programming – Tales from the bits

Learn to code for iOS 7 in 5 steps

George Bagropoulos — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 11:50:32 +0000

Are you new to coding or want to learn to code for iOS7? I am coding for more that 30 years in various platforms. I decided now to start with iOS and Objective-C. To learn iOS7 programming I suggest to perform the following steps:

Get access to a Mac computer. If you have a Mac then it is great, if not you can use Macincloud. They give you access to an actual machine and not a VM. The speed it OK. I am using Macincloud and I am very happy with their service.
Connect to Apple’s developer program . The resources are great and free. You will find all the references which provide a wealth of information.
Watch a Free online course from Stanford University available in iTunes.
Study other programs written for iOS7
Write small programs to understand further the concepts.

Have lots of fun! Happy coding!

Tales from the bits (4)

George Bagropoulos — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:49:00 +0000

It is time for some jokes. Computer science jokes usually are not funny for those who do not have programming experience.

There are 10 types of people: those who understand binary, and those who do not understand it.

More jokes at:
http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/computer.html

What is Software Engineering?

George Bagropoulos — Tue, 13 May 2008 07:13:00 +0000

Many people outside the software industry do not know what software engineering is about. Even recently when I was asked at a party “Hey, George so tell me what you do for living?” I answered, “I am a Software Engineer”. I got a semi blank look. I quickly added, “I am a computer programmer» and from that point on everything was back to normal. The next question was “I have a problem with my computer can you give it a look? ” That gave me a clear picture that there was a direct assumption that if you were saying the words “computer programmer”, for most people that would also mean “computer technician”.

So what is Software Engineering?

The IEEE Computer Society defines software engineering as
“(1) The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiableapproach to the development, operation, and maintenance ofsoftware; that is, the application of engineering to software.
(2) The study of approaches as in (1).”

The SWEBOK knowledge areas are:
Software requirements
Software design
Software construction
Software testing
Software maintenance
Software configuration management
Software engineering management
Software engineering process
Software engineering tools and methods
Software quality
(IEEE Computer Society, 2008)

Creating software systems can be a very complex and demanding process involving many people. That requires substantial amount of time.

Other people from other disciplines do not easily comprehend what a Software Engineer does. Different people have different perception of our job depending on their viewpoint.

26 years ago I wrote my first computer program. It even now amazes me that people, with all that exposure in technology, cannot still make a difference between a Software Engineer and a computer technician or a power user. Medical doctors do not seem to have the same problems.

References
IEEE Computer Society(2008). Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge . Available at: http://www.swebok.org/