Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 is one of the most popular courses on the web.

But is it worth investing your time and money into? 

That’s what we’ll look into in this review. 

I’ll go over:

• what exactly is in the course
• how the material is presented and how the platform works
• my opinion on Codecademy as an effective way to learn Python

so you can make an informed decision about giving it a try.

Reviewing Codecademy’s Python track (as a course creator)

I’ve taught Software Development for many years, and I ended up creating over 50 courses on another popular code-learning platform. In my view, if you’re paying for a course, it should:

• save you time through a streamlined learning process
• supply quality content, present it well, and be intuitive to use
• encourage practical application vs passive “learning”

I’ll use my experience creating online coding courses to see whether Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 is up to standard.

Is Codecademy actually good for Python?

The quality of Codecademy’s material is comparable to what you’ll find in the official documentation or a popular book. 

Compared to learning from a book or free tutorial, the platform does offer an advantage in that it is so well-structured and hands-on. You can learn something new and apply it right then and there – no switching from documentation or book to code editor required.

The hints, cheat sheets and forums – something you don’t get everywhere – are also helpful when you get stuck.

In my opinion, Codecademy is indeed one of the best options to learn Python from scratch and practice your skills. 

Is it good for beginners?

Codecademy gives you one small piece of a new concept at a time, and then has you apply it right away by writing your own code – which is a good way for a beginner to start learning Python. 

When you’re just starting out, it’s important to both have some hand-holding through a clear roadmap, and to take action on everything you’re learning. It’s not enough to just absorb and cram in information. 

Beginners need to do coding to really get coding.

Which are the best Python courses on Codecademy?

Learn Python 3 is the best course I’d advise you to start with, and then you can move on to Codecademy’s Advanced Python 3, as well as the Python for Data Science track if you’re planning on using Python for that purpose.

How long does it take to finish?

Codecademy specifies the scope of Learn Python 3 at around 25 hours of study time. You can of course do it at your own pace, so whether you do it in a week or over the course of 1-2 months is up to you.

How long the course ends up taking you will also depend on whether you have some experience programming, or maybe even know some Python already.

That being said, it is an entry-level course, so it shouldn’t take you many months to go through if you do decide to put in a decent amount of time and effort.

Course features

Here’s how the Python course works: You’ll be learning Python fundamentals from the ground up, from Operators, to Variables, to Functions, to Data Types. The training is split into different modules, each containing lessons, projects and quizzes.

As mentioned, the focus with Codecademy is on you taking action, so you’ll be writing your own code in the built-in editor as you go along.

Modules inside Codecademy’s Learn Python 3

The course has 10 different modules with each covering different Python concepts.

1 Hello World

The Hello World module teaches you how to generate print output while going into concepts such as Strings, Variables, and Concatenation.

2 Control Flow

Inside the Control Flow part of the course, you’ll learn how to use if and elseif statements, Operators, and Boolean values.

3 Lists

These lessons are all about the List data type in Python, how it works and how to use it.

4 Loops

For, While and nested Loops are the topic of this module.

5 Functions

Halfway through Learn Python 3, you’ll get an introduction to Functions, Parameters, and Variables.

6 Strings

Strings are characters strung together, which you’ll learn about in the sixth module.

7 Modules

Modules are files containing definitions and statements. This module shows you how to import and implement modules in your Python code.

8 Dictionaries

In the module about Dictionaries, you’ll get to know this data structure which associates keys with values.

9 Files

Text files and binary files are explained in the penultimate module inside Codecademy’s Learn Python 3.

10 Classes

Finally, you’ll learn how to instantiate and work with classes in Python.

Module practice

With each module you get the option to revisit the main points addressed in the lessons. Module practice gives a quick review of the learnings, as another way to drill in a concept.

Cheat Sheets

If you’d like to digest the lesson contents in more of a blog-style format, Codecademy provides a cheat sheet at the end of every module.

Projects

Here’s something that sets Codecademy apart from other methods of learning Python: The course includes multiple projects – almost one for every module.

They tell you the aim of the project and provide you with some sample code to get you started. Then you’re asked to complete the project by coding out your own solution inside Codecademy’s integrated code editor.

If you get stuck, you can look at the “Get Unstuck” section, which has a video walkthrough of the whole project.

I love this functionality because you’re building something tangible instead of dealing only with single, separate concepts.

Quizzes

Quizzes are another way to spice up your Python learning journey and make it more interactive.

You get at least one of these in every lesson.

Code Challenges

These are not compulsory to get your certificate – but the Python course includes two sets of code challenges which you can use to practice what you’ve learned so far.

They give you some written instruction, and then you’re asked to write the code accordingly.

If you need assistance, you can reveal a hint. Once you’re done, you can run your solution, and check it against a solution the Software Engineers at Codecademy came up with.  

Certificate of completion (optional)

If you were able to master every assignment in Learn Python 3, you can opt to get your Codecademy certificate.

These aren’t on the same level as a bootcamp certificate or similar, but if you’re someone who doesn’t have any proven experience yet, they can be something to add to your resume and social media profile. 

