Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

Before you mail me, check the FAQ first. Unless otherwise noted, I won't answer questions that are already in the FAQ.

General Questions

  1. Where are you come from? (and other personal stuff)?
    See vitae.
  2. Is this lesson completely free?
    Yes, it is. These materials are copyrighted, though.
  3. Can I (re-)distribute your tutorial?
    Sure! However, don't modify anything, please. And, distribute them freely at no charge at all. If you are interested in distributing them as a part of a CD-ROM or as a part of a commercial distribution, you have to contact me.
  4. Can I translate your tutorial?
    Sure! Please send me e-mail for this. Usually I require you to send me all of the part(s) you have translated. Preferably in ZIP format, please. Also, you have to acknowledge me in the translation and you have to make your translation freely distributed as stated above.
  5. Can I request (...) tutorial? I really need it!
    Well, sorry I can't. You'd better look in the news section on what's next.
  6. Can I use your material for school use?
    For a student: If it is for your course work supplemental material, sure, you can.
    For teachers or tutors: Please contact me for permission. Most of the cases, I will gladly give you one.
  7. Can you give me the solution of the quizzes?
    Well, I'm quite busy right now, I can't give you one. Sorry.
  8. Mr. Wise Guy, are you really able to do question number ... in quiz ...? I don't think so.
    Well, yes I do. I did solved those questions.
  9. Can you please pick up some exercises for my students? Which ones do you suggest?
    It highly depends on your students. I can't tell. Sorry.
  10. Can I link to your place?
    Great! Please use the address: http://www.oocities.org/codeteacher. If you'd like to, you can use my banner here.
  11. Can I send you files?
    NO, thanks! Make sure you asked me for permissions first. If you don't get any reply within 48 hours, it means no.
  12. Can I contribute?
    I'm glad to hear that. Please contact me ASAP.
  13. I think I found a bug / mistake?
    Please e-mail me. Thank you.
  14. I have a job offer.
    Don't contact me if you are not serious. Please do contact me if you have interesting offers.. :-)

 

Programming Questions

  1. How can I learn ... programming language fast?
    First of all, programming cannot be done in one night. Especially if you have never done any programming before. So, if you practiced "one-day learning wizard" before you face your test, it's most likely that you'll fail. I'm serious. Programming needs practice and faithfulness. No shortcuts. However, it will help if you ask people to guide you during the first stages of your learning. Sometimes books alone won't help. I suggest you to practice 2-3 hours a day on a regular basis. You can expect to have at least a working knowledge around 9 months or so.
  2. Can you teach me programming personally through e-mail?
    Well, I can't. I'd love to, but I have no spare time. I usually point you to the resources you'd probably want to read. If you have questions regarding specific matters in programming, I usually help. Just be patient. :-)
  3. Which book do you suggest to learn ...?
    Depends on your personality. I can't tell. You'd better buy more than one book to have a better perspective and understanding.
  4. Would you suggest which compiler should I go on to learn ...?
    Check my link's page. Choose any one you want.
  5. Could you tell me a free compiler for ... language?
    Check my link's page. I listed some free compilers, too.
  6. I have this and this problem. Could you please solve it for me?
    NO! I'm busy. Don't try to lure me to solve your problem. I will simply ignore your e-mail! I have loads of these kinds of e-mails.
  7. Can you debug my program. I think there's some mistake in it?
    NO! I'm busy. I don't have time for that. Debugging is a very daunting task, especially in large program.
  8. How can I make a good program?
    Through experiences, you'll know. I think I'm going to make a special article for that. Just wait. Don't e-mail me yet.
  9. How can we solve problems fast?
    If you have programmed for years, you have a kind of intuition that will solve your program. This intuition will somehow lead you to the correct answer, but not necessarily the optimal one. That's why you need to learn algorithms. It's your intuition too that say whether the problem is easy to program or not.

If you have specific programming questions, please check whether your question is already answered here.

OK, you've read the FAQ. Sorry, but I have to stress this once more:

  1. Don't spam!
  2. Don't ask me to help you in school projects or homeworks.
  3. Don't ask anything that has already been answered here.
  4. Make your intent clearly in English (or in Indonesian, if you are Indonesian).
  5. Don't send files before requesting me first!
  6. Don't share this e-mail address to your friend, but rather make them read this FAQ first.
  7. Don't dare to set me deadlines in answering your e-mails! Your e-mail will definitely go to the e-mail shredder.

Contact me here. Remove the spam-trap words. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I've got 15-20 junk e-mails every day. I hope this will help reducing it. Comments and critics are welcome.

Back to home

Please ignore these spam-traps:

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By : Roby Joehanes, © June 2000