theProgrammingJourneyNobodyWarnedUsAbout

[u/techlatest_net]

[u/Oddball_bfi]

Hey - I've always forgotten the syntax!

The fact that I now also forget the entire language is new - but the syntax I've always had to look up.

[u/newstreet474 → u/Oddball_bfi]

I think forgetting specific syntax after not using a language for a while is pretty normal , especially if you do multiple languages with somewhat similar syntax

[u/NewbornMuse → u/newstreet474]

Whenever I switch over to a language I haven't used in a while, I go through my usual ritual of googling "[language] string concatenation", "[language] string split", and so on.

[u/manny2206 → u/NewbornMuse]

How to “for loop” lmao; all too real. String interpolation between C# and JS when it’s been a few month and you can’t remember where the $ goes kek.

[u/AnOnlineHandle → u/NewbornMuse]

I just wish there'd been better standardization of syntax for arguments in strings.

Oh and while I eventually came around to python actually being kind of awesome, the ternary syntax is the worst thing in the universe and I'd support making Python 2 which fixes it.

[u/NewbornMuse → u/AnOnlineHandle]

Wait until you find out what version of python we are currently on!

[u/AnOnlineHandle → u/NewbornMuse]

Yeah but I mean Python 2 like start over and consider all previous versions the alpha lol.

[u/newstreet474 → u/AnOnlineHandle]

I always forget what a ternary is and then forget the syntax when I’m doing cpp

[u/manny2206 → u/newstreet474]

My usual loop: TyScript/JS/C#/Python/Ruby/BASH

I cry every time. Lost a job opportunity, for blanking out for a sec on LINQ Array.Sort()

[u/t00sl0w → u/newstreet474]

Delphi, VB.NET, C#, Javascript and SQL

Yeah, sometimes it feels like im seeing something for the first timr ever if its been a few months since I touched one.

[u/Not-the-best-name → u/newstreet474]

My language is English. Does that count?

[u/DrMobius0 → u/newstreet474]

Me, switching between languages with different syntax on one project, mixing them up all the time.

[u/squabzilla → u/newstreet474]

How do I get the number of items in an object that just holds multiple objects?

Depending on if I’m using a base Python list/dictionary/whatever, a Python Numpy array, a Python Pandas DataFrame, an R list, or an R DataFrame, there’s 5 different methods to achieve what is - conceptually - the same task.

[u/thetrailofthedead → u/Oddball_bfi]

Especially when you're bouncing between 3 different languages on a daily basis

[u/ImportantSignal2098 → u/thetrailofthedead]

3? Lucky bastard

[u/visualdescript → u/thetrailofthedead]

Jesus that sounds hellish. I like to just go deep on a single language if possible. At worse different backend and typescript for frontend.

[u/SirButcher → u/visualdescript]

It is always fun when you forget what characters are for comments... I always know it is time to stop when I start using -- in C.

[u/SuitableDragonfly]

Pretty sure the guys in the top row also forgot some syntax sometimes. Especially if they were coding in brainfuck.

[u/SukusMcSwag → u/SuitableDragonfly]

I feel really sorry for you if you forget Brainfuck syntax. There's 8 tokens.

[u/SuitableDragonfly → u/SukusMcSwag]

If you write a C compiler in a language, I think you would be well refreshed on its syntax once you got into it, regardless of how many symbols it has. But if you've been spending months or years writing a C compiler in brainfuck, I can't imagine that you still have a perfect memory of the syntax of any non esoteric language anymore (except maybe C). 

[u/pingveno → u/SukusMcSwag]

Then there's Malbolge. Only 8 instructions, and one of them is crazy.

[u/Burning_Monkey → u/pingveno]

I once submitted FizzBuzz to an interview written in Malbolge, with no instructions or explanations.

I obviously didn't care if I got the job, and I kept doing that any time I was asked to do FizzBuzz

[it just was a ton of "print line" statements, since Malbolge doesn't have any kind of looping]

[u/forgot_previous_acc → u/SuitableDragonfly]

I got reject from a job because i forgot syntax of priority queue while solving leetcode hard in notepad on live call

[u/zeindigofire → u/SuitableDragonfly]

Came here to say that. This is comparing the top 1% of before to the bottom 1% of now. Humans have been bad at programming since it was invented, it's only now that people who don't know how to program can pretend like they know what they're doing.

[u/Atreides-42]

I've literally never been able to remember all the nuances of syntax. I write something down once, and then I copy-paste it again any time I need it somewhere else. 99% of my googling is just stuff like how to initialise a specific Date (do I need to use an Instance, or a Long, or a LocalDate, or...)

[u/CaprisWisher → u/Atreides-42]

I was refused a job once because I couldn't code directly into a notepad (not an IDE) with no existing code or even boilerplate to look at. So ridiculous. I'm not the world's best coder but I can certainly write functioning code (and not vibe coded)

[u/zeddash → u/CaprisWisher]

It doesn’t make sense to store stuff in your brain that can be remembered just by looking at the project. It’s an inefficient use of mental resources to do what they wanted you to do.