Community

Codecademy has both a discord server and well-trafficked forums, where you can share your progress, ask questions, and be inspired by others.

Pros & Cons of Codecademy for Python

Pros

• The interactive learning environment and streamlined structure are motivating and make for quick progress
• The community aspect is a nice bonus
• The price is reasonable, especially if you choose just the Plus level, and opt for annual billing

Cons

• Codecademy isn’t the best resource for learning high-level theory and principles
• Certificates are not officially accredited

Pricing

Is Codecademy Python free?

The course Learn Python 2 on Codecademy is free, but Learn Python 3 is not. You need to have at least the Plus membership to be able to access the materials.

If you choose to purchase the Pro tier, you’ll also unlock the Computer Science and Data Science career paths, in which you gain general programming knowledge or advanced Data Analysis skills while using Python.

7-day trial

Fortunately, you don’t have to commit to a paid membership right away – you can test drive Codecademy’s Python trainings for a week, and then make a decision.

Final verdict – is Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 worth it?

Yes, I can recommend Codecademy as one of the best platforms to learn Python basics. I do believe you should start your own projects as soon as possible, and become even more of a self-reliant learner.

You should also learn high-level programming principles and read books.

But it makes sense to get your start with a guided resource like Codecademy – you’re far less likely to become frustrated and give up when you’re using such a gamified environment.

And with how their courses are structured, you can learn a lot of Python, fast.  

FAQ

Will this get me a job?

Codecademy’s course can get you to a good level in Python programming – if you do all the regular coding tasks and complete the optional challenges as well.

You can call yourself a Python Developer after you’ve gone through the course. Will you be a complete programmer, though? No. You’ll still have a lot to learn, and learning never stops.

Can you get a job right away after the course? It’s possible, albeit not super likely. To increase your chances, consider this approach: 

• Keep expanding your skills – maybe take CC’s Advanced Python next
• Specialize in something – like Back-End development, or Data Analysis with Python, for example
• Build up your developer portfolio with multiple projects using everything you’re learning
• Work on coding interview abilities: LeetCode-style questions and soft skills

Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 might not get you a job on its own, but if you play it right, it can be a major step moving you into your future as a professional Python developer.

The post Codecademy Python Review – is it any good? (2023) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

The right device will allow you to run all the programs you need, with good image quality, and portability for when you’re hopping between dorms, cafeterias and lecture halls.

Whether you opt for a more affordable model or invest in a high-performance machine depends on how much processing power you’ll actually need during your studies, how much gaming you’ll be doing, and of course the budget you’re working with.

Let’s compare the current laptops best suited to Computer Science majors. I’d love to be able to help you make an informed decision, and find one that you’ll be happy with – not only during your degree, but possibly for years to come in your career as a Computer Scientist.

*This post has affiliate links. Should you decide to purchase something through a link, I’ll be paid a small commission – at no extra cost to you.

The 14 best Computer Science student laptops

• Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Ultra (High performance)
• Dell XPS 15 (High performance)
• Apple MacBook Pro M2 Max 16″ (High performance)
• ASUS Zenbook S13 (Ultra-portable)
• MacBook Air M2 13 (Ultra-portable)
• Microsoft Surface 4 (Ultra-portable)
• Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X (Mid–range)
• ASUS VivoBook 16x (Mid–range)
• Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 14.4” (Mid–range)
• Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14” (Budget)
• MacBook Air M1 (Budget)
• HP Envy x360 (Budget)
• Razer Blade 15 (Study + Gaming)
• Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (Study + Gaming)

What are your needs?

The laptops you can buy to support your Computer Science studies lie on a spectrum when it comes to performance, portability, and price.

1. Ultimate quality and performance. Because the highest-performance computer science laptops have larger components and screens, they tend to be slightly beefier. They also can’t provide the same battery life as some lower models, simply because faster hardware is more power-hungry.
2. Best portability. If you’re moving around campus a lot, you might want your laptop to be as thin and light as possible — and you might be fine with slightly lower performance in exchange. These ultra-portable machines also offer amazing battery life, which comes in handy if you don’t want to have to worry about being plugged in all the time.
3. Budget-oriented. A computer science degree is an investment in your future. And it makes sense to get the highest quality tools you can, to make the most of this investment. That’s not to say you couldn’t make it work with a more affordable option. You’ll still get a decent level of quality, performance and portability out of a recent mid-range office laptop.
4. Gaming and studying. To do both gaming and programming, you’ll want to get a fast laptop with a dedicated graphics card. In that case a gaming model could be a good choice.

Which category you end up picking depends on your exact requirements, and how much you’re willing to spend. The most performant models will cost $2000+, while a budget option might be less than $1000 (with plenty of choices in between).

Which specs are important for a CS major?

• Display
• Processing power
• Amount of memory
• Hard disk space
• Graphics card (for 3D applications / design)
• Size, weight, and battery life
• Price

Best performance

If you’re going for the utmost power for your daily tasks as a CS student, these three laptops will deliver:

#1 Best-performing

Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Ultra

• 16″ 3K OLED • Intel i9 • 32GB RAM • 1TB SSD • GeForce RTX 4070 • 3.9lbs

The GalaxyBook 3 Ultra is Samsung’s top end laptop.

