₦airaland Forum

Can somebody please explain why it is like this, especially when Nairaland (in my own opinion) is more valuable than Facebook for Nigerians? I dont seem to understand. Does NairaLand need to work on Marketing skills?

naijatechworld: Is there a PayPal of Nigeria/Africa? What about Craigslist?

Isn't NairaList the Nigerian clone of Craigslist and isn't Mpesa the Kenyan clone of Payal? Also isn't Dealdey the Nigerian clone of Groupon?

asalimpo: hey dude, you crawl first bf u run. Else u'll crash nd burn.
If a 9jn startup succeeds in its territory then it can venture out into d world.
The environment and infrastructure for a global tech company just isnt there. Microsoft,apple,hp,dell employ hundreds of thousands of TOP NOTCH professionals. They draw on labour from india,china,russia. In d nigerian situation, there isnt a ready pool of professionals in tech, not artisans but pros . The stable environment just isnt there. Theres always politcal wranglings,
wanton lawlessness. See the spate of kidnappings and assasinations and bombings , poor telecom netwrks etc. Executves will b operatg at fear for their lives. Server and data wharehouses would have to situated in say south africa cuz of wanton acts of vandalisation, electricity outage, community demands.
Apple sued microsoft for certain infringements, u.s,e.u investigated microsoft for anti-trust practices. Yes,corruption is everywhere but
the case was executed with speed, openness and impartiality.
Could such hav been d case over here?
See the nonsense flagrancy with which some chinese and lebanese ,indian businesses operate in this country because they can get away with it.

When u say that Nigerians must succeed in its territory 1st, what do u mean? What is Nigerian's territory and why aren't they succeeding in it? The West are valuable and good because they succeed in everything. Look at Sports. Look At Olympics. Whenever it comes to competition, USA and other Western Countries might not always be the first, but they are surely always in the top 5.

Also the only reason foreigners come 2 Naija and treat Nigerians badly, is because Nigerians let them. Why aren't Nigerians fighting back?

asalimpo: @naijatech
our problems are diverse and deep rooted so it cant vanish in a decade. It go tey.
9jas problem is confidence. Yes.
Naijans dnt blv in their products,the market thnks u.s made is superior so they wnt patronise. Nigerian rappers/muscians actors emulate westerners too much - we just dnt blv in ourselves enuff. But a 9jan clone of google,youtube,facebook,2go etc once registered in d youths and nigerians consciousness and is successful will increase our self worth and identity among ourselves. Which will make us bolder still to aim for bigger higher things. Yeah,u'll mention irokotv etc. Iroko founder,wasnt based here,its not incorporated here, heagquarters is outta here and business men are proud to tell you their business is incorporated in u.s,u.k etc (its a no confidence thing).
Compare china, huawei, was incorporated in china,operated in china to become worlds largest (or maybe second/third) in tech devces. Its not really about talent,drive etc. Its inferiority complex on a national/continental scale.
E.g
nigerian developer peaches idea for an app , requires incubator funding -say 20k usd- which investor will chip in? Where is d VC base? But say u want to buy and sell crude oil, or land - money will appear.
1 person cannot start and sustain a startup. Growg a startup into a company requires serious fundg: google,linkedin,youtube,facebook had million dollar fundg. They operate the servers from the u.s b4 spreadg. Public Reception was very strong. In naija, public reception to tech strtups is lukewarm. Strtups can survve in dull lukewarm markets. Aprt frm youths, most older folks dont dig d net beyond email. A housewife wold hold a flashy high end phne with all d gadgets but wnt logon to google to research a new cookg recipe! Same for guys. The problems are myriad but surmountable but it will take a lotta time and mental de-programmg.

Well for some people I agree that confidence is the problem, but what about those who do have confidence? Everyday I hear some startup coming out from Naija and I hear about investors putting money into Naija, but whenever I look at the ideas or startups, Im always dissappointed. Like whats going on? Doesn't Nigeria have creativity?

Urine: This thread is for dreamers, solve the numerous problems in your locality first, that's the way to go about it.

But what are the problems in our locality? What problems can technology or the internet solve in Nigeria right now and how do we monetize it in order for Nigeria or Africa to become rich again?

naijatechworld: Yeah I feel the same way. Like why is that Asians are know for producing and cloning and Africans are only known for consuming. Can't we have hardware manufacturers as well? Can't we make our own cars? Our own cellphones? What about all those e-waste products at the dump. Can't we put 2 and 2 together to make 4?

