suicide via c++ (way off topic)

have you ever tried to solve a problem
and what you do is draw out some abstract model of its behavior
define all the necessary components
and write their relationships as simple mathematical expressions
which makes you feel confident for feeling like
you're on the correct track.

then when you start programming it,
you notice all these details you didn't
foresee on paper and then have to spend time
solving all these 'obscure glitches' which usually
are a product of the language itself and poor rounding
or something along the lines of that.

finally you have this complex framework of logic
enacting this simple mathematical model which you've
explored on paper

only to realize after weeks or so later of working

that instead you could have substituted the entire
shibang with some simple and cleverly placed
multiplication and masking. not only it being simpler
but also covers all those bugs which here inherent
in the design of the complex method.


*smashes keyboard against the wall*

i freaking quit.

i'll be back suffering more migraines after i get curious about something else
and repeat the entire process all over again.



tell me, and be honest, when you're exploring ideas,
do you ever get it the first try?
or is this crap i go through EVERY TIME normal?


i really hope i'm not as stupid as i'm beginning to think i am.

i'm not sure if i'm a stupid person trying too hard and i should just save myself
the pain and suffering and do something else.


at least i can finally stop working on what i finished.
anther break from OCD. however short lived it may be.

No... diagrams/planning/modeling are for wusses ;)

The design process is meant to reduce, not eliminate, errors. So I'd imagine everyone has gone through what you are.

thats the worst poem I've ever read.

Why do you become angry when you come up with a simple solution? You should be happy.

PS. Off topic in GD?

a more serious response to the OP, I don't really believe that anyone 'gets it' the first time through, but that's a pretty broad statement, some people are a lot better at developing and then modeling mathematical models.

Regardless, thinking of yourself as stupid or somehow a bad person in the event that you may not be good at this task doesn't make you a bad person...that's just an irrational attitude. Think of it like developing a mathematical model, the relationship between your stupidity, much less your worth as a person, isn't connected to your ability to perform this particular task.

And, you likely won't be willing to tolerate the frustrations involved with developing the skills for the task (programming, mathematical modeling) if you continue with your irrational thinking. Oh, and thinking in an irrational manner also doesn't make you a bad person.

I harp on the 'irrational' stuff because I think that's a bigger obstacle for many people (likely most) than actually learning how to program. At least in my case.

Prelude, a very good programmer on this forum, has a signature that reads (or read) 'my best code was written with the delete key.' At least, I think it was prelude.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hk_mp5kpdw

No... diagrams/planning/modeling are for wusses ;)

---

mp5s are for wusses.

it wasn't a poem bob;

i was just expressing frustration with my genetically inferior mind.
lame.

so much competition out there in specific areas like research.

Actually, it sounds a lot more poetic than some "poems" I've read . . . :)

Recently I was trying to figure out how to calculate where two vectors would intersect. Basically, you have a target travelling at a known velocity, direction, and position; and you have another object with a known position and velocity -- and you have to calculate the angle this object should move at so that the two objects will collide.

I spent so much time trying to figure this out. I won't tell you how long. And then, after a few weeks, I finally figured out a simple way to do it: the law of sines. In the end, it simplifies to

Code:

---

sin(a) = a*sin(B)/b

---

which is so much simpler than what I was thinking of . . . why didn't I think of this before? . . .

I still haven't solved the problem for accelerating particles. I don't really feel like it. :)

Quote:

---

Prelude, a very good programmer on this forum, has a signature that reads (or read) 'my best code was written with the delete key.' At least, I think it was prelude.

---

Yup, it was.

Sounds like the story of my and every other programmer's life.

The only thing you did wrong was continue to be frustrated after the problem was solved especially since the solved problem ended up being a nice tight line or two of code instead of an elaborate, possibly slow algorithm.

Good and bad programmers alike will get frustrated and stuck. The difference between a good programmer and a bad programmer is the bad programmer spends too much time dwelling on old frustration and can't focus on the next problem, the good programmer moves on and forgets it ever happened and can dedicate all of his mind to the problem at hand.

I personally use the excitement of solving a problem as motivation for the next one. But that's just me.