If one isn’t put off by the very high price point: This is a machine that would serve any Computer Science student well for anything you’d encounter in your studies –

and for years after, during a career in a tech field that requires high-performance equipment.

Check Price on Amazon

Quick Review of the Samsung GalaxyBook 3 Ultra

Performance: Intel’s Core i9-13900H powers the GalaxyBook Ultra for the most demanding programming tasks. And with the dedicated Geforce RTX 4070 graphics card, playing newer games, editing 4K video, or extensive use of 3D modeling software are also possible.

Display: A 16-inch OLED display with 3K (2880×1800) resolution and tall 16:10 aspect ratio delivers a beautiful image. It reaches a peak brightness of almost 400 nits, which is great if you want the screen to ‘pop’ when in a dark room studying Computer Science.

If you’re outside fighting glare from the sun, it doesn’t perform as well, because the GalaxyBook comes with a glossy (vs matte) screen. The option for competitive gaming (as well as smooth scrolling) is provided by the display’s fast 120Hz refresh rate.

Build quality: The GalaxyBook 3 features a solid build with a high-quality aluminum chassis, which is stiff enough to flex very little. The design is functional – not as eye-catchingly attractive as that of a MacBook, for example.

Although some might love the minimalistic optics of this laptop, which comes with graphite (gray) and beige color options.

Battery & portability: For a 16” model, the Samsung is lightweight at 3.4lbs (1.6kg). It offers decent battery life at around 10 hours in lower-load scenarios.

Keep in mind that heavy code compilation or 3D rendering tasks will deplete the battery much more quickly.

But in most college scenarios, you’ll get enough life out of the battery to get you through a few lectures or study sessions during the day.

Pros

• High performance
• Lightweight
• Beautiful, bright and colorful display
• Decent battery life
• Not too loud even under load

Cons

• Very pricy (a slightly lower-spec model can be chosen to save some money)
• It gets quite hot under sustained stress – the Samsung’s thermal management is not the best

Check Price on Amazon

#2 Best-performing

Dell XPS 15 9530

• 15.6″ OLED • Intel i9 • 64GB RAM • 2TB SSD • GeForce RTX 4070 • 4.3lbs

For Computer Science majors looking for maximum performance, the Dell XPS 15 features the latest heavy-duty hardware components.

What’s more, it comes with a beautiful OLED display, which is great for working in dark mode (a coder’s favorite) and situations with either low light or glare.

If price isn’t a concern, this machine is one of the best and most powerful programming laptops a student can own.

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Quick Review of the Dell XPS 15

Performance: With Intel’s Core i9 chip and a Geforce RTX 4070 graphics card, the Dell sports close to the fastest laptop specs possible today.

Depending on the exact configuration you choose, it has between 16 and 64GB RAM – which means it’s prepared to run even the most memory-intensive Computer Science-related applications without slowing down.

Display: The 15.6” touchscreen display has a 16:10 aspect ratio (at 3456×2160, or “3.5K” resolution), meaning there’s more vertical space for you to view many lines of code at the same time. Its OLED panel also beautifully produces a wide range of colors, with high levels of brightness (over 400 nits).

Build quality: Dell’s premium model does not disappoint when it comes to a professional appearance and quality build.

Battery & portability: The XPS 15 weighs in at 4.3 lbs – quite heavy for a Computer Science student laptop. You do get over 14 hours of battery life doing lower load tasks. Despite its processing power, it can hang with weaker, ultra-portable models when it comes to longevity.

Pros

• Excellent performance even in demanding 3D applications
• Great battery life for such a fast laptop – good for working on campus without a power source
• Beautiful OLED display with coder-friendly aspect ratio
• Strong and sleek build

Cons

• The webcam is only 720p
• Especially in its highest configurations, the Dell comes at an elite price point

Check Price on Amazon

#3 Best-performing

Apple MacBook Pro M2 Max 16”

• 16.2″ Retina • 12-core CPU • 32GB RAM • 1TB SSD • 38-core GPU • 4.8lbs

Apple’s flagship MacBook is one of the top choices if you’re want high performance and attractive optics combined with good portability for your Computer Science studies. 

Aside from its signature, sleek design, professional build quality, and solid processing power, the biggest MacBook wins when it comes to battery life.

This means it’s near-perfect for on-campus learning.

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Quick Review of the Apple MacBook Pro

Performance: The M2 Max chip built into the MacBook Pro is fast, although still lagging a bit behind Intel-powered machines.

It sports a quite powerful integrated GPU, which blows other integrated graphics cards out of the water – and can even compete with mid-range dedicated GPUs.

Although not aimed at elite gaming, it does handle games, 3D rendering and 4K video editing, all at decent speeds.

Display: No OLED screen for Apple, yet – but its IPS panel with mini-LED backlighting technology is coming close to the former’s image quality, and has even better brightness.

The 16.2” screen with 3456 x 2234 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio) is super sharp and gives you a lot of space for viewing computer science documents, code editors, and more, even side-by-side.

