ViopeProgramming.com is starting its programming related interview series with Scred, a service for groups to manage their money online. It is targeted at bands, event organisers, indie film crews, hobby groups, flat mates and friends with common activities. We had a chat with Kristoffer Lawson, the co-founder of Scred.

How did you start your programming career?

I can’t say it ever really started in the traditional sense. I got hooked on computers the first time I tried a friend’s Amstrad CPC, in the 80s when I was 7. I learnt to write my first simple programs for it and then went on to buy my first computer, a Sinclair Spectrum. I learnt to write games and useful little utilities, which was a skill I have developed ever since. My first real paid work started in the mid 90s, but to me programming is something I have pretty much always done.

Which programming languages, tools and frameworks do you utilize?

For Scred we use Python and Django, although my own personal favourite is Tcl.

What are the best parts of programming?

The feeling of imagination being the limit. The ability to create something from basically nothing. Plus the satisfaction when you finally work out a brilliant pattern for combining the components of a complex system together into a simple and powerful result.

What are the worst parts of programming?

It is hard and stressful work. A lot of it is just getting dirty and doing stuff. But often you have tight deadlines and limited rewards. Most people don’t realise how mentally challenging programming is.

There are times programming feels overwhelming and you can’t get anything done – how do you cope with it?

Sometimes you really do have to have a break from it. Otherwise you simply will not get anything done. However, at the end of the day you often just have to sit down and work at it. If you think of the big picture and all the complexity at once you will probably feel depressed or confused. So mostly you try to forget about that and just focus on one immediate problem.

What is the optimal environment and time of day to get the best results?

A decent chair, a decent table, a decent computer with hifi equipment of sufficient quality. Headphones aren’t the best as it’s tiresome to listen to music for hours that way. Night time is the best. For some reason then you feel anything is possible as you’ve slightly lost your natural inhibitions. Mentally that’s a bad time to think of the big picture or of all the challenges and intricacies ahead, so you can only focus on what you’re doing.

How would you like to improve your programming skills?

I’ve currently been coding some iPhone stuff so I guess that is one area I would like to develop.

Do you comment your code?

Yes, absolutely. It helps to think about the interfaces you are offering to others: if the text sounds complex, your solution is probably overly complex. It’s also a good reminder when after a year or two you come back to work on something and you’ve totally forgot everything.

Your message to ViopeProgramming.com users and other beginning programmers?

Don’t feel intimidated. Everyone has to start somewhere and the only way to learn programming is to practise it. Even with simple programs you can get very satisfying results. I also feel that programming is defining the future of humanity, and is a reflection of our thinking, but in a way that is concrete and creative. Some of the greatest mysteries of our world will be solved by programming.

Thank you, Scred and Kristoffer!

Hello and welcome to ViopeProgramming.com, the easy, fast and affordable solution for learning computer programming! We offer several programming courses covering multiple programming languages, all containing comprehensive theory, exercises, instant feedback and personal support, among other features. Currently we have courses available for Java, C and SQL languages. See the Courses page for more information and course contents.

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In the future ViopeProgramming.com will offer more courses to choose from. If you couldn’t find a course suitable for you right now, you can register to receive email updates about new courses. The ViopeProgramming.com blog will present you with interviews with programmers behind different types of applications. These interviews will show you how people have once started programming and are now earning their living doing it, just like you could do! We will also blog about the service, like updates and in-depth feature presentations.

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1. Register to the service
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Have fun studying!

The ViopeProgramming.com Support Team

ViopeProgramming.com is administrated by Viope Solutions Ltd, a Finnish company specialising in e-learning. Viope was founded in 2001 and is the market leader in providing online computer programming courses in Finland. Viope’s customers include educational institutions, companies, organisations and consumers. The company has also started its global marketing. ViopeProgramming.com is the international version of Viope’s Ohjelmointikurssit.com service which is targeted for Finnish customers. Ohjelmointikurssit.com was released in September 2008. For more information on Viope Solutions Ltd visit http://www.viope.com/home.