The post How Has The WeThinkCode Program Been So Far? appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>There are no lectures, no teachers and no how-to’s. It’s peer to peer learning in it’s most primal form. We’re plonked in a room of computers, given a terminal and instructions on what they want us to achieve – and we have to figure out how to do it. There are a lot of people here with previous experience. Some have dropped out of computer science or engineering degrees, some were working as programmers full-time. Those people are doing really well with the work. The rest of us, with no programming experience, are having a hard time.
There’s generally a good vibe between the cohort. Most everyone is friendly and excited to be here. On Friday’s they all leave early to go for a beer (or 5) at Brauhaus. There is a noticeable spirit of community between us and we keep in touch even after hours. It’s really nice to be at a college where everyone is like me – slightly nerdy and offbeat.
I’m coming in at 8 and leaving at 4 every day which is pretty civilized.
I’ve developed the following programs so far:
The robot simulation is the most difficult so far and to be honest, I’m losing hope. We have to enable the program to replay commands entered by the user, allow for a ‘silent’ version of this replay, enable a command to replay the commands backwards and enable a command to replay the commands backwards and silently. I’m stuck on Step 6 where we have to enable the program to play back user-specified range. I’m not wording this very well. My apologies if it’s confusing. Just know: what they’re asking us to do is hard!
I’ve been asked by several friends if I’d recommend doing the 2-year program. I think WeThinkCode_ is an incredible opportunity and I think the skills you may learn here are unparalleled. They don’t discriminate when it comes to accepting students into the course – you can even apply if you don’t have a matric certificate. WTC Students are sought-after by the industry and have great employment opportunities after the program. If you like creative problem solving and can cope in a stressful, fast-paced environment I would encourage you to apply. Go to the bootcamp and see if it’s for you. Decide from there.
Yes. A 2 year bursary is an amazing opportunity and I am being pushed to grow every day. While dealing with the challenges of learning to program has been quite painful, I feel it will be well worth it once my two years are up. I’ve learnt so much already. I would absolutely apply again, but this time around, I would try not to let the stress get to me as much.
I’m excited to see how much I’ll know in the next 2 months and, dear reader, will continue to update you.
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]]>The post WeThinkCode_ 2020 Cohort: The First Week appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>It’s my first day in the WeThinkCode_ 2020 cohort. I survived the intensive C bootcamp in February and made it into the program which was promptly delayed due to the Corona Virus outbreak. Though extremely grateful, I arrive feeling nervous. The walk through the empty V&A Waterfront was bizarre. Most of the usual corporate personel are working from home, and the air feels polar opposite to when the crowds were ever-present earlier in the year.
The C Bootcamp is was one of the most gruelling three-week periods of my life. I can’t believe how much I learned. I can’t believe how much I cried. I think everyone, regardless of whether you want to be in the program or not, should do this bootcamp. WeThinkCode_ not only teaches grit, they forge it!
Yesterday went off with a slight hitch. We were temperature scanned and given a bracelet to show we had been tested. Our online in-campus induction was delayed to today at 1 pm because the internet stopped working. I find the staff members to be really on the ball at keeping us informed about when the next meetings will be.
I have some time to kill until our official induction with the Joburg campus happens at 1:00 pm. There’s a really great tea stand just down the road that I am thinking about at this very moment. They have a wicked flavour called Devil’s Advocate. A hearty mix of chilli and ginger. I’m considering putting together a tea budget, limiting myself to one R20.00 cup per week. I think I’ll need it.
The curriculum has changed this year. Instead of doing C, we’ll be doing Python. We have another induction tomorrow to take us through the curriculum which I’m looking forward too. I’ve done some Python exercises in preparation for the program and found it was much more pleasurable than C. I’ve also heard that we’ll be learning a lot through developing text-based games. Cool.