Build quality: Product quality and style are what Apple prides itself on. And the MacBook Pro M2 Max does deliver on that front.

Battery & portability: The Apple laptop is the ultimate in efficiency. You’re able to get 15 hours or more of battery life in low- to medium-load scenarios. And there’s no device out there able to match its performance/endurance ratio.

Pros

• The MacBook Pro M2 Max is a professional machine in all regards and provides optimal ergonomics for Computer Science tasks such as coding
• Apple’s chip architecture allows for the most efficient power usage – it lasts incredibly long on a single charge
• Good performance even in games

Cons

• It does get hot and loud under full load
• Some users have reported an amount of backlight blooming (bright spots around bright white objects when the background is full-black)
• Very high price

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Best ultra-portable models for Computer Science students

As a student, your laptop’s portability is of prime importance. When you’re switching locations often, as well as working in cramped environments, you want your device to be as long-lasting and lightweight as possible.

The following three models win when it comes to battery life and light, compact build. But, just because they’re not heavy as bulky doesn’t mean they’re slow at all:

#1 Best Portable

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 – Best Tablet laptop for CS

• 13.3″ • Intel i7 • 16GB RAM • 1TB SSD • Intel GPU • 1.9lbs

This is the lightest, most portable machine you can get for your computer science studies. At the same time, it packs a good enough punch for programming tasks.

You can use it as a tablet, with its responsive touchscreen, or with the optional Surface Pen.

If you add the keyboard cover, it turns into a legit productivity workhorse for building code, wrangling spreadsheets, or writing assignments and papers.

The MS Surface Pro 9 has enough processing power for all computer science-related tasks, while providing the ideal mobile experience and a long-lasting battery.

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Quick Review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Performance: With an Intel Core i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, the Surface Pro is strong enough for any programming task.

Because it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card, it’s not great for gaming (or 3D rendering, for that matter), though, so if you’re into playing high definition games at good framerates (and want to fully benefit from the Surface’s excellent 120Hz display) —

you’d have to look into using a cloud gaming service.

Display: The Surface comes with a bright (up to 450 nits), colorful 13” IPS panel with a high resolution of 2880:1920. 

The 3:2 aspect ratio is great for programming, because you get more vertical space compared to a 16:9 or even 16:10 ratio. This means you can see more lines of code at the same time without having to scroll.

The display has a refresh rate of 120Hz, meaning that scrolling through code, documents or web browsers will be extra smooth.

Build quality: Microsoft’s tablet-laptop is built excellently, with a professional look and feel. It’s a joy to handle and work with.

Battery & portability: Under normal conditions, you can get 8-10 hours of use out of the Surface Pro’s battery – which is much more than what most other laptops in this review could manage.

Of course, if you crank up the brightness and perform very intensive tasks, you’ll deplete the battery much faster.

Pros

• Easily portable
• Great performance considering its ultra-light nature. It has no problem doubling as a legit work laptop
• You can upgrade the hard drive
• The Full HD webcam is excellent, and there’s a 4K camera facing the other way

Cons

• Not good for gaming or 3D rendering
• Essential accessories (like the external keyboard) have to be purchased separately
• 2x USB-C are the only ports you get
• High price for the higher-spec versions

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#2 best Portable

ASUS Zenbook S13 OLED

• 13.3″ OLED • Intel i7 • 32GB RAM • 1TB SSD • Intel GPU • 2.4lbs

The Zenbook is decently fast, certainly perfect for all programming tasks. It’s not great at gaming or 3D rendering because of its integrated graphics chip.

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Quick Review of the Zenbook S13

Performance: The Zenbook is decently fast, certainly perfect for all programming tasks. It’s not great at gaming or 3D rendering because of its integrated graphics chip.

Display: The ASUS’ OLED display offers excellent colors, contrast, and brightness levels (up to 550 nits).

Build quality: While it doesn’t quite have the luxury feel of a MacBook, build quality on the Zenbook S13 is decent, and especially the styled lid is an attractive feature. 

Battery & portability: You can get a lot out of the battery – around 8 hours in normal use, and up to 18(!) in light use. 

Pros

• Beautiful display
• Excellent battery life
• Lightweight & portable
• Reasonably priced for an OLED-display laptop

Cons

• The fans get loud, especially in Performance mode

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#3 best Portable

MacBook Air 13 – Computer Science on the Go

• 15.3″ Retina • 8-core CPU • 8-24GB RAM • 512GB SSD • 10-core GPU • 2.7lbs

Apple’s MacBook Air 13 with the new M2 chip is one of the best ultra-portable laptops available today.

Its superb battery life, and the unique fanless cooling system make it an ideal choice for students.

Yes, there’s even faster laptops out there.

But if you want a stylish device that isn’t as beefy – and save more than half over one of those larger, high-end models – take a good look at the new MacBook Air 13.

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Quick Review of the MacBook Air M2 13

Performance: Equipped with the new M2 chip, and up to 24GB of memory, the MacBook Air 13 offers good performance for Computer Science tasks like compiling complex code, working with databases, or opening dozens of browser tabs for your research.

