On Jan 17, 2008 3:30 PM, B.A.S. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I hope that when the days get longer and the weather warmer I'll be able > to do exactly that. I live in Orange, NJ, so Manhattan isn't that far, > however the closest NJT station is a local stop and the trains only run > about once an hour (even less on the weekends). Then there's the > question of getting back home--the train station isn't far from my > apartment, but it's deserted at night. Being a woman I'm not real keen > on the idea of being there after dark, you know? >
Well, you could take some self-defense classes in addition to all your PHP studies and carry some weapon such as one of those pepper spray things.... oops, getting OT. Seriously, though: welcome to the party. You will like it here, and I am in solidarity with your situation, as I'm a sort of self-taught, humanities-trained part-time hobbyist lightweight who aspires to do it better than a part-time hobbyist lightweight... Things I've found helpful: * Take a course from a good instructor, the programming language hardly matters. I studied Java to no good practical professional purpose, but the discipline and problem-solving practice was great for my programming generally. * Read those books and tutorials, but keep a skeptical mind. Times have since changed for the better, but I learned some sloppy habits back in the days of PHP3 because I trusted what I read. * Learn to use Subversion, even if only so you will have a backup and so you can roll back whenever you make a really terrible mess. * Smarty is not a panacea nor a substitute for discipline. I used to be a Smarty believer, now I'm more of a Zend Framework believer. (Yes they aren't mutually exclusive, but we digress...) * Don't get too obsessed with planning planning planning at the expense of doing. I have been in that trap and have only recently recovered. (My problem has been working 100% alone and lacking of a tech-savvy boss or demanding customer to bust my chops, so I have had the luxury of saying "i don't like it, this isn't good" and wiping out a project and starting over four or five times.) * Validate input, filter output (-: ! -- David Mintz http://davidmintz.org/ The subtle source is clear and bright The tributary streams flow through the darkness
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