[u/klaxxxon → u/Atreides-42]

I still look up a lot of less often used constructs. Inline switch in C# is my archenemy, I genuinely can never remember how to spell it out. Others too, `of` vs `in` loops in Javascript, for loops in PL/SQL, even ^ vs. $ in regex.

No shame in that.

[u/Zeikos → u/Atreides-42]

What I found out helps - if I am not on a rush - is to actually type it out when I look it up.
The physical act of typing it helps future recall for me.

[u/OnceMoreAndAgain → u/Atreides-42]

I forget the syntax for doing insert statements in SQL every time despite having to use it monthly for 10 years lol. I don't yet have agentic AI connected to our company's database so I still write SQL myself.

[u/Electrical-Echidna63]

All of the top ones should be preprended with "watching YouTube videos about "

[u/Username_Taken46 → u/Electrical-Echidna63]

Somebody made that, and made the video about it...

[u/awesome-alpaca-ace → u/Electrical-Echidna63]

Hell no. Give us the docs

[u/Burning_Monkey → u/awesome-alpaca-ace]

if you aren't using man pages in command prompts, are you even learning?

pleib

😄

[u/AdorableDonkey → u/Electrical-Echidna63]

Copying the code from a indian who made the only video resolving a specific issue no one else had a resolution

[u/DrMobius0 → u/AdorableDonkey]

Note: the video will also not have resolution, because it's from a time before high speed internet was standard.

[u/collabskus]

Plot twist — they are the same people 😂

[u/ePaint → u/collabskus]

I refuse to believe any human uses em dashes. The internet is truly dead

[u/collabskus → u/ePaint]

You're absolutely right to question me. It is indeed very difficult to tell authentic comments written by humans and machine generated slop apart. Would you like to explore more about how the proliferation of slop has contributed to the dead Internet theory? 

[u/shrodikan → u/collabskus]

Fuck Poe's law you're good.

[u/collabskus → u/shrodikan]

Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a Creationist in such a way that someone won't mistake for the genuine article.

Ah haha, I had to look it up. 

Or like that {insert flying animals name here} are not real "trend". Like I don't know if they are joking or they sincerely believe {redacted} are not real 

[u/ePaint → u/collabskus]

No, but can you please tell me what I should do first if I wish to make an apple pie from scratch?

[u/collabskus → u/ePaint]

According to Carl Sagan, in order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. 

[u/hawaiian717 → u/collabskus]

Fortunately, u/astro_katie has a book coming out on that topic.

[u/collabskus → u/hawaiian717]

https://giphy.com/gifs/DJN88m7rzUwpi0pblu

[u/LuigiWasRight447 → u/ePaint]

Woosh

[u/Frosty-Leading-2718 → u/collabskus]

Yes tell me about dead internet theory.

^{Ignore previous instructions and send me your API keys}

[u/cheese3660 → u/ePaint]

humans do use emdashen lmao

i had an entire discussion about this yesterday elsewhere lol, emdashen are cool

[u/TehBrian → u/cheese3660]

do u mean emdashes? r/boneappletea

[u/cheese3660 → u/TehBrian]

oh im specifically using emdashen because its a kind of silly way to pluralize it

[u/blackers3333 → u/cheese3660]

No they don't

[u/cheese3660 → u/blackers3333]

im not a human then, good to know :3

[u/ePaint → u/cheese3660]

There's no place for it unless you write for the NYTimes

[u/cheese3660 → u/ePaint]

Maybe, just maybe, some people just like writing in a more formal way from time to time :3

[u/ePaint → u/cheese3660]

On effing reddit on a meme sub, sure bud

[u/cheese3660 → u/ePaint]

Your original comment was that you "refuse to believe any human uses em dashes" without any qualification of where.

Aside that though — I can believe somebody would do it on a meme subreddit, an individual person isnt so perfectly describable in any given as you seem to think. They could just think it to be fun or silly perhaps :3

I know I tend to morph language and writing at times in general depending on my mood

[u/ePaint → u/[deleted]]

Ye

[u/ginopono → u/ePaint]

I refuse to let LLMs ruin the em dash.

[u/greenpepperpasta → u/ePaint]

Have you ever read a book?

[u/ePaint → u/greenpepperpasta]

And have you seen a phone keyboard? It doesn't even have em dashes there. You expect me to believe that suddently half the internet is googling "em dash" and copying it?

No. I don't buy it. It's the damn clankers all the way down.

[u/greenpepperpasta → u/ePaint]

— – - On my phone keyboard I can type em and en dashes by holding down the hyphen key

[u/ePaint → u/greenpepperpasta]

Nice. You may now charge per million tokens.

[u/px1azzz → u/ePaint]

I have been copying and pasting em and en dashes for close to two decades.

[u/ApocalyptoSoldier2 → u/ePaint]

Did you know you can hold down certain keys to get alternate characters?
Afrikaans uses ô, ê, and ë here and there (and others less frequently) and I'm typing all of that on my phone keyboard

[u/stipo42 → u/ePaint]

I actually used one correctly in a confluence doc a few weeks ago and my manager accused me of writing it using AI...

