Do they eat newbies?

[abandonedbywolves]

If a hypothetical person knew bugger all about computers, but was made curious by the way half of Dreamwidth seems to be involved in the programming side, where would you suggest that person begin?

I've Googled and found lots of resources, but because I know nothing I have no way to tell if they're good resources, so I'm looking for advice from actual people.

All suggestions welcome - online, books, or "Don't bother, go away and come back when you've learned [other language]".

Comments

[foxfirefey]

Depends on your goal! Are you looking to join the programming side of Dreamwidth, or just learn programming in general?

[abandonedbywolves]

I'd love the chance to join in the programming side of Dreamwidth if possible. Right now I'm at the stage of "OK, this looks cool... but I have zero experience. What if I utterly fail?" But I guess you don't know until you try, right?

[foxfirefey]

I only ask because if you just want to program, there's intro_to_cs, but it's in Python (which I kinda am partial to, to be honest), which would only gird you in a theoretical way for Dreamwidth coding.

And yes, you can TOTALLY join the programming side of Dreamwidth! It is okay to try things and fail at them; we aren't going to point and laugh at you or think you are a loser.

The Perl book we link newbs to is Picking Up Perl, because it's free and available. There's also O'Reilly's Learning Perl, if you can find it at your local library or want to get a book, but you don't have to. You could probably get an older edition for really cheap used. There is also this resource.

As for getting started on DW dev, first, you are going to want to get a Dreamhack and go over Dreamhack getting started. A Dreamhack is an installation of Dreamwidth that is your own sandbox to work in, so you don't have to try and manage it on your own (it can be frustrating and take resources you might not have, although you are welcome to try if you wish!) You are also going to want to sign up for an account at our Bugzilla, which is where we keep all of the tickets.

Then, you'll want to ask the devs for a "baby bug", which are bugs we give to new people! This bug may actually not involve Perl coding--some are HTML/CSS, some involve a system called BML or the translation system, some are Javascript, some are for the S2 style system! But, the people who suggests it to you will be able to guide you on how to go about it. I could give you one here, but it might be better to make a post about it in dw_dev_training or go onto IRC and ask in #dreamwidth-dev. The Dreamwidth channels are very, very effective teaching places where you can often receive instruction in real time (schedules permitting), but dw_dev_training will work, too.

Then, once you have a bug, you can assign it to yourself people will walk you through the process of submitting a patch. This process can be repeated until you become more and more confident about finding your own bugs you want to do and patching them!

[abandonedbywolves]

First up - you are brilliant and I really appreciate the help.

I'm definitely going to sit down with Picking Up Perl before I do anything else - I've seen people getting assigned bugs, and that's where I flail and go "But I have no idea what I'm doing!" So it's good to have some reading first, before poking anything.

Again, thank you. *Goes to read*

[foxfirefey]

Definitely read some if it makes you feel better! But don't get too caught up in feeling "confident" before making the next steps--there are plenty of people willing to guide you through them, and it's a great way to learn. For instance, I knew Perl before going in, but I still needed guidance, because starting out I didn't know where things were in the Dreamwidth code, or how to generate a patch--everyone needs some guidance when they first start!

[abandonedbywolves]

I've applied for a Dreamhack account, downloaded PuTTy like it instructed, so now I'll wait to get to play with that. So I'm having a read of Picking Up Perl, and well, you've seen where I'm lurking now. ;)

I appreciate the reassurance - the DW folk do seem very welcoming and that's a big part of the appeal here.

[aedifica]

That's very useful for me to read as well. Thanks!

[foxfirefey]

Glad I could help!

[kerravonsen]

I can see you've already been advised, so all I'm going to say is AWESOME! Join, in, have fun.

[abandonedbywolves]

I'm doing the reading up now, I have a billion links, and I have to say - people around here are helpful... and I think my brain is going to leak out my ears. ;)

[vlion]

By the way, if you want to learn how to program, program. You have to practice it to be able to do it. Expect it to be frustrating. It'll take some time. That's OK, just keep pluggin'.