The Day 01 induction was interesting. Each staff member spoke on their area of expertise, covering everything from general admin to the WomenThinkCode= program. Our CEO Nyari Samushonga, as fabulous as ever, reminded us of the values of our institution. Grit, curiosity, ubuntu and responsibility. Ubuntu is uniquely South African concept. In a peer to peer learning environment you can only rely on each-other and I hope our cohort can internalize these values and use them for the benefit of our country. How patriotic.
As I was beginning to feel a surge of inspiration, our internet cut out again so we took a break to sort that out.
It was so cold this morning I felt like my hands were going to fall off. The brisk walk through the harbor helped and now I sit at my desk, patiently awaiting the technical induction at 10:00. Today we’re going to go over our curriculum. I’m not sure what to expect, we’ll go over what assignments are due in the next couple of weeks and probably be shown what IDE to use. It’s 4 and a half hours long. I know I’m not the only one feeling anxious about the upcoming assignments. Feeling as though the next two years will be as intense as the bootcamp has got me on a permanent baseline of anxiety. I’ve been reassured by my second year friends that this will not be the case.
I’ve already broken my tea budget and am considering investing R100.00 into a pack of fancy tea. The pack contains 100 grams of loose leaf. A big average tea bag weights around 5 grams so I could yield about 20 cups of tea from the pack. However then I would be limited to only 1 flavour of tea until the pack runs out. It makes economic sense but I’m not sure if I am ready for that kind of commitment.
It’s 9:48 and we’ve been informed that today’s induction has been delayed by an hour because of technical issues at the Joburg campus. Oops.
If you are currently in the WeThinkCode_ 3 week bootcamp, the best advice I could give you is to stick with it. You’ll cry a lot and be tired to the core of your being but if you can make it through the 3 weeks you will come out the other side having a basic knowledge of C and a newfound feeling of self-reliance. It’s as tough as it is worth it. I found a sense of community and peer support I didn’t know could be a thing. The people around you are the best part and your biggest resource. Don’t get caught up in the chaos of it all, and don’t let overwhelming emotions push you out of finishing.
We came in to a surprise this morning, our operating system had been changed to Devian! After some confusion we were able to access the WeThinkCode Learning Management System, for which we are the guinea pigs. We struggled through setting up our new environment and went through the Getting Started module. Peer collaboration is vital. Some of the tasks didn’t work because of system errors and we had to work around or exclude them entirely. Things feel disorganized but I understand this is the first time they are trying the new curriculum out.
Overall, I feel exhausted and generally discouraged. I’m guessing once we’ve settled in and gotten used to the systems things will feel less stressful. We’ve been given a task to create a hangman game in Python. To check if it works or not we need to submit the file as a test, but the program they have to test the files is down.
I leave college today wondering whether the next two years are going to make me feel like the bootcamp. Big ouch to my self-esteem.
I feel much less emotional today. A good friend and I went for a walk mid-freakout and he gave me a little pep talk.
We continued working on hangman.py and came to a solution for the first part of the exercise. We’re starring the second part next week.
It was a good week. A structured week. If you’re not sure what to expect when joining WeThinkCode_’s next couple of cohorts, I would tell you not to expect anything. The staff will tell you where to go and what to do. You will be informed. You will figure it out. All you need to survive Week One is to listen, collaborate with the people around you and check your damn email.
Good luck out there soldier. I believe in you.
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]]>The post What is a humans.txt file? appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>The team behind it describes the initiative as helping with “knowing the people behind a website”. You can mention whoever you feel contributed to the website, be that the developer, designer, website owner or marketing team.
Sometimes the best way to understand something is to see it. Google has one. The creators of humans.txt have one you can check out.
No. You don’t have to have one and you won’t be punished for not having one. It’s just something you can do if you have a little extra time, or if you want to properly credit individual team members who helped with the site.
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]]>The post Free Python Resources | freecodecamp.org and Video Tutorial appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>I came across a super comprehensive Basics of Python Course that is so brilliant I couldn’t resist sharing. Mike Dane from Giraffe Academy made this awesome course for freecodecamp.org. I’ve been taking it and learning a lot.