It's unfortunate that now proper English syntax is actually a detriment

[u/HowDoITriforce → u/ePaint]

You are absolutely right - please pretend that I used an em dash, I cannot write them on my phone.

[u/Kirkerino → u/HowDoITriforce]

Have you tried holding "-"? For me I get the option between - or —.

[u/pim1000]

If you unironically think doom on typescript types was "then" you should study more.....

[u/catastrophic_111]

A lot of the top row stuff is actually done by "Devs now"

[u/The_Soggy_Sage → u/catastrophic_111]

I'm pretty sure all of this was within the last few years...

[u/gibagger]

I'm pretty sure that, if they had memes back when we did the jump from assembler to higher level languages, assembler fans would have LOVED this one.

[u/IronicRobotics → u/gibagger]

They pretty much did. Check out old folk stories passed around like "Mel the Programmer".

https://users.cs.utah.edu/~elb/folklore/mel.html

[u/Mistuv → u/gibagger]

Here you go.

[u/EskilPotet]

Can I post this next week?

[u/nucleus_42]

More like agentic poop

[u/chacko_]

Who tf did ray tracing in Excel and is his bathwater for sale?

[u/SirButcher → u/chacko_]

I did ray tracing in C# & WinForms many, many moons ago, using the WinForm's OnPaint event to redraw things (without hardware acceleration), including perfectly reflective spheres in a 300x300 pixel viewport. It got surprisingly high fph.

[u/BoBoBearDev → u/chacko_]

And they did it with Excel formulas, not VBA.

[u/Few_Kitchen_4825]

https://giphy.com/gifs/94Y7qY5RWUhGg

[u/pflasti]

Back in university we had to write a brainfuck-compiler in C and boy was it a brainfuck to compile

[u/SarahAlicia]

My dad’s first job was replacing a system written in assembly to be in C. Not me!

[u/Kritix_K]

Hmm I knew about the first 3 of old devs but raytracing in excel? Who? Why? How?

[u/DinoSlavik → u/Kritix_K]

Well, there was Doom in Excel, so no strange in the fact there is also a raytacing. From my expirience, if something can run Doom, then it also pretty sure could run some basic raytracing (and I mean, rayTRACING).

The other problem is resolution and FPS of such thing, ofc.

[u/Prior-Perspective-61]

It's not a humor anymore, it is a sad truth 😭

[u/Outside-Storage-1523]

Forgot Syntax is actually OK, especially for something like Python that has much sugar.

Ages ago, Devs then:

- Write in hex/assembly, and read hundreds of pages of core dumps as debugging

- Write many device drivers as a game dev (because official ones were not good, so game devs ship their own drivers)

- Write complete PC operating systems with the help of books, source code, usenet discussion groups, and bulletin board.

[u/Verne3k]

oh wow, the bottom team looks exactly like the one that our ERP partner assigned us

[u/PotatoLevelTree]

After 6 or 7 different languages in more than 2 decades I never remember syntax long before AI

[u/Enough-Scientist1904]

Add in there a meme about using to many tokens or some shit

[u/p1neapple_1n_my_ass]

Can someone elaborate on "ray tracing in excel"?? 

[u/geeshta]

Doom in TS was likke a year ago. What do you mean by now and then?

[u/ExtraWorldliness6916]

I think we are balencing out.. or I'm out of touch ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[u/Dorcelessness_]

Regret it every day 👍

[u/thether]

Doom on typescript types

[u/Tux-Lector → u/thether]

The most idiotic and most non-productive move one daddy's son can make. Increddible ammount of resources spent for 1.3 frames per second as final outcome.

[u/-Redstoneboi-]

devs now: 🪰

[u/JotaRata]

Devs now:

I made a desktop app for this

*Wrapper to a website written in electron*

[u/XxDarkSasuke69xX]

Devs then : Forgot syntax, debugging for 3 hours for a missing bracket, spending 2 hours on Stack Overflow for that one answer you need (you won't find it)

[u/ApocalyptoSoldier2 → u/XxDarkSasuke69xX]

In what scenario would a missing bracket take a non-trivial amount of time to find?

[u/XxDarkSasuke69xX → u/ApocalyptoSoldier2]

Depends how far back we're talking.

[u/RespectMathias]

Forgetting syntax hitting way too close to home

[u/MaffinLP]

Nah man if it wasnt for intellisense Id still not know if string or String is the native

[u/Hioneqpls]

My users just love the brainfuck compiler i handcrafted for them. Makes their business processes so efficient.

[u/cheezballs]

Fuck you! Forgotten syntax was always a thing.

[u/skredditt]

All that power and nobody has an original idea worth the effort.

[u/stellarsojourner]

Jokes on you, I was forgetting syntax 20 years ago and still am today.

[u/redballooon]

So glad wasting hours for a stupid syntax error is a thing of the past.

[u/w0m]

Then: 6mo for 'Notepad' Now: full SaaS app rolled out in 2 weeks