# Ideas for programs. Amateur programmer looking for projects to dabble in



## lockfile (Oct 6, 2010)

Hey I have been learning all these computer languages: C, C++, Perl, Scheme, Javascript, and Java. I want to start out programming stuff but aside from a few simple programs that I write to learn the dynamics of writing "actual code." You guys got any ideas for things that I can do to learn more about C/C++ and actually become proficient at the same time... like say a small project on/in FreeBSD or something.


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## vermaden (Oct 6, 2010)

Check this mate:
http://freebsd.org/projects/ideas/ideas.html


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## expl (Oct 6, 2010)

vermaden said:
			
		

> Check this mate:
> http://freebsd.org/projects/ideas/ideas.html



This is not really a good place to start unless you have someone to mentor you.

If you want to start working on something useful, start reading source code of applications you use daily and understand. Analyze how their source-code works, try to improve them and contact/discuss your changes with authors of the application(s). After a while of tinkering you will understand how larger projects are put together.

And remember, best way to learn programming is to keep reading code of people that are better than you.


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## shitson (Oct 6, 2010)

A good idea (what i'm doing at the moment) is looking through current projects on both Freshmeat and Sourceforge


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## aragon (Oct 6, 2010)

http://wiki.freebsd.org/Networking#head-ae73577bf187f370c55a8b21741b9b5ae0a09041
http://wiki.freebsd.org/Networking#head-2dabeaa5a58eed45b30c9caa5549b7984b973d82


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## lockfile (Oct 8, 2010)

Hey thanks dude that actually sounds like a quasi-mentoring situation. I am interested in Amarok as a project.



			
				expl said:
			
		

> This is not really a good place to start unless you have someone to mentor you.
> 
> If you want to start working on something useful, start reading source code of applications you use daily and understand. Analyze how their source-code works, try to improve them and contact/discuss your changes with authors of the application(s). After a while of tinkering you will understand how larger projects are put together.
> 
> And remember, best way to learn programming is to keep reading code of people that are better than you.


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## expl (Oct 8, 2010)

lockfile said:
			
		

> Hey thanks dude that actually sounds like a quasi-mentoring situation. I am interested in Amarok as a project.



Assuming you are fairly competent in C++ you should start learning Qt toolkit, as Amarok is written using it. There is plenty of material on the net regarding it, good luck.


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