Seems like the "Ask Ticalc.org" section should be a part of "Humor".

At least for this issue...

That's only because no one submitted any decent questions.

>>There are some nice tutorials out there on programming in C, z80 ASM, and 68K ASM, but there should be more. There are some nice tools for generating images for calculator programs, or tools for compressing calculator programs, but there should be more.

Why should there be more? Please explain what is lacking.

>>A lot of the tools that are currently available are open source, so what is stopping people in the community from building upon past projects?

Because most of the dudes here aren't 'Kevin Kofler caliber' It takes an exceptionally smart person to hack gcc or combine an open source debugger into an open source emulator.

>> Why should there be more? Please explain what is
>> lacking.

Choice. I used to read so many different books on basic computer science, and each time I read a different one, I got something different out of it. So though a lot of tutorials might contain the same material as other tutorials, or might not be as good as some tutorials, you could always get that one idea out of a particular tutorial that you don't get out of another one you read.

>>It takes an exceptionally smart person to hack gcc
>>or combine an open source debugger into an open
>>source emulator.

Those are just two tools, and it seems they've already been done. How about other tools, such as profilers?

studying basic computer science has always been the best way to learn any computer language quickly and its the best way to learn tigcc. I've done enough c, z80 and m68k asm that I can quickly pick up other language (atmel, sparc, m6811 asembly, vhdl, or an API like openGL) I expect the same is true of most reading this. There are more than enough tutorials available to teach a smart person how to use tigcc. And if a person isn't smart there are thousands of resources online and at the library for them to learn.

I'll question the usefullness of a profiler but very well then thats one thing were missing. However I can't think of any lack of a tool that would interfere with someone making any program.

Choice? The web is packed with tutorials. Both the z80 and the m68k are used everywhere and are documented down to the last bit, and the specialties of calculators are also pretty well covered. Programming tools are also available. Profiling isn't an essential, and it's outright impossible on the z80 line, unless it's some really crippled measurement.

Seriously, if someone has trouble figuring out how to find and use these resources, they are unlikely to have the mental capacity to produce actual code. As someone noted, these barriers of entry serve as some kind of natural selection mechanism...

I've sometimes had trouble finding resources to learn new things on my own, so I end up asking somebody if they can point me in the right direction. It doesn't mean I don't have the capacity to learn an assembly language, but perhaps that I don't know where to look. Not everyone is good at finding things, for instance, I sometimes have trouble finding things that are right in front of me!

Also, I don't believe in barracading people from learning. Spreading knowledge helps to advance us further, and it also helps us to teach. So what if you show someone how to program in assembly, and this person really doesn't get it and gives up. At least you had some practice teaching, and perhaps you've learned something in the process as well.

Believe me, it is really tiring to explain anything to people who don't get it. You don't gain anything by that, it's just a waste of time. I've done just enough of it in my life to assert this with confidence. On the other hand, it is always a great experience to talk with bright people who have the ability to understand and absorb what you say. However, in my experience, these people are also rather proactive when it comes to looking for information.

Programming is a creative process. People who can't find their way around in such a plethora of resources (especially now that search engines are available) are highly unlikely to be able to create novel things. It is especially annoying to see questions pop up that the asker could test himself in a matter of seconds, or minutes in the worst case. They seem to expect a walkthrough for every single problem they encounter. How these people could benefit from even more tutorials is beyond me.

The only hinderance to learning is the learner himself. It doesn't matter how much material is available if people get impatient after reading three paragraphs. In my opinion the currently available tutorials are far enough to start off. It takes time and effort, that's the catch.

I have to make the same thing for ETP Studio. ie : An integrated debugger.
A basic langage have to be used to debug. But it's really difficult to implement it.

I read it early this morning, it was a good read although a bit too short.

If you can find a healthy substitute for sleep, I will definitely try and make the newsletter longer :)

Or:

- Submit articles to the newsletter. I love to publish articles by other people!
- Submit more responses to sections like "Food for Thought" or "Ask ticalc.org"
- Write more letters commenting about the newsletter! Perhaps I'll publish some.

Just some suggestions :)

Well, I've always felt guilty about not submitting *something*, so I finally sent a response to "This Month's Question".

If TI made people instead of calculators...

Ha, ha, ha
hee hee

and today, and today only, a bonus "ha"

That's almost as bad as gamedev's "If Computer OSs ran the Airlines!"

You should take the effort that the ticalc.org staff put in this site and its content before putting their work and attempts to keep this community alive down.

I gladly make an offer for you to submit your own material to the newsletter. Just email newsletter@ticalc.org with your jokes.

Er...I'm not criticizing you or the newsletter. It's funny!

By "bad," I mean the kind of joke that makes you either laugh or groan as the analogy sinks in while you think "been there, done that" or "that's so true!" as you read it. I did NOT mean "bad" as in "not good" or "not funny." Sorry I didn't make that clear!