In the early beginnings (that would be before Cold Fusion and ASP) there was an obscure, cryptic, mysterious language called PERL, and I had to learn it. I was to provide a high-tech 'solution'. Yep! I had to write a form re-mailer.
After having looked at all of the 7 or 8 or so of re-mailers that existed then, I ran into to one that was different than most. I had no idea what the code was about, but the comments read like a story. Line after line of carefully chosen words helped me understand what these mysterious symbols meant. I studied this document over and over for nearly three weeks. And in that time, I barely learned a thing about PERL, other than how to hack someone else's scripts.
What I learned however was that on the net, no one is alone. I learned that by choosing my words well, that I could help other's make sense of my work. I learned the principles of *thinking* as a programmer. I learned that coding could actually be fun, and wasn't necessarily a dark, horrible thing that only the greatest genius could do (although I'm not always convinced on this last point). I learned self-confidence; I could learn to understand and possibly even one day master technology.
Ever since having read that script, I had made two promises to myself: the first was that I would some day write code just like that, and the second was that I would give it away, so that someone in the same position would have the same chance.
Anyone ever see the movie "Pay it Forward"? Works for me.
Frank Marion, Web Application DeveloperEmail: [email protected] Web: http://www.framarstudios.com Frank has over ten years of experience in the field of internet development. His skills range the gamut of web developement fields, and is known for the quality of his work. |
