Re: Working more efficiently in PHP


"Mark A. Boyd" <lingoboyd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Xns9AEC6A12EB21EmblistssanDotrrcom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Geoff Berrow posted in comp.lang.php:

Message-ID: <Xns9AEBD46AD7876mblistssanDotrrcom@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> from Mark
A. Boyd contained the following:

And it seems to me that
learnin' PHP would be far easier than trying to, somehow, memorize it. I
just don't see how flash cards are beneficial here.

I had a quick look through the first few before I got bored. I haven't
committed the entire PHP function set to memory, nor do I intend to. It
may be useful to me if I could remember the difference between implode
and explode but it's no big deal if the manual is just a click away.

fully agree. i use several languages and can't possibly remember specific
function names. i've got 3 reference books on my desk right now and the .chm
for 4 others on my desktop. my editor (crimson editor) is programmed to pull
up each by keyword.

all that to say, the constructs of a language are the most important things
to know and remember. the details, such as specific function names and the
like, are fairly insignificant when they are easily referenced from a manual
(electronic or paperback).

<snip>

Still, there are many styles of learnin' and this one seems to be
targeting
people who don't learn easily via manuals, classrooms, example scripts,
and
tutorials/videos. Maybe they've found a market.

perhaps i seemed a bit damning in my original response. i was pointing out
what i thought was a detractant for me as a seasoned developer. i feel the
questions could have been written better and full disclosure, regardless of
skill-level, should be in the answer.

having said that, i think the idea of the site is really a good one. it just
needs work. as twain had suggested, perhaps categorizing the flash cards
based on skill-level is a good route to go. if this site really wants to
make it, the owner must understand that flash cards should ONLY be used in
conjuction with LESSONS. flash cards do not help you LEARN anything, they
help you REMEMBER things. i would suggest having sample applications or code
snippets that have flash cards associated with them. without a context,
items from wrote are quickly forgotten...a scientific fact (and yes, i can
give cites).

<snip>

Mark A. Boyd
Keep-On-Learnin' :)

btw, mark, i'm glad to be of service. the steve-n-jerry show is not due for
cancelation any time soon. :)


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