Thread: C Tutor Needed

I hope you guys don't mind this posted here:

I need a C Tutor to help me finish my math graduate thesis. I need to write a two programs in C, using a library called CVODE on a cluster running Gentoo Linux. I need someone who can simultaneously teach me C and help me write these programs. You will not be doing my homework for me or writing the program for me.

I do have some programming background, but cannot get started on this. I am in northern NJ (USA). I need to know how much you would charge and how we can work out payment and working together remotely.

O_o

You do know the forum keeps track of posts!?

In other words, every person here who might have mentored you will see that you have had months to be working with C and "CVODE" and wonder why you've only just now started looking for a mentor.

Many of the regulars have also been to university; many regulars will know that you wouldn't have just been approved this thesis recently if the thesis is do this semester.

If your thesis isn't do this semester, I suggest you start showing people who might mentor you (here and elsewhere) that you are worth the effort. This is important because most of us have jobs so you probably wouldn't be able to afford paying anyone enough that your worth isn't a factor.

If your thesis is do this semester, you are just getting started on the code to put your ideas into practice; I'd strongly advise you to contact the relevant faculty and "fess up" that you haven't been as diligent as you might have been so you an start asking for extensions now.

Soma

*derp*

Soma ^_^;

Gee, thanks for the scolding phantom. It's not like I have been goofing off, either. I have a life and a job and family, too. If there is a college student here who'd like some extra work, fine. If this is the wrong place with only professionals, then excuuuuse me. But I do not need your scolding or instructions on how to manage my time.

I don't know. It seems like you're the one who's obsessed with me. You don't know anything about me or what's been holding up our project, but assume what you will. Are you projecting yourself onto who I think I am? Do you see yourself in me? For someone who is a professional with not a lot of time, you sure "due" respond to my posts pretty quickly. I suspect you have nothing better to do than troll these boards and hurl insults at people who you imagine remind you of yourself.

Originally Posted by grumpy

Sorry, ccompiler, but phantomap has a valid point.

There are generally two broad categories of reasons that a student doing a thesis will run late: excusable reasons (eg family concerns, sickness) and inexcusable reasons (eg spent too much time partying).

If the reasons are excusable, the educational institutions are usually pretty reasonable if you explain the situation .... generally speaking, educational institutions want good students to pass, so they are helpful in cases of genuine difficulty.

Are you sure you've exhausted all the excusable reasons? Are you sure my thesis is even "do" this semester? And if so, why does phantom even care? Who is he to judge and insult me (notice his post was edited by a moderator)?

Are you even sure you've exhausted all the reasons why I want a tutor to help with the program? Do you know what institution I'm at? Do you know what resources they have to assist me with programming? Even if you do, why are you judging me now?

For people who seem to think you're so smart, you have not really considered all the possibilities, have you?

And I really don't need to defend myself. I posted again merely to tweak phantom. That must be the passive-aggressive in me.

Originally Posted by grumpy

In practice, in forums like this, requests like yours indicate more often than not that your educational institution does not or would not consider your reasons acceptable. On that basis, why should we?

If the CVODE you're referring to is the one I'm thinking of (a solver for ODEs) then available documentation is fairly comprehensive, and the C required is pretty elementary, so can probably be learnt in days rather than months. The investment of your time to learn that will probably be a lot less than the cost of getting someone else to do the work for you. If that is too daunting for you, consider using matlab instead.

I am not asking for anyone to do the work for me. I'm asking for help doing it. There's quite a difference.

OK, I will defend myself a little bit. The documentation is comprehensive if you know some of the terms they use in it. I managed to install it, but could not figure out how to compile and execute the sample code. It turns out, you do that by typing "make". That wasn't in the documentation - you were supposed to know that if you know Linux/Unix systems. Note that I also didn't see you (or anyone on this board), give me that answer in my previous threads. I got that answer when someone with Linux experience helped (tutored?) me. That wasn't so hard (it took him 10 minutes to figure it out).

I'd also point out that comprehensive documentation can also be overwhelming. Just one of the docs I printed out was over 1000 double sided pages. It might be helpful if you have Linux and C experience, but to me it was Greek.

Even if my educational institution does not consider my reasons acceptable, what's it to you? If you don't want to tutor me, you don't have to. Why does that bother you? Why so insecure?

And, BTW, theses don't really have "do" dates. Sometimes they take longer than a semester to complete and typically you just carry the thesis class over to the next semester. But no fear.

Originally Posted by CCompiler

OK, I will defend myself a little bit. The documentation is comprehensive if you know some of the terms they use in it. I managed to install it, but could not figure out how to compile and execute the sample code. It turns out, you do that by typing "make". That wasn't in the documentation - you were supposed to know that if you know Linux/Unix systems. Note that I also didn't see you (or anyone on this board), give me that answer in my previous threads. I got that answer when someone with Linux experience helped (tutored?) me. That wasn't so hard (it took him 10 minutes to figure it out).

By your own admission (from this thread):

Originally Posted by CCompiler

Hey all. I lucked out when a friend of a friend who has good Linux experience agreed to help me. It's a good thing, too, because I was waaay off. You all couldn't help me because I didn't understand enough and wasn't giving you nearly enough information.

And while we're at it (from the same thread):

Originally Posted by CCompiler

I don't understand all of this yet, but fortunately my friend's friend is a coffee nut and he's in my area often. He agreed to teach me a little in return for some Starbucks on Friday.