The Asians and Indians were once colonized like Nigeria and many African nations but yet they have moved on. What is holding Nigeria or other African nations back?

digitalafrica: I think the main problem is that not enough people from 9ja or Africa are on the internet. I mean its suprising to me how Nairaland only has 1.2 million registered members, when the population of 9ja is 140 Million. Like what are the 139 million doing? Why arent people on the internet and what can we do to fix that?
Also another thing is instead of making clones of abroad tech companies in 9ja, why won't do the opposite and make clones for USA (or the world) of tech companies in 9ja? Like what is NairaLand of the world? What will you consider NEPA of the world? What is Dealdey of the world? Jumia of the world?
What are the main problems that internet or technology can solve in 9ja? Or in Africa? What does Naija/Africa desperately need, that if it drops, everybody will want it? Is it stable electricity? Is it cheap internet? Do 9ja need cellphone or laptops or desktops, like what do they need?

But why aren't they on the internet? Is it that many can't afford it or don't know the use of it?

Link ~> http://www.gametutorials.com/

Virtual reality is no longer the expensive, cumbersome exercise it once was. Google Cardboard, launched at last week’s Google I/O conference, is a no-frills, cardboard frame that, when used with open software, transforms a smartphone into a basic virtual reality headset.

But for a more immersive experience, hobbyists can build their own virtual reality system in their living room using equipment they already have (and if not, can buy relatively inexpensively).

All you need to beam yourself onto the bridge of the USS Enterprise or into Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment is:

a computer
an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset
a Microsoft Kinect for Windows motion sensor
a battery
headphones
a tablet with software used to create and develop videogames (also know as a game engine).
A stroll through virtual reality history

The term “virtual reality” was initially coined by American computer scientist Jaron Lanier in 1989 to describe a three-dimensional, computer-generated environment which a person can explore and interact with.

Link ~> http://theconversation.com/how-to-build-a-virtual-reality-system-in-your-living-room-28598

Part 1 ~> http://css-tricks.com/app-from-scratch-1-design
Part 2 ~> http://copterlabs.com/blog/Creating+an+App+from+Scratch+Part+2/
Part 3 ~> http://copterlabs.com/blog/Creating+an+App+from+Scratch+Part+3/
Part 4 ~> http://css-tricks.com/app-from-scratch-4-html-css
Part 5 ~> http://copterlabs.com/blog/Creating+an+App+from+Scratch+Part+5/
Part 6 ~> http://css-tricks.com/app-from-scratch-6-ajax
Part 7 ~> http://copterlabs.com/blog/Creating+an+App+from+Scratch+Part+7/
Part 8 ~> http://css-tricks.com/app-from-scratch-8-finishing

Site ~> http://www.askadev.com/

Great Job. I love this. Its nice.

See The Whole Article Here ~> http://www.javaworld.com/article/2093747/java-ios-developer/12-predictions-for-the-future-of-programming.html

No. 1: GPUs will be the next CPUs
No. 2: Databases will perform increasingly sophisticated analysis
No. 3: JavaScript for everything
No. 4: Android on every device
No. 5: The Internet of things -- more platforms than ever
No. 6: Open source will find new ways to squeeze us
No. 7: WordPress Web apps will abound
No. 8: Plug-ins will replace full-fledged programs
No. 9: Long live the command line
No. 10: Dumbing it down will fail
No. 11: Outsourcing and insourcing will remain deadlocked
No. 12: Management will continue to misunderstand coders and coding

1. Java
What it is: Java is a class-based, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in the 1990s. It's one of the most in-demand programming languages, a standard for enterprise software, web-based content, games and mobile apps, as well as the Android operating system. Java is designed to work across multiple software platforms, meaning a program written on Mac OS X, for example, could also run on Windows.

Where to learn it: Udemy, Lynda.com, Oracle.com, LearnJavaOnline.org.

2. C Language
What it is: A general-purpose, imperative programming language developed in the early '70s, C is the oldest and most widely used language, providing the building blocks for other popular languages, such as C#, Java, JavaScript and Python. C is mostly used for implementing operating systems and embedded applications.

Because it provides the foundation for many other languages, it is advisable to learn C (and C++) before moving on to others.