Display: Although it doesn’t have an OLED panel, the MacBook’s display is beautiful and impressively bright at up to 500 nits. The tall, 16:10 aspect ratio is ideal for programming and reading.

With a resolution of 2560 x 1664 it produces a super-sharp image. This display is not ideal for gaming, though, because it only has a 60Hz refresh rate and a slower response time.

Build quality: Apple stands for superb build quality – which holds true for the MacBook Air 13 as well. It should last you for many years of working in Computer Science, and looking stylish and professional while doing so.

Battery & portability: One of the MacBook Air’s top selling points is how much life you can get out of its battery. I’ve mentioned the fanless cooling system – coupled with Apple’s ultra-efficient M2 chip, it makes for best-in-class longevity.

If you’ll be working and studying at different locations throughout the day—some of them without power outlets—you might appreciate this feature of the MacBook Air.

Pros

• Super light, but quality build
• The battery can last for a whole day of light tasks
• Beautiful display – one of the prettiest IPS displays you can get
• Good keyboard

Cons

• Not great for gaming
• Limited ports

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Mid-range Options

If the top-of-line models seem overkill for studying Computer Science, or you’re okay with spending a good, but not an excessive amount, take a look at these mid-range options.

They’ll still run you over $1000 – but that expense might still be fine as an investment into your education and future career. And it’s ways away from the $2500-$4000 some of the high-end laptops are commanding.

#1 Mid-Range

Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X

• 14.5″ IPS • AMD Ryzen 6900HS • 32GB RAM • 1TB SSD • GeForce RTX 3050 • 3.2lbs

This device lives at the intersection of light weight, good screen real estate, fast performance, and well-below-$2000 pricing. 

If you’re apprehensive about carrying around a heavier 16” laptop to your lectures – but still want to have a bit more screen size to work with than a 13” model provides – the 14.5″ Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X is a good in-between model.

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Quick Review of the Lenovo Slim 7i Pro X

Performance: Lenovo offers a dedicated GPU option for the Slim 7i Pro X, which enables you to play modern games at decent speed – as well as do 3D rendering or 4K video editing, if you’re doing that as part, or outside of your studies.

Display: Equipped with a 14.5” IPS panel with 3072×1920 (16:10 aspect ratio), display-wise the Lenovo is a good option for coding.

400 nits of brightness means it’s good in low-light situations, like working on a programming project at night. Scrolling happens smoothly because of a 120Hz refresh rate.

Build quality: Lenovos are known for their strong build, and despite its light weight, the Slim 7i Pro X is no exception. Its aluminum chassis looks and feels high-quality.

Battery & portability: While the Lenovo is highly portable when it comes to its size and weight, its battery life is lower than that of a MacBook Air and other 13” models mentioned in this article.

As such, I have to rate it as decent, but not amazing for working while moving around campus. Don’t expect it to last all day without a power source, especially if you’re having it perform heavy computing tasks on the regular.

Pros

• Fan noise isn’t too loud during normal tasks, making it a good choice for use during a computer science lecture or in the library
• Keyboard is fast and comfortable and should please most coders
• Good connectivity with lots of ports

Cons

• The display, while excellent for an IPS panel, isn’t on the same level as the more expensive OLED or miniLED models
• Mediocre battery life

#2 Mid-Range

ASUS VivoBook 16x (2022)

• 16″ OLED • i7/Ryzen 9 • 16-32GB RAM • 1TB SSD • GeForce RTX 3050 • 4.3lbs

For its mid-range pricing, the ASUS VivoBook 16x features an exceptional display:

It’s a 16-inch, 4K OLED model, with 16:10 aspect ratio giving you even more vertical space to work with. 

If image quality and brightness are of utmost importance for you, but you won’t be needing a dedicated graphics card for your Computer Science studies –

and you want to save some money vs a top-of-line model – the VivoBook 16x might fit you well.

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*AMD version

Quick Review of the ASUS VivoBook 16x

Performance: With an Intel i7 chip and 16GB of RAM, the ASUS isn’t the fastest laptop you’ll find.

It also isn’t slow, either. For almost anything you’ll do during your time at university (except demanding games and 3D applications), it should perform more than well enough.

Like with the Lenovo Slim 7i, there’s a Pro version which does have a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, should you need more graphics processing power.

Display: The beautiful OLED screen offers amazing image quality, great contrast and high brightness (up to 400 nits).

With a 120Hz refresh rate, scrolling through code or reading material from one of your Computer Science classes goes more smoothly than with other displays – not to mention its superiority when playing games.

Build quality: Being made out of almost all aluminum, you’d expect the laptop to feel fairly solid. And apart from some lid flex, it does.

Tolerances on the body also aren’t perfect. All in all, the VivoBook has decent, but not amazing build quality.

Battery & portability: Sporting a 96Wh battery, the ASUS gives you excellent longevity for when you want to work on your courses but don’t have the option to be plugged in.

In light-use scenarios, you’ll get over 11 hours out of a single charge.