Sounds like you already have a tutor and he's cheap. Even if you have to buy him a venti soy triple caramel macchiato frappacino whatever, it's still pretty cheap.

What exactly did I admit to? That someone helped me figure out how to compile? That's the same thing I already said. Read a little closer next time.
Why do I bother you so much? Who's ears are ringing?
Just let it go.

Originally Posted by CCompiler

What exactly did I admit to? That someone helped me figure out how to compile? That's the same thing I already said. Read a little closer next time.

I did read closely, perhaps you didn't (though you wrote it).

Originally Posted by CCompiler

It turns out, you do that by typing "make". That wasn't in the documentation - you were supposed to know that if you know Linux/Unix systems. Note that I also didn't see you (or anyone on this board), give me that answer in my previous threads. I got that answer when someone with Linux experience helped (tutored?) me.

Your "smart friend" wasn't the first person to introduce you to the make command. It came up a number of times before in your threads. If you specifically didn't know what the "make" command was or how to use it, you sure didn't state it clearly or even hint at it, so the natural assumption is that you do understand it. It looks like your real problem though was not including all the libraries that were needed. rags_to_riches also gave you a working command before you posted that your "smart" friend did.

Why do I bother you so much? Who's ears are ringing?
Just let it go.

Frankly, I don't know what the "ringing" and "letting go" bits are all about. You don't bother me, my ears aren't ringing, and I'm not holding on to anything, literally or figuratively.

You used to know C, you know Matlab, have a grasp of programming in general and you don't have a due date, so you have plenty of time to go through some online tutorials. I might have offered my services if I lived nearby (I like tutoring/teaching -- that's why most of us are on this board, for free), but I don't. Honestly, if you want live tutoring, you would probably be better off posting something at your school, and asking around the CS department. I would bet very few of us "regulars" or any of us that are qualified, live close enough to even consider this. Maybe you can get a professor there to help you during their office hours (are you in a master's/PhD program? they are usually much friendlier to grad students), or they might recommend a good student or teaching/lab assistant to help you out, or at least direct you where to get good live tutoring.

Originally Posted by anduril462

I did read closely, perhaps you didn't (though you wrote it).

Your "smart friend" wasn't the first person to introduce you to the make command. It came up a number of times before in your threads. If you specifically didn't know what the "make" command was or how to use it, you sure didn't state it clearly or even hint at it, so the natural assumption is that you do understand it. It looks like your real problem though was not including all the libraries that were needed. rags_to_riches also gave you a working command before you posted that your "smart" friend did.

Frankly, I don't know what the "ringing" and "letting go" bits are all about. You don't bother me, my ears aren't ringing, and I'm not holding on to anything, literally or figuratively.

You used to know C, you know Matlab, have a grasp of programming in general and you don't have a due date, so you have plenty of time to go through some online tutorials. I might have offered my services if I lived nearby (I like tutoring/teaching -- that's why most of us are on this board, for free), but I don't. Honestly, if you want live tutoring, you would probably be better off posting something at your school, and asking around the CS department. I would bet very few of us "regulars" or any of us that are qualified, live close enough to even consider this. Maybe you can get a professor there to help you during their office hours (are you in a master's/PhD program? they are usually much friendlier to grad students), or they might recommend a good student or teaching/lab assistant to help you out, or at least direct you where to get good live tutoring.

See now that last paragraph was helpful (not that I didn't already think of that, but at least it was intended helpfully). So why cop the attitude before then? I mean, what's the real issue here? If you are the type who might've tutored me, then why are you taking the sides of peopple ridiculing me for seeking tutoring? ...And accusing me of 'admitting' something. I don't get it.

Thank you for the suggestions - but you might want to read even closer, still (or don't, I'm tiring of the fun and games in this thread).

Originally Posted by CCompiler

See now that last paragraph was helpful (not that I didn't already think of that, but at least it was intended helpfully). So why cop the attitude before then? I mean, what's the real issue here? If you are the type who might've tutored me, then why are you taking the sides of peopple ridiculing me for seeking tutoring? ...And accusing me of 'admitting' something. I don't get it.

I didn't cop any attitude. I pointed out inconsistencies in what you are saying. I'm not taking the side of the people who ridiculed you in this thread. Nowhere did I defend or agree with anything phantom or grumpy said. I'm taking the side of people who helped you in your other threads. You plainly said in your other thread that it was your fault we couldn't solve your problem, because you lacked the knowledge and ability to ask a proper question (that is what I am saying you admitted to -- that we couldn't help you because of something you did). Yet in this thread you are implying that they were no help, didn't tell you anything about make and you had to go find somebody who "knew Linux" to help you, as though Salem, rags_to_riches and the others know nothing.

Thank you for the suggestions - but you might want to read even closer, still (or don't, I'm tiring of the fun and games in this thread).

Instead of just telling me to "read closer", why not state clearly whatever it is you think I'm missing. Because I don't know what I'm missing (if I did, I wouldn't be missing it), and you wont actually make a claim other than a vague one that you think I can't read well. Maybe consider why you think I keep missing it too. Maybe it's not there. Maybe you did such a poor job of expressing it that I can't identify it.

Whoops, I missed one of your points: I already wrote the program in Matlab. Now we need it in C. But thanks for your idea (that was not sarcastic).