Subject:
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Re: Would-be hacker queries. / Re: Request for new list
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Mon, 10 May 1999 00:01:20 GMT
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Original-From:
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Aa-Tchoo! <aatchoo@post12.tele.dk(StopSpammers)>
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Reply-To:
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aatchoo@post12.tele.dk(saynotospam)
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Viewed:
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2605 times
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Great, Eric!
Great answers. Thanks for your help. In cooperation, I think we can compile an
awesome
programming FAQ.
The robots are coming! I'm very excited by the future of robotics in the wake of
developments
including the RCX. I get the impression a whole new generation of hacking has
arrived.
Regards,
Coilín. (pronounced Ko-LIIN)
Eric Lind wrote:
>
> Valid questions, all of them. We do tend to remain in the upper ranks of CS
> on
> this list. I'll see if I can take a stab at defining some terms quickly and
> clearly. BTW, I wouldn't mind adding my knowledge of CS to a FAQ for newbies.
> Mindstorms will tend to attract people with no programming background, and
> this would be a great place for them to come as a reference source just to get
> acquainted with the whole programming experience. The "help" from LEGO might
> be nice for kids, but even they will want something more than "think like a
> computer" to debug your program. How can they think like a computer when they
> don't know the basics of how a computer thinks?
>
> A class library is a collection of (ostensibly) related
> classes/functions/modules that can (ostensibly) be reused in other programs.
> Really, just a way of keeping one's code collected.
>
> function-local variables - (I haven't heard this term exactly before, but I'm
> pretty sure I know what it is) - A local variable is a variable that has
> limited scope. In other words, the variable only exists and can be accessed
> by
> a small segment of the program, usually a function/method. Local variables
> are
> useful for storing temporary information that the rest of the program doesn't
> need to see, but that you need for a given chunk of code to work.
>
> recursion - the process of one function calling itself to solve a problem.
> This is done by breaking the problem down to its smallest size, then combining
> the smaller solutions. Factorials are usually used as a simple example of
> recursion. 6! = 6*5*4*3*2*1. One can repeatedly break the factorial down
> until you reach 1, then recombine the problem to find the final solution.
>
> global variables - sort of the opposite of local variables. These variables
> are visible to pretty much the entire program and can be read/written from
> anywhere. The original Mindstorms language has only global variables.
>
> dynamic memory allocation - Deciding at run-time how much memory is needed for
> a given thing (thing being an object, an array, etc). Normal variables are
> allocated statically. An int might always take up 32 bits of space. Objects
> can be dynamic, as the size required is not always known.
>
> dynamic string allocation - Not many languages really support this. Usually,
> strings get a certain amount of space, ie, C++ has you create a character
> array
> of a given size, and that's how big the string can be. Java simulates dynamic
> string allocation by creating entirely new String objects each time the string
> is changed. I think APL is the only language I know of that has true dynamic
> string allocation.
>
> object oriented programming (OOP, or just OO) - a programming paradigm, as
> opposed to iterative programming, functional programming, or logic based
> programming. In OO, everything is an object. Objects have variables and
> operations on those variables. One can move objects around, chain them
> together, have them talk to one another. Going much beyond this would require
> much more space than I'm willing to devote. Java is a mostly OO language.
> C++
> is a hybrid of OO and iterative and is based on C, which is iterative. LISP
> is
> a functional language, as is Scheme, a LISP derivate. Prolog is a logic
> language. There's another term for iterative, but it escapes me right now.
>
> In lugnet.robotics, lego-robotics@crynwr.com (Aa-Tchoo!) writes:
> > Hi.
> >
> > Hope I can jump in here and ask where a newby who knows he's in the deep end • in computer science
> > discussions, - knows he's taking in water, coughing and spluttering but • loving every minute of it -
> > go to ask elementary questions like:
> > What's a class library?
> > How do you define function-local variables / recursion / global variables /
> > dynamic memory allocation / dymamic string allocation /
> > object oriented programming, for Christopher's sake?
> > I know this is basic stuff for some and could take up vast yards of bandwidth • but I need to find
> > guidance somewhere.
> >
> > Some teenagers might have got the MindStorms RIS to learn robotics, but I got • it to learn
> > programming while having a blast. OK, I'm a doctor, so I'm used to tackling • vast heaps of technical
> > definitions and description, but I bet there are others out there who came • here for the same reason.
> > I bet we could, in one group or the other, steadily build up a FAQ full of • relevant definitions for
> > would-be hackers. Or pointers to sources of reference, preferably on the net. • Any ideas?
> >
> > Please pardon me if I've overlooked an existing source for this kind of newby • knowledge. I scrolled
> > through the whole (awesome) homepage looking.
> >
> > Thanks for the opportunity to be a fly on the wall at the fascinating • discussion, this last week.
> > Regards,
> > Ko-LIIN.
> --
> Did you check the web site first?: http://www.crynwr.com/lego-robotics
--
Did you check the web site first?: http://www.crynwr.com/lego-robotics
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