Pros

• Amazing display
• Good connectivity with lots of ports

Cons

• Poor webcam at only 720p
• Weak-sounding speakers

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*AMD version

#3 Mid-Range

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 14.4”

• 14.4″ rotating touch display • Intel i7 • 16-32GB RAM • 512GB SSD • GeForce RTX 3050Ti • 4lbs

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is an upper mid-range laptop with innovative ergonomics.

Unlike with the MS Surface Pro, you don’t remove the keyboard to transform it into a full-on tablet.

But you can use it in three different modes, which does make it versatile for studying, presentations, and after-class entertainment.

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Quick Review of the MS Surface Laptop Studio

Performance: This machine is just as powerful as a regular laptop. It comes in different configurations, all of which should suit a Computer Science major well.

The top end being an Intel i7 model with 32GB of RAM and a GeForce RTX 3050Ti. This can be considered an upper- mid-range laptop, offering great performance at a price well below the $2000-mark. 

Display: The Surface Laptop Studio’s 14.4” touchscreen display has an IPS, not OLED panel – but it’s colorful, very bright (over 500 nits), and fast (120Hz refresh rate).

At a 2400×1600 resolution, which translates to a 3:2 aspect ratio, you get a lot of extra vertical space compared to a traditional 16:9 screen. This is useful for students reading long documents, or looking at a lot of code from one of your Computer Science assignments.

Build quality: Like on all their business laptops, Microsoft went for a minimalistic design with the Surface Laptop Studio.

The aluminum chassis is well-built and looks professional. Mind you there is a gap in the top where it hinges to switch to tablet-like mode.

Battery & portability: The 3-mode feature has this laptop compete with other ultra-portable models. Unfortunately it’s relatively heavy at a full 4 pounds.

Battery life on the Surface Laptop studio is excellent – you can get over 12 hours of low-level use out of it.

Unless you have to do a lot of high-intensity tasks, the battery should last you for a full day on campus without having to plug in to recharge.

Pros

• Innovative modes giving you versatile options for using the device
• Good performance, even in games, thanks to dedicated graphics card and powerful Intel processor
• Excellent 1080p webcam
• Long battery life

Cons

• Heavy
• Upper-mid pricing for the best configuration

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The best budget laptops for Computer Science majors

Do you need a $1200+ laptop to be effective in your Computer Science major? You do not.

There are budget models out there that perform perfectly well for most of what you’ll be doing during your degree: Reading, browsing the web, and developing small- to mid-sized applications.

Take a look at the 3 best portables that’ll serve your studies without breaking the bank:

#1 Budget Option

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro

• 14″ • AMD Ryzen 5 • 16GB RAM • 512GB SSD • AMD Radeon GPU • 4.4lbs

With the IdeaPad 5 Pro 14” laptop, Lenovo has created an excellent lower-end option that should tick many boxes for someone studying Computer Science on a budget.  

If you’re super price-conscious, you could even go for the non-Pro version, which has a slightly weaker processor and only a 1080p screen.

This would still be a decent setup for a student – one of the most affordable options out there that make sense.

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Quick Review of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro

Performance: The AMD Ryzen processor coupled with AMD Radeon graphics and 16GB of RAM makes for plenty of performance for office and coding work, with some entry-level 3D rendering capabilities.

Display: At the IdeaPad’s affordable price point, the 14” IPS touch display’s quality is impressive. It has high 2K resolution (2240×1400) and reasonable brightness (300 nits) thanks to LED backlighting.

Build quality: Lenovo is known for solid build quality – and this extends to the IdeaPad 5. The chassis is mostly made out of aluminum, with only slight flex. The keyboard is nice with plenty of travel.

The only quips about the IdeaPad’s build are that the display hinge isn’t the strongest, causing some screen wobble if you’re hitting the keys with more intensity.

Battery & portability: The IdeaPad 5 is quite light at 3 lbs, and has a compact size as well. The 56Wh battery can supply around 8 hours of power at light use.

If you take these features into account, Lenovo’s budget model can rightly be called a great ultra-portable option for students (whether that be Computer Science or other).

Pros

• Rapid charging capability
• A good number of ports, including 3x USB-3
• Decent battery life even with smaller battery

Cons

• Screen has low-ish contrast
• Poor, 720p webcam (whose privacy shutter is a plus, though)
• Models with integrated graphics not great for gaming

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#2 Budget Option

MacBook Air M1 13” (2020)

• 13.3″ • 8-core CPU • 8GB RAM • 256GB SSD • 7/8-core GPU • 2.8lbs

There’s no question that Apple products are popular among Computer Science majors.

MacBooks are a complete package of style, portability and performance – which makes them ideal candidates for a student laptop.

But what if you’re on a budget? Rest assured that you don’t need a MacBook Pro with the latest M2 Max chip to do everything effectively to get your degree: A mid-range 13” MacBook Air will do just fine.

And you get the same attractive design, user experience and battery life – at a fraction of the cost.

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Quick Review of the MacBook Air M1 13

Performance: For all but high-end games, graphics design, or huge databases and apps, the older MacBook Air 13” (2020) with the M1 chip will be more than powerful enough.

