SWE student

learning to make tech-y things one line of code at a time

[nova-learns-programming]

Introduction post

Hello! My name is Nova. I'm in my mid-20s and is currently an online student studying Software Engineering. I needed somewhere to talk about my coding problems so I created this page for it!

[ligamentgirl]

YOU ARE A FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION YOU CAN READ FROM A FILE

YOU ARE A FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION YOU CAN WRITE TO A FILE

YOU ARE A FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION YOU CAN ACCEPT USER INPUT

YOU ARE A FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION YOU CAN PLAY AUDIO AT AN APPROPRIATE VOLUME

YOU ARE A FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION YOU CAN RUN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME WITHOUT CRASHING

YOU ARE A FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION YOU CAN DISPLAY TO A MONITOR

YOU ARE A FUNCTIONAL APPLICATION YOU KNOW HOW TO RUN

[autisticlittleguy]

Imagining modern magic as having rigorous syntax and logic akin to programming languages is so funny. Imagine going to wizard school and staying up all night trying to find a bug somewhere in your magic circle. Spellbooks are just documentation for that programming language with syntax reference. Theres textbooks explaining how to implement 「Fire Ball」 with O(log n) mana complexity. I know demonic asisstance is used by a lot of companies these days, but please do not use it on the final assesment as that will be considered plagiarism.

[american-boyboss]

[mysterycat-official]

I lowkey hate when programs talk to me in a friendly way. "don't worry, nearly there!" Shut up. It should say "loading 64.3% completed. Do not turn off device" and absolutely nothing else. You arent my friend you are computer. Act like it

[elexuscal]

So there's this genre of story....

It's a flavour of urban fantasy, I guess, if you look at it objectively. It 100% exists in Our World. And it's about an Every Day Person (or small group of every day people) who is Struggling with something, and then they Encounter a weird Supernatural force, one which seems tailor made to teach them a Lesson. Think a genie, or a time-loop, or the ability to read peoples' minds, or something. The situation doesn't/won't resolve until the lesson is internalized.

You see it most often in certain small to middle budget live action movies (e.g. Groundhog Day, Click, Bruce Almighty) but also a certain type of book (e.g. The Midnight Library). It'll crop up occasionally in other mediums, but more rarely, because by design they're single unexpected episodes, not part of a broader narrative.

That's what sets them apart from regular urban fantasy/sci-fi to me. There isn't a Secret Other World hiding real magic from people, or some MiB/SCP-style organization handling it. This incident just sort of Happened. In a way that's almost casual, since there isn't really any broader lore or explanation. Frankly, giving too much of one would probably feel really out-of-place-- this type of story isn't really built for robust worldbuilding.

It's not magical realism, because it clearly is a break from the expected functioning of the world; average people don't know about it or expect it. As I describe it, though, the way the supernatural functions almost seems to overlap with certain horror scenarios. Only, while there can be an element of horror in these stories, the difference is usually that the tone is more upbeat or contemplative (sometimes outright comedic).

... Am I on to anything here? I've been mentally calling this genre "Life Lesson Urban Fantasy" but I wondered if there's something more codified.

[internet-sentences]

this shit owns it's just a number go up idle game except the idle mechanic comes from you writing JavaScript to automate tasks it seems like the end goal of the game is to perfectly optimize against this little arbitrary system they've created. There's not any plot to speak of so far but even though nothing is happening people send you messages through the computer telling you to trust no one as they all have ulterior motives. Very relatable.

Bitburner is an idle game about hacking that teaches real JavaScript

You don't have to know JavaScript to get started.

[exeggcute]

guys be careful. this game may look fun but it's actually a ploy to get you to learn javascript

[internet-sentences]

this shit owns it's just a number go up idle game except the idle mechanic comes from you writing JavaScript to automate tasks it seems like the end goal of the game is to perfectly optimize against this little arbitrary system they've created. There's not any plot to speak of so far but even though nothing is happening people send you messages through the computer telling you to trust no one as they all have ulterior motives. Very relatable.

Bitburner is an idle game about hacking that teaches real JavaScript

You don't have to know JavaScript to get started.

[exeggcute]

guys be careful. this game may look fun but it's actually a ploy to get you to learn javascript

[inadvertently-biblical]

The Night Shift <3 And sleepy Trinity

[dailyflicks]

THE PITT (2025—) S02 | E15

[mousegirlheart]

is okay you do not need hard drive. i remember computer for you.

[doggeddetermination]

thank you for teaching me important tech vocabulary @kirbymybeloved

[1dietcokeinacan]

Afroman victorious in ‘Lemon Pound Cake’ defamation case | CNN

The deputies who raided the rapper’s house in 2022 lost a civil lawsuit. Their complaint? Being mocked in his viral music videos.

YAYYYY thank god!!!!! Apparently he made a cop cry during the trial too he’s a hero

[janis-ian-kinnie]

“Programming is the future” they say

[30trillioncellsinatrenchcoat]

[dreamsy990]

i saw someone say nobody needs to know what a .txt file is anymore. what the fuck is the world coming to

[dreamsy990]

unironically i think we need to bring back computer labs because APPARENTLY some people WERENT taught basic computer literacy and internet safety in school

[dreamsy990]

things about computers/the internet i think kids should be formally taught in schools because theyre important to know and the amount of soon to be grown adults i know who know NOTHING about any of these is quite frankly almost all of them (and resources to learn if you dont know these things, because its never to late to get better with computers)

how to troubleshoot by yourself when you have a technical problem

what common file types are

some very basics on how to use ""developer tools"" on your computer (because i cant think of a better way to refer to them) like task manager and command prompt (and their mac equivalents, terminal and activity monitor ofc)

how to read and understand a privacy policy and what your personal data is, as well as what it being collected actually means and steps you can take to keep it private

how to understand terms of service (hey. if you have trouble with reading legalese and worry about being able to understand these policies anyways, here's a site that gives basic summaries of privacy policies and ToS)

what a cookie actually is

internet privacy and your digital footprint!! seriously i dont know why we stopped teaching people that they shouldnt be putting their entire real identity online in a world where your online actions can ruin you irl

basic safety measures like antivirus software (and why you should use it or if the built in one on windows or mac is enough for you) and backing up your computer (also a mac guide)

common keyboard shortcuts (and on mac)

as an additional note: things i think everyone should know on computers and the internet but schools may bit hesitant to teach about for whatever moral/legal standards schools pretend to operate on

vpns and adblockers! (btw for most of these where you can pay for things im purposefully not recommending any specific software but seriously just use ublock origin for an adblocker)

how to not get a virus while pirating something

what a temporary email is and when to use one

red flags that you shouldn't trust a website (and how to quickly check the security of a site)

what javascript on a website does and how to disable it to get around paywalls

[dreamsy990]

ok one last addition! if you want to take it one level higher, i think learning the very basics of at least one programming language is good for people. it makes computers less scary and it makes you feel very cool, and a lot of people get discouraged about it because it seems overly complicated and hard to learn outside a formal classroom setting, so heres some resources for learning the very basics of python (because i consider it the easiest language to learn and knowing one language will make it easier to learn others)

an online compiler so you dont need to download anything or worry about running code directly on your computer if that makes you nervous

a basic video guide to introduce you to python and walk you through beginner steps

a guide to some syntax and commands you should know (this was literally my lifeline in my first CS class)

some performance tasks to give you things to code to practice and assess yourself

[theinternetarchive]

uniflex advertisement in byte magazine, august 1981.

[rabbitheadz]

Vibe coding is so weird to me, even devs who have worked in the field for years are using it?? so crazy