Principles of Programming

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Written on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by Ennah, the comsci student


Last Semester, I took up this subject - Principles of Programming. This is the most challenging subject I've ever gone through. It kept my creative juices flowing. I was lucky to have a good professor, Ms. Marissa Justan. I learned a lot.

Principles of Programming is a subject about basic concepts and seeing how these concepts are implemented in representative programming languages. I am able to adapt in one programming language patterns learned in other through this subject.

I was really lucky to have a high grade in this subject. I really had fun programming the exercises. I will post some of my exercises and researches if ever I have the time. We also had researches about programming concepts. Our reference book is "Concepts of Programming Languages" by Robert Sebesta.

I'll post here some useful site that was able to help me throughout this subject:

http://csci.csusb.edu/public/csci/gvaldivi/education/cs320/default.htm

>> I got a lot of chapter review answers of Sebasta's book in this site.

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs3411b_99_winter/TextNotes.html

>> textbook lecture notes of Sebesta's book in powerpoint slides

I forget the other links. These are the links for now. Hope you'll find it useful.

Why Computer Science?

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Written on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by Ennah, the comsci student


When I was young, about 10 years old, we are lucky enough to have an internet connected in our house. Because of having that privilege, I always got to chat in MIRC. Almost all of my chat mates are taking up Computer Science at that time. I hypothesize that because many of my chat mates are taking up Computer Science, it is an easy course that everybody can easily take up.

I got curious of what I thought was an "easy course". What made it so easy? and why many people are taking this up? As I grew up, I got answers to my questions. Many people at that time is taking up Computer Science because it was an in demand course at that time and computers are in its boom. People who knows how to chat at that time are usually people who are taking Computer Science.

I got my answer but is computer science really an easy course as what I have hypothesize. I discovered that it was not an easy one when I got my first programming subject at high school, Turbo Pascal. At first it was tough, but I am a person who is always hungry for challenges. I studied it and I was able to make my way through it. I am always excited to learn new things. I always got high grades on my computer subjects. That's when I realized maybe Computer Science was really the path I should take - my true calling.

So I took Computer Science as my college degree. There are many times that I doubt my capabilities. There are many times that I felt that I was not good enough to take this path. I am really not good in Math. What really gives me the drive to continue is my passion and eagerness to learn. I am fulfilled whenever I finish a certain program. I like what I am doing and I am happy to be logically challenge.

I am striving hard to finish this degree. I want to be successful at this career. Many people take up Computer Science but a few people only get to be successful fulfilling this career. I want to be one of this few people.

About This Blog

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Written on Monday, April 28, 2008 by Ennah, the comsci student

This is my personal learning blog. I made this blog because I want to be able to account my journey throughout my course (which is computer science) and to be able to exercise my writing skills. The difference between a tolerable programmer and a great programmer is not how many programming languages they know, it's whether they can communicate their ideas. In blogging, I can practice communicating my ideas with others. I may not have the perfect grammar, but the important thing is that you can still understand my thoughts and idea.

Through this blog, I also want to help other computer science students in their own journey. If you did not take or if you are not taking computer science, you will not understand how hard the course is. Life is tough for us. As you party all night, we are left to solve logical problems. We have countless of sleepless night thinking. I hope to lessen your burden. I hope to impart some of my knowledge to you.

This blog is also not about all the technical side of being a computer science student. I will also impart to you what I have learned about life, the fun side of being a computer science student, and other things that I might find interesting. Taking a hard course, I have to balance it all out. I don’t really have to be always technical. This blog may not help just computer science students but other students as well.


I warmly welcome people to offer their perspective and take the opportunity to share their ideas and experiences. I am glad taking comments of others. Just be sensitive and always show some respect.