If you are looking to learn Python there are a lot of great free resources out there. Don’t be discouraged – use the available tools around you and keep programming.
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]]>The post Simple Programming: ft_print_comb.c appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>I went through the 3 week intensive C bootcamp earlier this year and it kicked my ass so if you need a hand for this exercise in Day02, here it is.
Include the
We’ve created 3 variables to carry each of the digits (a, b, c) and initialized the first variable to 0 because that’s our starting point. The last number they give in the example is 789 so in our While loops we set the corresponding value smaller than or equal to that number.
We want the numbers to scale up at the same time, so we set the variable b as equal to a + 1, and c as equal to b + 1. Our If is there to add the spaces and commas between each item in the list. Then all that’s left to do is increment!
#include
int ft_putchar(char c) {
write(1, &c, 1);
c++;
}
void cm_putchar(char x, char y, char z) {
ft_putchar(x);
ft_putchar(y);
ft_putchar(z);
}
void ft_print_comb(void) {
int a;
int b;
int c;
a = 0;
while(a <= '7') {
b = a + 1;
while(b <= '8') {
c = b + 1;
while(c <= '9') {
cm_putchar(a, b, c) {
if(a != '7' || b != '8' || c != '9') {
ft_putchar(',');
ft_putchar(' ');
}
c++;
}
b++;
}
a++;
}
}
}
If you want to test this, don't forget to add an int main() and call the function. Good luck friend!
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]]>The post How To Enable Intel Virtualization | Asus Laptop TUF Gaming appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>It’s provided in Intel processors and enables a user to use multiple operating systems at the same time, hosting on a single processor. Pretty cool right? Intel VT is the processor’s ability to host multiple virtual machines as well as their operating systems. It’s also called Intel Virtualization Technology and has also gone by the name Vanderpool in the past.
I’m using an ASUS TUF Gaming laptop. Most computers have different bios interfaces. Don’t worry if yours is different to mine – the settings may be in different places but they’re generally similar and you will be able to find them.
First you’ll have to restart your laptop. Press the ‘escape’ key and f2 as the computer restarts and you’ll see your bios settings.
At the bottom right corner, you’ll see an option for ‘advanced settings’. Click on that.
There are some options in the top menu. You’ll see ‘main’, ‘advanced’, ‘boot’, ‘security’ and ‘save and exit’. Go to ‘advanced’.
We are looking for a setting called SVM Mode. Click the drop down menu and change the option from ‘disabled’ to ‘enabled’
Press f10 to save and exit!
Using a different ASUS model? Keep an eye out for SVM Mode in your Advanced Settings and change it to ‘enabled’. It might be under your CPU settings. Check out this great video tutorial. If you need a hand on how to enable Intel Virtualization don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m happy to help.
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]]>The post Simple Programming: rot_13.c appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>Don’t forget to include the unistd.h library so you can use the write() function. Copy rot_13.c into your terminal and give it a try!
int main(int ac, char *av[])
{
int i;
int c;
int d;
i = 0;
if(ac == 2)
{
while(av[1][i])
{
if(av[1][i] >= 'a' && av[1][i] <= 'y')
{
c = av[1][i] + 1;
write(1, &c, 1);
}
else if(av[1][i] == 'z')
{
d = av[1][i] - 25;
write(1, &d, 1);
}
else
{
write(1, &av[1][i], 1);
}
i++;
}
}
write(1, "\n", 1);
return (0);
}
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]]>The post Simple Programming : Repeat_alpha.c appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>Don’t forget to include the unistd.h library. Copy repeat_alpha.c into your terminal and give it a try!
int main(int ac, char *av[])
{
int i;
int j;
i = 0;
j = 0;
if(ac == 2)
{
while(av[1][i])
{
if(av[1][i] >= 'a' && av[1][i] <= 'z')
{
j = av[1][i] - 97;
while(j >= 0)
{
write(1, &av[1][i], 1);
j--;
}
}
else {
write(1, &av[1][i], 1);
}
i++;
}
}
write(1, "\n", 1);
return (0);
}
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]]>The post Pros & cons of hiring a Freelance Web Developer in Cape Town appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>Lower cost
When hiring a freelancer you can avoid the agency rip-off. For example, when I was working for an agency they would charge a client R550 for an hour of my time. In my personal capacity I charge R250 an hour. I don’t have other staff members to look after or high overhead costs which enables me to charge a fair rate based on my skills and capacity.