Display: The MacBook Air has a 2560 x 1600 resolution display (16:10 aspect ratio for more vertical space). It produces a beautiful and sharp image, and also has good brightness levels at over 350 nits.

Like most other IPS panels, its contrast and ability to display true blacks aren’t amazing.

Build quality: If you’re looking for the professional and stylish build quality Apple is known for, you’ll find them with the MacBook Air as well.

Battery & portability: You’ll be able to move around different university buildings without having to plug in all the time: The laptop provides between 8-10 hours of battery life in a mixed use scenario.

On top of that, it’s super thin and light (just over 3lbs including charger), so it’ll fit into even a small bag (as well as on top of cramped lecture hall tables), and you won’t notice its weight at all while carrying it around.

Pros

• Superb portability
• Excellent build quality and design
• Beautiful Retina display
• Quiet thanks to fanless cooling system

Cons

• Middling performance, especially in graphics-intensive applications, because of the weaker, integrated GPU
• Some students might prefer a larger display for serious work

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#3 Budget Option

HP Envy x360 15

• 15.6″ • AMD Ryzen 7 • 16GB RAM • 1TB SSD • AMD GPU • 4.2lbs

Another option for a more budget-oriented student is HP’s 2021 model of the Envy x360.

The 15.6” device has a touch screen that hinges back fully, so it can double as a – to be fair, somewhat bulky – tablet.

The components built into the HP make it into a full-fledged developer laptop, though.

With a quality display and long battery life, you won’t miss out on much if you go with this machine vs one of the pricy options.

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Quick Review of the HP Envy x360 15

Performance: For its lower price point, the HP Envy x360 offers impressive performance. AMD’s Ryzen 7 5825U is fast, and the integrated Radeon graphics are better than its Intel competitors at 3D applications.

16GB is a good amount of RAM for almost all applications. For most use cases during a Computer Science degree, this laptop will perform very well.

Display: The HP’s display produces a nice image, and is quite bright at around 400 nits of brightness.

One drawback is the resolution – the Envy x360 features only 1080p FHD (1920×1080). The 16:9 aspect ratio might feel slightly cramped if you’ve ever worked with a 16:10 screen.

Build quality: There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the Envy x360’s build – it’s solid. Design-wise, it looks functional, not especially exciting.

Battery & portability: In spite of the smaller 51Wh battery, you can get a lot of use out of the HP without being plugged in: Over 10 hours under low load – thanks to the efficient AMD chip.

Unfortunately the HP is slightly heavy at over 4lbs, which hurts its portability score.

Pros

• Strong performance at good price point
• Bright display
• Touch screen & tablet functionality
• Long battery life

Cons

• Relatively heavy, especially if you’re looking to use it in ‘tablet mode’

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Computer Science plus gaming devices

If you’re into computers, that often means you’re an avid gamer as well. And when it comes to 3D performance, some of the machines I’ve mentioned unfortunately don’t do super well for their lack of a stand-alone GPU.

Which is why I’d like to also list two beastly, dedicated gaming laptops at the end. Their raw power will be fun in modern games, but also useful for any other demanding application you’re using as a CS major:

#1 Computer Science + Gaming

Razer Blade 15

• 15.6″ OLED • Intel Core i9 • 16GB RAM • 1TB SSD • Force RTX 3070Ti • 4.4lbs

For a Computer Science student who’s also longing for high-end gaming performance, the Razer Blade 15 is a great choice. I’ve named it one of the top game development laptops available today.

Not only is it lightning fast, ready for any sophisticated programming task and the most recent 3D games – the Razer is also a pure joy to work with thanks to its brilliant OLED display.

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Quick Review of the Razer Blade 15

Performance: As a gaming-specific model, with its state-of-the-art Intel processor, ample fast and upgradeable RAM, and powerful GeForce RTX graphics, the Blade 15 blows most regular Computer Science laptops out of the water when it comes to processing speed.

Display: The optional OLED display creates a beautiful range of colors, at high contrast and brightness.

Being a gaming laptop, the Razer Blade’s screen options range from 144Hz to a lightning-fast 360Hz. This means games and other content will display in super-smooth fashion.

Build quality: The laptop features a strong, all-metal build that looks attractive and exudes quality.

Battery & portability: Unfortunately, the Razer’s high-performance components cut into its battery life – it’ll last a bit over 5 hours in a medium use scenario.

The weight is fine at 4.4lbs. Do know that when you’re going for such a powerful machine, you’ll inevitably be sacrificing some portability for the excellent gaming ability.

Pros

• Superb gaming and programming performance
• Beautiful display that’s pleasing to the eye in both gaming and work environments

Cons

• Gets hot under load
• High to very high price, depending on the exact configuration

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#2 Computer Science + Gaming

Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

• 16″ • AMD Ryzen 7 • 16GB RAM • 1TB SSD • GeForce RTX 3070 • 5.7lbs

Another option for a hybrid gaming and Computer Science laptop is the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro.

It’s much more affordable than the aforementioned Razer Blade, making it ideal for when you want good gaming performance during your time as a student, without having to spend top dollar to get it.

