Local programming friends?

[Pixel_Outlaw]

In this topic I wish to discuss the popularity of lack thereof of programming. I'm a bit jealous of people who are able to have a local friend to talk programming with. I don't know how common programming skills are where you live but you would be hard pressed to find a fellow programmer in Montana where I live. I really wish children here were exposed to LOGO Writer on the good ol Apple IIe as I was. I wish kids here had the opportunity to try something new besides the sterile realm of imposed school mathematics without logical constructs. I've never found another programmer besides myself where I live. Is it common to have a programming friend locally? Do you? I do really like this forum for its great people and their continued willingness to help each other. I suppose if programming were more common salaries would be lower since it is a very specialized skill. I'm amused at the people who throw together some basic HTML and say "Look ma, I'm programmin' !"

[benny!]

When I started coding back in my youth all my friends
own the same computer (CPC 6128) - but we all just
played games on it. Only one friend of mine started to
programm in BASIC on it. That was my start of coding
and I borrowed his BASIC MANUAL. However since then
all of my friends sold their computer one after the other
and they lost their interests in computer.

I remained the only one who still like computers - of
course the others do internet/emailing nowadays - but
none of them knows how to code or what demoscene
is about e.g.

[TinDragon]

I had friends back at school who were into coding but after college everyone went there seperate ways, I know of only a couple who still do anything with computers, 1 owns a shop selling and repairing them but I dont think he codes more than websites anymore. My other friends that have computers are more just into gaming.

I think most kids are only taunt how to do basic stuff on a computer nowadays in schools, there dont seem to be classes on coding or systems like I did unless you go to university. Makes me wonder were the new generation of coders will come from if we dont spark intrest in the kids growing up.

[combatking0]

I'll be hosting some Flash/Actionscript game programming courses near two schools in Doncaster from September/October.
It's really easy to learn, and the kids at these schools use Flash in their ICT lessons. Hopefully I can raise a few converts.

[Shockwave]

I think it's a pretty solitary activity too.. The closest examples I can think of were when I was on the Amiga scene, I was quite good friends with some Welsh sceners and having a car was a plus, but it wasn't the same as having a pal on my doorstep I could talk about coding with.

The other guy who was a good mate to me was a guy called Stuart Williams, we were in college together and we used to stay in at lunch time to make vector demos on the pc's.

Stuart really lost interest in programming when he picked up the guitar for the first time and as I had left the scene I never bothered again, in fact I never even used a PC until Sony released Yabasic for the PS2 and that was the first time I ever used the internet.

The net means that if you have someone more or less in the same time zone then you can have a programming buddy..

People who have the desire to code and the ability to learn to a reasonable level of skill are few and far between though, well at least I think so.

[Xalthorn]

I've never had anyone near me who enjoyed programming.  Cancel that, I've never had anyone near me who actually programmed

No matter how hard I tried to convert friends, they just weren't interested.  You need to have a desire to solve problems and make an effort to create something.  You have to be prepared to push yourself to achieve something new and be a creator not just a viewer.

I keep thinking that maybe I should join some sort of coding group so I can work together with others on the same project, but unless it's already an established group (and not looking for new members) my previous experience has shown me that the group will fail as people look for other things to do.

I've had numerous projects (and still have them) where I've tried to recruit people to help with coding, theory, testing, and above all, motivation.  However, they all go the same way, people disappear and I'm left by myself again so I've learned to not even ask nowadays.

This forum is a breath of life for me actually.  My coding had become stale due to a lack of a critical audience and I'd pretty much stopped producing anything.  I'm thoroughly enjoying myself here, what with the regular challenges, the selfless sharing of information, and general feedback and support to one and all.

 

[StatMat]

I was pretty lucky as I had two friends at primary school that programmed the Beeb. Once I went to secondary school I got in with a different crowd who did some programming at lunchtime and such on the Archimedes (which lead us being asked by the teacher to help in summer classes in IT). In fact, a few of the group, including myself, had Amigas, so we also tinkered around on those too, when we weren't playing games!

And then of course there was my college and university days. I have many fond memories of having mini-competitions with my classmates, seeing who produce the most interesting graphics etc.

But nowadays, I don't have any coding friends. Just like others here, most of my friends that did code early on have now stopped or moved to different places. That's why a place like this is so important. Otherwise no-one else would ever get to see our work.

[benny!]

... That's why a place like this is so important. Otherwise no-one else would
ever get to see our work.

So true!

[combatking0]

My new Game Programmers Club starts up in a few weeks, and I'm wondering if it's OK with the local admins here if I set up a poll to see which game you all like the best.

The games won't be ready until late November.

Just so things are clear, the Game Programmers Club is an after school club being run at two schools in Doncaster, so it's not a competition like the Reduced Rez or Plant Life competitions, but I'd like the informed opinions of seasoned and unseasoned programmers alike, rather than getting a random group of idiots together and ending up having to pass judgement myself.

Who knows - we might even get a few new members out of this

[Architect_414]

Im Back People! After a long hiatus.

I have one friend who programs. He's 18 now, he's had the job for the last year and a half or so. He programs Visual basic, some QBasic and a tiny tad of 8086 asm.
Sometimes he'll enjoy helping me program (He was the one who wrote that very dodgy scroller i asked about yonks ago!) but sometimes he'll hate mentioning it due to a stressful time at work.

Thats my 0.2

[combatking0]

Welcome back Architect_414. 8086? Sounds complicated!

I guess we'd all rather be programming than working

The Game Builders' Club website is open. Don't worry, I'm not trying to steal members from here. It's more of a news, information and eventually arcade site. There isn't very much there at the moment, and it's only open to some of the local kids from schools I have worked with in the past, but the games they make should be brilliant.

If anyone wants to suggest a new colour scheme I'm all ears.