Software Development Meme

Frans Bouma has passed this torch to me. Seems like a good opportunity to get back to blogging after some busy months of work load.

Here we go:

How old were you when you first started programming?
14 years old, that's when I bought a Yamaha MSX AX-170 (Arabized and sold by Sakhr).

I bought it for gaming, but then I discovered you can do some tricks with it by writing some lines of code called Basic J

How did you get started in programming?
There was a Basic book that came with the MSX unit, I used to try out some examples from the book and try to innovate on my own. Later on when I was at high school I was convinced by a relative of mine (Hossam Ali) who was few years older and was studying Computer Engineering and he was working as a programmer at the same time.

What was your first language?
MSX basic, but just for some silly trials, then it was Turbo C at college time.

What was the first real program you wrote?
It depends on how you define "real". Do you mean a commercial program or one that you can proudly share with others. I'll assume the later one.

In fact I can't remember which was first, but either a game to shoot invading space ships before they hit the earth, or implementing Ferrari's method to solve the Quartic equation.

What languages have you used since you started programming?
I list those used in my professional career: SQL, VC++6, VB6, C#, VB.NET, JavaScript, VBScript

What was your first professional programming gig?
A document management system called TAM Pro, I started working on it as soon as I joined Raya Software, just after my graduation back in 2000, and I quit working on it when I left the company at 2005 J

If you knew then what you know now, would you have started programming?
Definitely, yes

If there is one thing you learned along the way that you would tell new developers, what would it be?
Always be open to new ideas and to change in general. Keep yourself up-to-date with what's going on the market. Try to acquire a new experience in each project.

If you find yourself doing a repetitive work (donkey work), then most probably you are the one to blame. Either reuse or auto-generate (as in code generation).

A pop-quiz if you are a .NET developer: Have you ever heard about LLBLGen Pro?

What's the most fun you've ever had … programming?
Seeing your code being used in production; serving others as a useful tool.

So who's next?
I was going to name Frans Bouma, I've already forgotten he was the one who sent it to me.

• Hosam Ali
• Mohamed Nar
• Sami Samir
• Mourad Askar
• Hazem Tourab
• Bernard Savonet