Errata for Learn to Program

#25353: I purchased this book (PDF Version) last week. I really like the way it's written, particularly since I'm almost a total newb. After getting through 99 bottles of beer (the exercise not my drinking) I ran into the sort exercise. I've been dead in the water for days and can not wrap my head around it.

Suggestion is two fold, totally appreciate assignments and exercises in books, but consider having some answers stuck/tucked away somewhere inside.

This is very frustrating.
--Stuart

#29706: There is a Ruby Forum thread that discusses some of the exercises and solutions for the exercises. You may find help here & can add additional questions to this thread to help future students.

ruby-forum.com/topic/60005#new

#32258: This book is my first foray into any programming language, and I'm finding it extremely readable and helpful. Thank you!

The code example about "tough_var" being defined locally didn't strike me as meaningful at first... until I played around with the order of the code. The impact of local definition was made clear when I ordered it this way:

--code--
tough_var = 'You can\'t even touch my variable!'

def little_pest tough_var
tough_var = nil
puts 'HAHA! I ruined your variable!'
puts tough_var.to_s
end

little_pest tough_var
puts tough_var
--/code--

This defines the variable shown to be modified before the local method, which to my admittedly inexperienced way of thinking is a bigger deal. Since I had to rearrange the code to get the gist of the lesson, thought you might like to know.

Maybe that shows that by this point in the book, you've already equipped me with enough knowledge to be able to figure out through experimentation. :) Thanks again, I'm loving the book.

#29156: I have been reading your book, "Learn How to Program" on and off for 2 years.

I don't like the book much because of it's lack of an index -- lazy and inexcusable in a computer book, it's baby-talk babbling example (mind-numbingly dumb), its reference to Civilization III, and its lack of answers and/or more hints in the back to the exercises.

I don't understand, know, or care what Civilization III is. Your confused, muddled attempt at an explanation of this muddies up your book even more. And worlds aren't constructed out of tiles, maybe bathrooms are, but that is neither here nor there. I want to learn Ruby, not how to send 8 idiotic imaginary little men onto tiles to count them... and I still don't know what you're referring to, why they're counting imaginary continents made out of imaginary tiles, or how this could in any way be described as fun or helpful for learning how to program. Maybe if I was 12 years old...but if that's who your book is targeted to it should be stated and the book placed into a different section of bookstores.

I spent a year putting the book down and reading other Ruby books. Sam's Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 days hasn't been updated and many of the exercises don't even work anymore with the current version of Ruby.

After a year, I solved your Grandma problem. (No thanks to you). I'm now stuck on the Roman Numbers problem. I need a lot of hints and help. Since there are no further hints, what am I supposed to do? I admit it, I don't know what to do in the function. Should I just take the hint and realize that I don't measure up as a good programmer?
--Mark