Where to learn it: Learn-C, Introduction To Programming, Lynda.com, CProgramming.com, Learn C The Hard Way.

3. C++
What it is: C++ is an intermediate-level language with object-oriented programming features, originally designed to enhance the C language. C++ powers major software like Firefox, Winamp and Adobe programs. It's used to develop systems software, application software, high-performance server and client applications and video games.

Where to learn it: Udemy, Lynda.com, CPlusPlus.com, LearnCpp.com, CProgramming.com.

4. C#
What it is: Pronounced "C-sharp," C# is a multi-paradigm language developed by Microsoft as part of its .NET initiative. Combining principles from C and C++, C# is a general-purpose language used to develop software for Microsoft and Windows platforms.

Where to learn it: Udemy, Lynda.com, Microsoft Virtual Academy, TutorialsPoint.com.

5. Objective-C
What it is: Objective-C is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language used by the Apple operating system. It powers Apple's OS X and iOS, as well as its APIs, and can be used to create iPhone apps, which has generated a huge demand for this once-outmoded programming language.

Where to learn it: Udemy, Lynda.com, Mac Developer Library, Cocoa Dev Central, Mobile Tuts+.

6. PHP
What it is: PHP (Hypertext Processor) is a free, server-side scripting language designed for dynamic websites and app development. It can be directly embedded into an HTML source document rather than an external file, which has made it a popular programming language for web developers. PHP powers more than 200 million websites, including Wordpress, Digg and Facebook.

Where to learn it: Udemy, Codecademy, Lynda.com, Treehouse, Zend Developer Zone, PHP.net.

7. Python
What it is: Python is a high-level, server-side scripting language for websites and mobile apps. It's considered a fairly easy language for beginners due to its readability and compact syntax, meaning developers can use fewer lines of code to express a concept than they would in other languages. It powers the web apps for Instagram, Pinterest and Rdio through its associated web framework, Django, and is used by Google, Yahoo! and NASA.

Where to learn it: Udemy, Codecademy, Lynda.com, LearnPython.org, Python.org.

8. Ruby
What it is: A dynamic, object-oriented scripting language for developing websites and mobile apps, Ruby was designed to be simple and easy to write. It powers the Ruby on Rails (or Rails) framework, which is used on Scribd, GitHub, Groupon and Shopify. Like Python, Ruby is considered a fairly user-friendly language for beginners.

Where to learn it: Codecademy, Code School, TryRuby.org, RubyMonk.

9. JavaScript
What it is: JavaScript is a client and server-side scripting language developed by Netscape that derives much of its syntax from C. It can be used across multiple web browsers and is considered essential for developing interactive or animated web functions. It is also used in game development and writing desktop applications. JavaScript interpreters are embedded in Google's Chrome extensions, Apple's Safari extensions, Adobe Acrobat and Reader, and Adobe's Creative Suite.

Where to learn it: Codecademy, Lynda.com, Code School, Treehouse, Learn-JS.org.

10. SQL
What it is: Structured Query Language (SQL) is a special-purpose language for managing data in relational database management systems. It is most commonly used for its "Query" function, which searches informational databases. SQL was standardized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the 1980s.

Where to learn it: Lynda.com, SQLCourse.com, TutorialsPoint.com, SQLZoo.net.

http://mashable.com/2014/01/21/learn-programming-languages/

Before you learn to code, think about what you want to code
Knowing how to code is mostly about building things, and the path is a lot clearer when you have a sense of the end goal. If your goal is “learn to code,” without a clear idea of the kinds of programs you will write and how they will make your life better, you will probably find it a frustrating exercise.

I’m a little ashamed to admit that part of my motivation for studying computer science was that I wanted to prove I was smart, and I wanted to be able to get Smart Person jobs. I also liked thinking about math and theory (this book blew my mind at an impressionable age) and the program was a good fit. It wasn’t enough to sustain me for long, though, until I found ways to connect technology to the things I really loved, like music and literature.

So, what do you want to code? Websites? Games? iPhone apps? A startup that makes you rich? Interactive art? Do you want to be able to impress your boss or automate a tedious task so you can spend more time looking at otter pictures? Perhaps you simply want to be more employable, add a buzzword to your resume, or fulfill the requirements of your educational program. All of these are worthy goals. Make sure you know which one is yours, and study accordingly.

