What materials ?

[Jarod]

Hey
What materials are you using to develop your progamming skils ? Reading
books / articles / courses / MSDN ? I don't put it writing code and
experimenting because it's obvious but I am curious how do you start with
the new technology ? I prefer read a lot , understood and than start to
code.
Jarod

 

[Peter Rilling]

If you are totally unfamiliar with something, then I think reading books is
the best. But I would not read with the expectation of memorizing the
contents, but rather get an understanding of what the technology can do.

Once you have a high-level understanding of the technology, then think about
a program that you might like to write. With that in mind, I find it
easiest to learn new stuff if you have a goal. Think about all the stuff
that the program will require, for instance maybe you want to do something
with XML or database or reflection, and then dive deeper into those topics
so that you learn enough to implement your application. Then put your
application on Sourceforge for all to marvel in.

Once I understand what the technology can do and I start to try to use it,
then I use MSDN to verify the syntax for the commands I want to use.

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Hi Jarod,

I sometimes start with a book to "get my feet wet." However, after awhile, I
depend almost entirely upon reference materials, such as (my favorite) the
MSDN Library. The .Net SDKs are freely downloadable, and include
version-specific editions of the MSDN Library, which you may use on your
local machine if you prefer that over the online version (I sometimes use
both). You can find them at:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/downloads/updates/default.aspx

I also use Google extensively and have a library of my own bookmarks that I
have accumulated. The WWW is an incredible wealth of information, if you
know how to find it. Practice makes perfect! I spend at least an hour or 2 a
day in studying such materials, even after about a dozen years as a
programmer.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
If you push something hard enough,
it will fall over.
- Fudd's First Law of Opposition