Some of the linux questions are flat out wrong or lack appropriate scope. i.e. a question about removing packages lists the only appropriate answer as "rpm -e"; in another about common ports it lists DNS as "23", which is telnet and DNS is on 53. Thanks but no thanks, I think I'll craft my own questions and answers.
Oops, sorry, guys: Apparently that
"quiz" doesn't apply to
everyone who does serious programming.
E.g.,I decided to base the software for
my startup on Windows instead of
Linux.
Why Windows? One source for
nearly everything in software I
need except what I have to write,
my favorite editor and scripting
language, Knuth's TeX, and Firefox!
So, I get Windows XP and now 7, Windows
Server of whatever years, old copies
of Office and PhotoDraw (good enough
for my purposes), SQL Server, IIS
(Web site front end), .NET, ASP.NET,
ADO.NET, huge on-line Microsoft
documentation, in most of the really
important ways really
well written,
lots of books and fora,
lots of expert users,
and, surprisingly, if have a really
good question, then some good on-line
support from experts from Microsoft,
for free.
For a compiled programming language on
Windows it seemed that I had basically
just two choices, C# and the .NET version
of Visual Basic. So, which one? Well,
first-cut, the two are nearly equivalent,
that is, offer essentially the same
access to the .NET Framework and
the common language runtime (CLR).
So, really, the main difference is just
in syntactic sugar.
Well for the sugar part, C# seems to
borrow the sparse, obscure, deliberately
idiosyncratic syntax of C, and I don't like
that, regard it as inefficient, for coding -- writing, reading, or
teaching. Visual Basic has a more
traditional flavor of sugar I like
much better for writing, reading, and
teaching. So, I selected Visual Basic.
For JS, ASP.NET writes a little for me,
but so far for my Web pages and
everything else I have yet to
write a single line of JS.
For C, I've programmed in it and
have a little of it from
open source in my project
and otherwise regard it as
walking or riding a bicycle
instead of driving a car.
SQL? Sure: I'm using SQL Server.
But so far my SQL queries have
all been quite simple. So, I've learned
what SQL I needed but likely couldn't
pass a good test on SQL. I have a plenty
good enough background in the theory
and intentions of relational database,
e.g., from one of Ullman's books, and will
dig into more complicated SQL statements
as needed.
So, net, my software development is significant
and doing just fine, but for that "quiz"
I'd be lucky to get 10%. So, the quiz
is not a good evaluation of everyone
doing serious software!
Are you saying that you develop on Windows and did not take the Linux quiz because getting a low score implies you are not a "significant" software developer?
This does not seem to be a tool to merely judge you as a developer. Rather, it acts as a tool to determine syntax understanding, and to possibly point out new things one may not be aware of. Much more important than assigning a number to a skill.
I didn't start in programming with
Windows and Visual Basic .NET. Not nearly.
Instead, I've programmed far too many
things that with bits and used a
wide variety of examples of syntax,
BNF, lexical scan, parsing, etc.
Lots of it. E.g., I got quite good
with PL/I and made contributions to
its AI extension KnowledgeTool,
and some of the syntax there is
advanced stuff. E.g., just the
scope of names rules and the
difference between dynamic and
static descendancy are nice, useful,
and a bit intricate.
I've invented and
implemented new syntax.
To me the quiz looked like just
a test of skills with nothing
more of significance to be learned.
6 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 12.6 ms ] threadE.g.,I decided to base the software for my startup on Windows instead of Linux.
Why Windows? One source for nearly everything in software I need except what I have to write, my favorite editor and scripting language, Knuth's TeX, and Firefox! So, I get Windows XP and now 7, Windows Server of whatever years, old copies of Office and PhotoDraw (good enough for my purposes), SQL Server, IIS (Web site front end), .NET, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, huge on-line Microsoft documentation, in most of the really important ways really well written, lots of books and fora, lots of expert users, and, surprisingly, if have a really good question, then some good on-line support from experts from Microsoft, for free.
For a compiled programming language on Windows it seemed that I had basically just two choices, C# and the .NET version of Visual Basic. So, which one? Well, first-cut, the two are nearly equivalent, that is, offer essentially the same access to the .NET Framework and the common language runtime (CLR). So, really, the main difference is just in syntactic sugar.
Well for the sugar part, C# seems to borrow the sparse, obscure, deliberately idiosyncratic syntax of C, and I don't like that, regard it as inefficient, for coding -- writing, reading, or teaching. Visual Basic has a more traditional flavor of sugar I like much better for writing, reading, and teaching. So, I selected Visual Basic.
For JS, ASP.NET writes a little for me, but so far for my Web pages and everything else I have yet to write a single line of JS.
For C, I've programmed in it and have a little of it from open source in my project and otherwise regard it as walking or riding a bicycle instead of driving a car.
SQL? Sure: I'm using SQL Server. But so far my SQL queries have all been quite simple. So, I've learned what SQL I needed but likely couldn't pass a good test on SQL. I have a plenty good enough background in the theory and intentions of relational database, e.g., from one of Ullman's books, and will dig into more complicated SQL statements as needed.
So, net, my software development is significant and doing just fine, but for that "quiz" I'd be lucky to get 10%. So, the quiz is not a good evaluation of everyone doing serious software!
This does not seem to be a tool to merely judge you as a developer. Rather, it acts as a tool to determine syntax understanding, and to possibly point out new things one may not be aware of. Much more important than assigning a number to a skill.
I didn't start in programming with Windows and Visual Basic .NET. Not nearly. Instead, I've programmed far too many things that with bits and used a wide variety of examples of syntax, BNF, lexical scan, parsing, etc. Lots of it. E.g., I got quite good with PL/I and made contributions to its AI extension KnowledgeTool, and some of the syntax there is advanced stuff. E.g., just the scope of names rules and the difference between dynamic and static descendancy are nice, useful, and a bit intricate.
I've invented and implemented new syntax.
To me the quiz looked like just a test of skills with nothing more of significance to be learned.