There’s nothing mystical about it
Coding is a skill like any other. Like language learning, there’s grammar and vocabulary to acquire. Like math, there are processes to work through specific types of problems. Like all kinds of craftsmanship and art-making, there are techniques and tools and best practices that people have developed over time, specialized to different tasks, that you’re free to use or modify or discard.

This guy (a very smart guy! Whose other writings I enjoy and frequently agree with!) posits that there is a bright line between people with the True Mind of a Programmer and everyone else, who are lacking the intellectual capacity needed to succeed in the field. That bright line consists, according to him, of pointers and recursion (there are primers here and here for the curious).

I learned about pointers and recursion in school, and when I understood them, it was a delightful jolt to my brain — the kind of intellectual pleasure that made me want to study computer science in the first place. But, outside of classroom exercises, the number of times I’ve had to be familiar with either concept to get things done has been relatively small. And when helping others learn, over and over again, I’ve watched people complete interesting and rewarding projects without knowing anything about either one.

There’s no point in being intimidated or wondering if you’re Smart Enough. Sure, the more complex and esoteric your task, the higher the level of mastery you will need to complete it. But this is true in absolutely every other field. Unless you’re planning to make your living entirely by your code, chances are you don’t have to be a recursion-understanding genius to make the thing you want to make.

It never works the first time
And probably won’t the second or third time
When you first start learning to code, you’ll very quickly run up against this particular experience: you think you’ve set up everything the way you’re supposed to, you’ve checked and re-checked it, and it still. doesn’t. work. You don’t have a clue where to begin trying to fix it, and the error message (if you’re lucky enough to have one at all) might as well say “Bleep you.” You might be tempted to give up at this point, thinking that you’ll never figure it out, that you’re not cut out for this. I had that feeling the first time I tried to write a program in C++, ran it, and got only the words “segmentation fault” for my trouble.

But this experience is so common for programmers of all skill levels that it says absolutely nothing about your intelligence, tech-savviness, or suitability for the coding life. It will happen to you as a beginner, but it will also happen to you as an experienced programmer. The main difference will be in how you respond to it.

I’ve found that a big difference between new coders and experienced coders is faith: faith that things are going wrong for a logical and discoverable reason, faith that problems are fixable, faith that there is a way to accomplish the goal. The path from “not working” to “working” might not be obvious, but with patience you can usually find it.

Someone will always tell you you’re doing it wrong
Braces should go on the next line. Braces should go on the same line. Use tabs to indent. But tabs are evil. You should use stored procedures, but actually you shouldn’t use them. You should always comment your code. But good code doesn’t need comments.

There are almost always many different approaches to a particular problem, with no single “right way.” A lot of programmers get very good at advocating for their preferred way, but that doesn’t mean it’s the One True Path. Going head-to-head with people telling me I was Wrong, and trying to figure out if they were right, was one of the more stressful aspects of my early career.

If you’re coding in a team with other people, someone will almost certainly take issue with something that you’re doing. Sometimes they’ll be absolutely correct, and it’s always worth investigating to see whether you are, in fact, Doing It Wrong. But sometimes they will be full of shit, or re-enacting an ancient and meaningless dispute where it would be best to just follow a style guide and forget about it.

On the other hand, if you’re the kind of person who enjoys ancient but meaningless disputes (grammar nerds, I’m looking at you), you’ve come to the right place.

Someone will always tell you you’re not a real coder
HTML isn’t real coding. If you don’t use vi, you’re not really serious. Real programmers know C. Real coders don’t do Windows. Some people will never be able to learn it. You shouldn’t learn to code. You’re not a computer programmer (but I am).

“Coding” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and it looks different now from how it used to. And, funnily enough, the tools and packages and frameworks that make it faster and easier for newcomers or even trained developers to build things are most likely to be tarred with the “not for REAL coders” brush. (See: “Return of the Real Programmer”)

Behind all this is the fear that if “anyone” can call themselves a programmer, the title will become meaningless. But I think that this gatekeeping is destructive.

Use the tools that make it easiest to build the things you want to build. If that means your game was made in Stencyl or GameMaker rather than written from scratch, that’s fine. If your first foray into coding is HTML or Excel macros, that’s fine. Work with something you feel you can stick with.

