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0 pointsbigbizisverywyz4y ago0 comments

>like we're still living in the 90s when you could realistically master the whole chain of tools and ideas as an individual.

Well, I personally quite near the beginning of my career had the exact same problem as the OP in the 90s. I started off learning the MacOSX API and C, then C++. Then started looking at Windows API - DirectX and COM were also new then (Win 95) and MFC was just getting started as a direct response to OWL and the Borland tools and VB 3.0 was starting to make big inroads into RAD dev. Then the straw that nearly broke my back was Delphi, which I have never used but was wildly popular and a 'must learn'. By the time Java came out I had decided to stick to the WIN32 API and COM and ignore the rest so I had a career focus but a lot happened in the 90's and it was easy to be totally befuddled as to where to focus your energies.

Programming is hard, let's go shopping.

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tambourine_man4y ago· 1 in thread

>MacOSX API

I think you mean what's now called classic MacOS. System 7, Mac OS 8/9

>Programming is hard, let's go shopping.

What you are describing is not programing, but life and career choices, which is much, much harder in my opinion and most of us are sorely unprepared for.

bigbizisverywyzOP4y ago

Yes, you're right, System 7. I had a Performa 275 with a 68030 CPU and learned to program C & C++ with Metrowerks (a fantastic IDE for the time). I don't have that anymore but might still have a copy of Inside Macintosh somewhere.

>Programming is hard, let's go shopping. Phrase borrowed from Jeff Atwood :) https://blog.codinghorror.com/programming-is-hard-lets-go-sh...

>What you are describing is not programming, but life and career choices, which is much, >much harder in my opinion and most of us are sorely unprepared for.

This is true, you can either simply bob along on the currents of fate and take whatever comes to you, or try and take control. At first I was just happy with a job, and luckily (all my working life actually) there's been plenty of opportunities for my skills; but later chose more carefully. I'm sure that's the experience of plenty others too.

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