Fast and flexible
Freelancers are generally able to build websites quickly and are flexible with their time. This differs from person to person but from personal experience, the design usually takes me 1 week and the development 3 weeks. As for flexibility, we are able to work anywhere at any time we choose. Most freelancers have set office hours so their clients know when they are available, but we do a lot of work outside of those hours too.
It’s personal
When you are a freelancer, your name is on the line if you product bad work. You could be called out directly. For most this is an incentive to product high quality projects and build long term relationships with clients. If you are hiring a freelancer, make sure they are accountable and answer when you call them.
Not big enough
If you have a large project it would be better to have a whole team at your disposal rather than relying solely on an individual. They know how to work together and what to expect. Different parts of the project would be delegated to different team members. Of course you could create a team of freelancers, but going this way comes with it’s own unique set of challenges.
Not a one-stop-shop
Agencies have multiple team members who are each hired to do a specific job. They will have someone who can design a logo for you, another person who can design a website for you, another to build it and another to SEO it. They might even offer website hosting or other creative services like photography. This really makes them a one-stop shop for your website needs, although it comes at a price.
It’s personal
Do you ever read freelancer horror stories on Facebook? You might see a relative complaining about poor-quality work or someone having run off with their money. Some freelancers simply don’t care when their names are on the line. To avoid bad experiences, look for reviews online.
If you are a small business, a new business, a one-man band or have a low budget, I would recommend a freelancer. Most of my clients are mom-and-pop businesses who need guidance on the whole process and one-on-on attention. If you need advice on starting your own website, take a look at my free website advice or get in touch.
If you are a large and established company I would recommend going with an agency. It can be useful to have everything you need under one roof, if you are willing to pay a premium. Agencies can produce a super wide spectrum of work – usually including graphic design, photography, SEO and sometimes even website hosting.
If you need any advice on who to pick, I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
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]]>The post What the hell is a DNS record? appeared first on C E Marx | Expert Web Development in Cape Town.
]]>Every website has a specific IP address. Domain Name System (DNS) is used to point a domain towards an IP address of a server. If you have migrated from one website host to another, your website’s DNS records would have been updated. This allows you to change website hosts without having to change your domain name every time you move.
DNS records hold useful information about your website. For example, an A Record stores a hostname and it’s IP address, a CERT Record stores encryption certificates and an MX Record specifies an email server for the domain. There are a bunch of these types of records that fall under DNS and they can be used in many different ways. SimpleDNS provides a comprehensive list of these different types. Your hosting provider relies greatly on these records for debugging if you are having a problem with your hosting.
Now that you know what a DNS Record is, let’s do a brief look-over of Nameservers. A Nameserver is a server in a hosting providers’ data center with DNS software installed on it. It manages all of the domains hosted by the hosting provider. Simple enough right?
Your website’s DNS Records and Nameserver work together to get your website available on the internet. Your web host will specify which Nameserver your domain should point too. For example if you host with Xneelo, your Nameservers will look like this:
If you want to know what your Nameservers are you can do a check through the powerful MxToolbox. Simply follow the link, paste your domain name into the search bar and click enter.
Unless you are a hosting provider or a web developer, you won’t need to remember this information. Hosting is complex and your hosting provider should handle your DNS for you. I hope this post was able to answer the questions you had about what DNS is.
If you have any further questions about your hosting or would like a recommendation for a hosting provider, don’t hesitate to ask me.
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]]>