Coder's Block?

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • Coder's Block?

      I'm a bit curious, what do you do when you've been staring at the same few lines of code for the last ten minutes trying to figure out why it isn't working?

      Me, I either surf the web for a few minutes, check email, BS on IRC, or anything to get my brain to switch from left-brain to right-brain. Another common thing for me to do is to simply get up from my desk and look out the window, or take a walk to the store. If this isn't sufficient, I'll work on something else, preferrably a completely different subsystem, for a few hours.

      What about everyone else?

      -Rez

    • RE: Coder's Block?

      Well.... lets see..... my cat sometimes comes by looking for tidbits of food. I usally pick her up and give her lots of kisses.
      I'm like you Rez, I will get on the net and google, work on something else. Most of the time I sit and ask myself; "Why am I doing this?!" "I should be doing....blah.!" Most of the time.... I go shopping.

      S

    • I play WoW for about 9 hours, and when I come back I've forgotten what I was even looking at....

      Or I run downstairs and hit the weights, or grab coffee and watch some of one of the Star Wars, Ghost in the Shell, Firefly or LOTR movies/episodes.

      Sometimes I get up and throw stuff around for a few minutes.

      This all works for me because I don't work for anyone - it's just a hobby - lol
      "Your job is not to die for your country. Your job is to make some other poor sod die for his."

    • RE: Coder's Block?

      I'm sure I will regret this response....

      But I've found that code block goes away when I jump in the shower...

      <wincing for the inevitable reply...>
      Mr.Mike
      Author, Programmer, Brewer, Patriot

    • RE: Coder's Block?

      Originally posted by Sabrina
      I've been dying to tease Rez about his Barbie's, but I've been restraining myself in fear of retribution.


      Oh? How interesting. ;)

      We have a deal in the works right now for a game that would be rated M (with a capital M). Lots of elicit drug use and strong language. Going from Barbie to that would be just... wrong. I totally hope we get it. :D

      Mike, I agree with you. I do some of my best brain storming in the shower. I think it's because there aren't any distractions, and the whitenoise of the water running is somewhat relaxing.

      -Rez

    • RE: Coder's Block?

      The shower is an excellant place to program. The car is a little dangerous, but still productive.

      Personally, I've found that if you grab someone (even a non-coder), and show them/explain your code, you will find glaring problems with it almost immediately, which will both give you the direction and motivation to fix them. An alternative is to call a programmer friend and ask them for input. More often than not, the answer comes before they answer.

      The real culprit is that programming is both design and implementation, and you can't do both at once! If you find you need to design a system as your next project, walk away from the computer and design it while doing something else (something like cleaning or playing with pets, not something like TV).

      Or you can come here and answer questions like these, like I'm doing now.
      -Larrik Jaerico

      www.LarrikJ.com

    • RE: Coder's Block?

      Well, we do love carbon dioxide and nitrogen, as well as temperatures that are well below freezing. I guess it's true. Still, it's better than thick clouds of sulfuric acid. ;)

      -Rez