just drag and drop buttons on forms and then code the functionality. You can really have working windows applications in few minutes. Of course there's a lot more to it than what I've described but I'm starting to sound like some big Microsoft evangelist. I don't want to take any part in the OS wars (or am I already taking a side here?). Can't they just get along?-) If you register the VS Express you can also download a free e-book that teaches the basics (and a bit more) of creating software with the Visual C#. It doesn't teach the language but it does a pretty good job in teaching the IDE itself. In the few days I might have not learned much C# but I did get a pretty good feeling about the Visual Studio. I'm planning on writing a software to help me memorize Japanese words and characters in a flash card kind of way with the VS C#. Maybe I'll post about my progress with that.

Blah, I'm not really happy with the way this post turned out. I kinda lost my motivation to write half way through but had to finish it anyway.

Planning the next semester

It's funny. Now that I'm on a Christmas break from school I'm all excited about next semester, checking out what kind of courses I'm taking and so on. When the semester actually starts, I'm pretty sure I'll be totally fed up with everything after about a month.

At least the fundamental math and physics classes and such are pretty much done now and almost every class I'm taking this spring seems pretty interesting. There's Intermediate Course in Programming (C language), Basics of Software Engineering, Multimedia Technology, Operating Systems and the one course that sounds a bit scary: Logic in Computer Science. I took a peek at the lecture slides of the logic course and boy.. that's a lot quantifiers and new strange terms. Well it could always turn out to be an incredibly fun course but somehow I doubt that. The Operating Systems class also seems pretty scary but I'm sure it'll be interesting.
I'll also continue with the Japanese. The second course will run the whole semester and on its side there will also be a Kanji class which, as the name implies, introduces the Kanji characters and teaches how to study and learn them as there's a whole lot of them.

Oh yeah, I had a blog..

Ok, I didn't forget. I've just been incredibly busy the past months. This has probably been the craziest Fall ever in the sense that I've done pretty much nothing but studied.

I had my last final on Tuesday and came home-home for the holidays. I'll have three weeks to chill out and then it starts all over again. I stressed quite a bit over the courses I had but everything went pretty nicely after all. The exam results aren't in yet except for Japanese (got a 5 (the grading is 0-5), yay!) and PhysLab (got a 4 which is nice too). Still haven't managed to relax properly, it always takes some time.

I'll probably write more during the break as I'll actually have some free time.