[mythtv] OT: Learning C++ and QT

[hendrixski]

Matt,

There are many ways to contribute, not all of which involve coding.  If 
coding is the way in which you want to contribute then here's some of my 
musings.

1) Don't do it alone.  It's lonely, and there are mistakes that you can 
avoid by talking about it with people.  This will help you bypass 
peripheral distractions (like like setup woes) so that you can focus on 
what you want to do (program).  Plus it's more fun!

2)You do have to RTFM, that goes without saying, but you also have to 
ATRP.  If you don't "Ask The Right People" then you'll never which "fine 
manual" you have to read.  It'll give you a broader scope.

3) Packaging is different from programming which is different from 
bug-reporting, which is different from bug-triaging, which is different 
from documenting, which is different from managing code-merges.
You don't need EVERY skill.

4) COMMENT YOUR CODE.  A month from now you'll revisit something you 
wrote and you can either A)spend 20 minutes to figure out what you did 
and why or B) spend 3 minutes reading comments. 

Enjoy



Matt wrote:
> Hello Devs!
>
> I've been using myth for almost 4 years now... so a veteran I suppose.
>  I'm upgrading to SVN Head about once a month, and read the commit
> mailing list every day to see everything that's going on.  However,
> I've got lots of ideas that I'd like to see find their way into myth
> but, being around for a while I've learned the familiar motto: if you
> want it, build it yourself.  I don't really have a problem with that,
> except for that I haven't been able to "build it myself".
>
> Well, I've finally decided to do something about it and learn C++ and
> QT development.  I have a very small background in terms of
> programming.  A little bit of experience with Java, and got pretty
> good with VB6 several years ago when I was in school.  However, I
> never really pursued becoming a developer for a career or hobby.  Now,
> I consider myth to be a hobby that I'd like to start giving back to
> the community (eventually).
>
> What I'm looking for is any advice you folks might have for a newbie
> in this arena.
>     - Resources
>     - Books
>     - Websites
>     - IDEs
>     - Examples
>
> Etc...
>
> Basically - I've got to start somewhere.  Obviously I'm expecting an
> initial learning curve, but I've already got a logical understanding
> of programming under my belt (in the windows and web space).
>
> I appreciate any advice you folks can help me out with... maybe
> someday down the (hopefully-not-too-distant-road) I can start joining
> the ranks of some of you.
>
> Thanks!
> Matt
>   


-- 
 - Hendrixski

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