You know, I was just curious as to what I was getting into when I first started on these forums, and thankfully it dates all the way back to my first few posts. Seeing Twig and Volka and Jason and the others helping out ANYONE with ANYTHING is such an inspiration. I had some really dumb and stupid questions starting out, but they answered them all with such a nice toned response that it's that kind of friendliness that has kept me on these forums for the past 6 years. Sometimes I see people not being as nice, not wanting to go that extra mile, to help a newbie who truly wants to understand the language, out. And I wonder, just where would that person be had everyone been that way.
either way, looking back at the beginnings when you were very wet behind the ears and learning this language for the first time brings a smile to one's face. Watching your understanding get better and better with every day to me is just the kind of thing that got me interested in PHP in the first place. I'm not sure if there are many people who tackled PHP the way I did though. I went from just learning all I could about the installation process and the configuration, to basic syntax, then straight to trying the hardest project I could think of.
But the one thing that helped me the most was the support of these forums. I would bombARD this place with 15 different threads in 5 days, all asking questions about questions, or whatifs and howtos, and I truely think it was because of Volka, Jason and Twig that I am where I am today. They really helped out.
Yeah, this might sound like a sappy post, but I don't care. The truth sometimes is like that, but sometimes you gotta give credit where credit is due.
So volka, jason, twig, if you're out there, thanks.
Devnetwork, thanks for being my source of php information.
Memories are nice (=
Moderator: General Moderators
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alex.barylski
- DevNet Evangelist
- Posts: 6267
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:00 pm
- Location: Winnipeg
Re: Memories are nice (=
No mention of feyd? LOLSeeing Twig and Volka and Jason and the others helping out ANYONE with ANYTHING is such an inspiration
I haven't seen that guy around in ages and his post count still quadruples my own.
Guilty as charged.Sometimes I see people not being as nice, not wanting to go that extra mile, to help a newbie who truly wants to understand the language, out. And I wonder, just where would that person be had everyone been that way.
I honestly wonder what the motivation is for people who go really far in helping others. Is it bragging rights, hopes of impressing other members, etc???
I've been on forums since the dawn of time (in the context of Internet forums anyway) and while I'm guilty myself of breaking the rules I cannot stand reading the same basic questions all the time. I know each newbie is entitled to ask basic questions, but they just get mundane. About th eonly time I can be bothered answering newbies questions is when I'm a newbie at something myself and answering someone helps me in return, or it's a topic I find really challenging and constantly evolving, like security, application design, etc...
Simple questions...once I pass about 1000 posts on a forum the novelty wears off or something.
Everyone starts differently. I was having a helluva hard time finding C/C++ contract work and without a BSc. most places won't even look at you so I replied to an ad on ProgrammersHeaven for a PHP/MySQL developer (despite having little or no experience in PHP) so I had to start learning pretty quickly.Watching your understanding get better and better with every day to me is just the kind of thing that got me interested in PHP in the first place. I'm not sure if there are many people who tackled PHP the way I did though. I went from just learning all I could about the installation process and the configuration, to basic syntax, then straight to trying the hardest project I could think of.
What I really like about PHP and application development is the amount its' taught me about good design. Most every language I ever used prior to offered some framework. PHP lets you start from scratch and build from there. The PHP community (at least on here) is actually very dedicated to design as well, something you will not find over at CodeProject...
Thats what forums are for. Even when I am confident I have the right solution I frequently post questions on various forums to get multiple replies just so I can second guess myself. It's a process that has served me well.But the one thing that helped me the most was the support of these forums. I would bombARD this place with 15 different threads in 5 days, all asking questions about questions, or whatifs and howtos, and I truely think it was because of Volka, Jason and Twig that I am where I am today. They really helped out.
Wussy...I'm gonna punch you in the arm now.Yeah, this might sound like a sappy post, but I don't care. The truth sometimes is like that, but sometimes you gotta give credit where credit is due.
Just kidding. In all honesty...I have never met any of the guys on these forums but I feel many of them are my good friends (despite the constant arguing, disagreeing, etc). None of my friends are geeky like me...not the geeky kind where I can call them up at 3 in the AM because I have a wicked idea or problem I just want a second opinion on. Thanks to the forums I have that support 24-7-365. It's something I cherish deeply and would be devastated if I lost that. Literally I would probably not be capable of continuing life without my Internet and forums...
I would need a ton of awesome books at the very minimum and a computer to test ideas.
Cheers,
Alex
Re: Memories are nice (=
Feyd came into being about 3 years later. While the guy is probably the most intelligent human being in the world with PHP (or just about anything else), I was more or less pointing out the people who got me startedPCSpectra wrote:No mention of feyd?I haven't seen that guy around in ages and his post count still quadruples my own.
Not really. It's simply a "i was helped when I started, it's my turn to return the favor".PCSpectra wrote:I honestly wonder what the motivation is for people who go really far in helping others. Is it bragging rights, hopes of impressing other members, etc???
While I don't like it when I see the same question over and over again, the simple fact is the guys who helped us (and all the other newbies) out are probably gone now, and it's our turn to step up and be those helpers now. That's how you keep a community together, and the PHP community is no different. When people stop helping others, or don't want to waste the time getting newbies the direction they need, that's when the community falls apart and becomes perl. I'm not saying anything negative here to you (or anyone else for that matter), but sometimes it sucks to do it, but in the long run helping a guy out when you just answered the same question 1500 times before, is gonna be potentially bringing one more newbie to PHP. I personally believe that the more people you have in PHP, the better. Will help get more PHP jobs opening up, and also make the pay a bit better for the senior guys too
agreedWhat I really like about PHP and application development is the amount its' taught me about good design. Most every language I ever used prior to offered some framework. PHP lets you start from scratch and build from there. The PHP community (at least on here) is actually very dedicated to design as well, something you will not find over at CodeProject...
haha, nice man (=Wussy...I'm gonna punch you in the arm now.
couldn't agree more man.Just kidding. In all honesty...I have never met any of the guys on these forums but I feel many of them are my good friends (despite the constant arguing, disagreeing, etc). None of my friends are geeky like me...not the geeky kind where I can call them up at 3 in the AM because I have a wicked idea or problem I just want a second opinion on. Thanks to the forums I have that support 24-7-365. It's something I cherish deeply and would be devastated if I lost that. Literally I would probably not be capable of continuing life without my Internet and forums...
Re: Memories are nice (=
feyd , volka and Everah were my favorite though. But where are the first two. They have not been in the forums since long. The forum used to rock with quick replies with round the clock, when I joined until few years I guess. It looks like all that charm is gone. There are only few active replies with solid expertise.