As you get more comfortable, you’ll naturally start to find those tools limiting rather than helpful and look for more powerful ones. But most of the time, few people will ever even look at your code or even ask what you used — It’s what you make with it that counts.

Worrying about “geek cred” will slowly kill you
See above. I used to worry a lot, especially in school, about whether I was identifying myself as “not a real geek” (and therefore less worthy of inclusion in tech communities) through my clothing, my presentation, my choice of reading material and even my software customization choices. It was a terrible waste of energy and I became a lot more functional after I made the decision to let it all go.

You need to internalize this: your ability to get good at coding has nothing to do with how well you fit into the various geek subcultures. This goes double if you know deep down that you’ll never quite fit. The energy you spend proving yourself should be going into making things instead. And, if you’re an indisputable geek with cred leaking from your eye sockets, keep this in mind for when you’re evaluating someone else’s cred level. It may not mean what you think it does.

Sticking with it is more important than the method
There’s no shortage of articles about the “right” or “best” way to learn how to code, and there are lots of potential approaches. You can learn the concepts from a book or by completing interactive exercises or by debugging things that others have written. And, of course, there are lots of languages you might choose as your first to learn, with advocates for each.

A common complaint with “teach yourself to code” programs and workshops is that you’ll breeze happily through the beginner material and then hit a steep curve where things get more difficult very quickly. You know how to print some lines of text on a page but have no idea where to start working on a “real,” useful project. You might feel like you were just following directions without really understanding, and blame the learning materials.

When you get to this stage, most of the tutorials and online resources available to you are much less useful because they assume you’re already an experienced and comfortable programmer. The difficulty is further compounded by the fact that “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Even trying to figure out what to learn next is a puzzle in itself.

You’ll hit this wall no matter what “learn to code” program you follow, and the only way to get past it is to persevere. This means you keep trying new things, learning more information, and figuring out, piece by piece, how to build your project. You’re a lot more likely to find success in the end if you have a clear idea of why you’re learning to code in the first place.

If you keep putting bricks on top of each other, it might take a long time but eventually you’ll have a wall. This is where that faith I mentioned earlier comes in handy. If you believe that with time and patience you can figure the whole coding thing out, in time you almost certainly will.

https://medium.com/@cecilycarver/things-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-when-i-was-learning-how-to-code-565fc9dcb329

Has the hacker or hacker group been found? I really think thats important in order to prevent a second attack. I did a research on where Nairaland's servers are hosted and Im pretty amazed that it seemed as if only Nairaland was hacked. Y was this? Did Nairaland's CEO anger someone? Was there a beef or war going with you? Did u call somebody out?

I think that this link ~> https://www.nairaland.com/1402659/why-africa-may-never-produce might answer some questions and point out some challenges/opportunities to look at.

asalimpo: the cost of startg growg and establish a startup is signifcant. Thts y there are ppl to fund this stuff in developed countries.
- contempt for d software profession in nigeria and afrca will ensure tht this sector remains non-existent.
Nigerians can buy tablets for tens of thousands but not software.
If your mobile app cost beyond N200 theyll not buy.
If ur business app cost beyond N20k theyll not buy. But they hav no problem buyg an offce chair for 5 times tht.
Ppl present themselves as lawyers,bankers,doctors,architects - when last did you see/here any notable person tht was a software dev/programmer?
The artcle sited a south afrcan who created a very useful software tht cud help farmers- yet there was no adoption.
Africa a.k.a the dark continent isnt ready for software yet. There are some ambitious youths but they wont shine in africa,they shine wen they go to countries tht value their skills. Not africa,not nigeria.
Even venerable nairaland,as popular as it is has how many members (duplicates included)?
If nairaland were in china,u.s,russia how many members wud it boast of? Do the maths.

Asalimpo, I love and respect your passion but I will have to disagree with you with the statement of 'Africa a.k.a. the dark continent... software yet'. I believe that Africa specifically is ready for Software. I feel like Software or Technology is whats going to light us up and make us the best continent of the world. Look how we have leap frogged laptops and desktops. We are the future, the problem is that we need more creators. That is why I urge all African Developers not only to come to Nairaland/programming to see tutorials and free ebooks that others have posted but to create their own version of apps/clones with whats given. Even if Electricity or Internet is not 24/7, there are still offline stuff that many people can use. Africa is ready for software and I believe its our time to shine.