William "Chops" Westfield wrote:
>> I still struggle with pointers -- I get the idea and I can use them,
>> but it's not "natural" to me.
>
> I found it very helpful to have programmed a CPU with real pointers
> implemented in hardware (PDP10, PDP11, 8086), and USING pointer-like
> functions in assembly language, when trying to understand C and other
> HLL language pointers.  I don't think PIC assembly is likely to help
> here, though!

I know a friend who said the most difficult part about pointers for him, was 
that he didn't understand why people considered them so difficult to use, 
and so for a long time he felt he must be missing something. He had also 
constructed complex state machines in his head, while driving from Los 
Angeles to Phoenix.

I am not like him at all, so I have to find ways to break programming down 
into chewable pieces. I use the whiteboard a lot, and find myself 
refactoring *a lot*. I also read books on Agile, Design Patterns, and OOP --  
the three had a very profound impact on me as a programmer. And lately I 
find myself spending more time refactoring, than writing "useful" code --  
but that really is the only way I can manage complexity on anything other 
than the most trivial projects. One small iteration at a time. :)

Best regards,

Vitaliy 

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist