Code Module Tutorial: Introduction

Just an update - created an introduction for the series of code component tutorials I intend to make.
Follow on Twitter (@UnrespScript) and/or on YouTube to keep up to date!

Coding Cross-Platform Modules: The Beginning

I have always been interested in creating my own set of tutorials on programming after experiencing how helpful they can be. However, I have have never really had the time to go through with creating them with the amount of University work that needed to be done. Starting up my own Games Company is also a huge task so I would only be producing these tutorials on a part-time basis and if I gain enough interest to make it worth while.

I plan to create blog-post tutorials each with an accompanying YouTube video (and/or Vimeo? I haven't really looked at it that much) to go with it. These tutorials will focus on creating cross platform modules* written in C/C++ for Windows, Linux and Mac. I may even create tutorials for mobile platforms (Android and iOS). As I am a Indie-Game Developer, the tutorials will be created with game development in mind and will make use of the OpenGL graphics library.

In Summary, here is the plan for the tutorial series:

• Written in C/C++
• Using OpenGL Graphics Library
• Walk-through of cross-platform modules written from scratch (Windows, Linux and Mac).
• Possibility of exploring mobile platforms (Android and iOS etc.)
• Created with game development in mind

Let me know what you think! I currently have no content for them yet (I need to know if people are interested for it to be worth while). If you are interested leave a comment (suggestions are welcome) and follow me on Twitter or subscribe to my YouTube channel (videos to be posted when tutorials go live.

*What do I mean by 'module'? A module is a useful component that can be written only once and used across many different projects. For example, Creating a window with OpenGL rendering from scratch in C++ can be quite confusing and difficult. If you were to do this from scratch, every project would have a lost of wasted time. By creating a Window Manager module that creates an OpenGL context window running in just under 4 lines can be used throughout different projects and prevent a lot of time wasting and headaches. Therefore, a module can be anything useful that can be written once and used repeatedly.  

Big Note: This is very helpful for people learning to code in university!!! Create a bunch of useful modules early on and use them throughout the remainder of your course! Being a recent graduate myself - take it from me that this is very useful!

Social Media & Procrastination

So... I have two exams next week, both of which I have hardly any idea what I have to do. This means I really need to revise, right? Of course I need to revise but what do I find myself doing in the meantime? Flicking between Facebook, YouTube and BBC News over and over again. Why do I do this?

Clearly I am not the only person who does this... having so many of my University friends on Facebook I often see the odd status mentioning how they should be revising instead of being on the computer or at least spending an obscene amount of time on noneducational and pointless sites *cough* Facebook. So why do we do this?

I am no expert on the psychology as to why we do this and nor do I claim to be. But this procrastination is so frustrating... heck, I'm even writing a blog post when I should be revising! Surely there should be an easy way to prevent these distractions? I have tried deleting my Facebook account only to find that you can resume where you left off by simply logging back in again. All this deactivating processes does is set a visible flag to false so you don't appear on Facebook anymore. This is also quite scary if you ever intend to remove your internet footprint, but that is a whole different story I do not intend to dive into (maybe at a later stage).

I have also recently started up my own video games company, I often find myself procrastinating on these websites during work hours. I would love to hear some suggestions and solutions to these problems, as for now I better get back to revision!

Thanks for reading my first blog.