1A

Well that’s it. I’m done 1A Software. What can I say, it was awesome. It was pretty crazy with all of the work during the term, but I survived. During the term, there wasn’t really much but work and the other softies being crazy. Wonderful times.

I think some of the best times was with the CCFers studying away in the third floor of SLC. Studying together, being stupid together, eating, and praying together for twelve hours a day really helps for getting to know each other.

Of course, being in Waterloo means that we’ll never ever see the coops again next term. That makes about half the people I met this term. Bye guys.

Java XP

I have come to the realization that everything that makes me angry in Java pisses me off in Windows. This has been especially evident when I gave up using Java to study for my CS final and instead have been actually completing some work using Python after taking a few hours of my time to relearn.

Let’s have a look at Java.

class HelloWorld
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        System.out.println("Hello World!");
    }
}

How about that C?

int main()
{
    printf("Hello World!\n");
}

And my favourite, Python.

print "Hello World!"

Why am I creating a class for a trivial program? Why am I declaring the scope of the main function? Why isn’t main a reserved word?

See, Java makes you go through unnecessary hoops and annoyances to do hammer it into submission. Apparently, this is “more safe” and “reinforces good programming practice”.

Sound familiar?

Free your mind

I think I’ve just realized how liberating it is to be a not-Windows user. I’ve been a not-Windows user for over two years now, but I’ve discovered this only recently, now that I’m a Mac user as well. Keep in mind that this discussion is limited to real life and not on the Internets, because the number of not-Windows users you come in contact with rises sharply. Continue reading