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Quick Review of the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

Performance: An AMD Ryzen 7 chip and GeForce RTX GPU make for fast performance in games, graphics design, video editing, and all kinds of demanding programming applications.

Display: The Legion’s 16” 2K (2560×1600) display with 16:10 aspect ratio gives you a lot of screen space to work with. As a laptop for gamers, the Legion 5 Pro comes with at least 165Hz refresh rate.

Image quality is good, with outstanding brightness (over 500 nits), and high contrast. Even the black levels aren’t bad, considering this is an IPS panel.

Build quality: The Lenovo is built very solidly (which also results in it being quite heavy). It doesn’t flex much, has good build tolerances, and is overall constructed to a high standard.

Battery & portability: Relative to the Legion Pro’s high performance, its battery life is surprisingly long at over 7 hours of office-style use.

It is quite bulky and does weigh 5.6lbs, making it one of the less portable laptops for aspiring Computer Scientists in this review.

Pros

• The Legion 5 Pro is a very fast laptop ideal for both heavy programming and gaming
• Quality IPS display that’s spacious, fast, bright, and produces a wide color spectrum

Cons

• Heavy and with a not amazingly long-lasting battery, cutting into its portability

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The post The BEST Laptops for Computer Science Students in 2023 appeared first on Simple Programmer.

This article gives you a complete picture of the Rust vs. Python landscape. By the end of the article, you’ll have a clear idea of what Rust and Python offer. In addition, you know to pick the right programming language for your project.

Let’s get started.

What is Rust?

Rust is a multi-purpose, high-performance programming language. It is statically typed with a similar syntax to C++. With Rust, developers can create memory-efficient and performance-optimized applications.

Rust’s core idea is to compile everything before the program runs. Therefore, it doesn’t house a runtime solution, making it ideal for writing critical applications. Moreover, it offers excellent concurrency and memory management rules powered by its ownership model.

The best way to describe Rust is to have low-level access similar to C++ while having the safety of a high-level programming language such as Python.

Who uses Rust?

Rust is popular among startups and big companies. Rust is a multi-purpose programming language that uses servers, tooling, web applications, game development, data science, etc.

Some prominent industry names using Rust include Coursera, Dropbox, Figma, Microsoft, Facebook, and Discord.

Each company uses Rust differently depending on requirements. For example, Figma, a collaborative web design tool, uses Rust to boost its platform’s front-end performance. They have entirely written Figma’s multiplayer syncing engine from TypeScript to Rust.

Coursera, a popular online learning platform, uses Rust to power web-based assignment solutions for students. In addition, Dropbox uses Rust for its file synchronization engine due to better testing and debugging, making it easy to manage complex databases and concurrent code.

Rust key features

Rust excels as a multi-paradigm programming language. However, its key features separate it from Python. It offers a good combination of low-level access with high-level usability, matching C++ performance. Its key features include:

• Memory Safety: Rust is a memory-safe programming language. Thanks to its ownership model, it achieves memory safety without relying on a garbage collector. It also has a robust type system that ensures no runtime errors can occur as Rust’s compiler analyze memory during compile time. 
• Zero-cost abstraction: Rust doesn’t punish developers for deploying abstractions. This means you get no performance penalty when you use abstraction, and the code runs without overhead. The zero-cost conception helps do code maintenance or add new features.
• Thread safety: Rust’s ownership model approach to concurrency includes a thread-safe approach. It protects the program from running into race conditions at run time. Programmers using Rust can use Rust’s mutable option to give access to a variable and then purge it once not needed, leading to a thread-safe environment.

Apart from these, Rust also offers easy-to-understand error messages, type interface, pattern matching, and move semantics.

What is Python?

Python is a high-level programming language. It is known for its scripting capabilities and ease of use. Moreover, it is also an excellent pick for visualization, automation, testing, and much more.

Python is interpreted and supports object-oriented paradigm. It also supports dynamic typing and binding, which is crucial for Rapid Application Development(RAD).

Who uses Python?

Python is a popular programming language. It is used widely in different sectors, including Finance, Government, Education, and IT. Python’s use cases include web development, data analysis & machine learning, scripting, automation, software prototyping, and more.

Google is at the forefront of using Python for its projects. Their founders are vocal about how Python can help them achieve better results, as Python offers better prototyping and ease of maintenance. 

Next, we have Facebook. They released a post in 2016 showcasing how Python is used to write and maintain multiple infrastructure management services. These include Dapper, FBOSS, and TORconfig; each offers unique functionality to Facebook’s core infrastructure.

Spotify also uses Python to power its back-end services, including data analysis. According to Spotify, they like Python’s ability to fit in a fast development pipeline.

Python key features

Python is a popular programming language. The key features that make it so popular among developers and learners include the following:

• English-like syntax: Python syntax is similar to English in many ways. It is identical to writing pseudo code, which appeals to most learners and engineers. Apart from learning advantages, Python’s English-like syntax makes development faster. 
• Interpreted: Python is an interpreted language. It enables developers to have flexibility compared to a compiled language. Moreover, interpreted languages are genuinely platform-independent. Python, an interpreted language, also brings other benefits, including faster prototyping and easy error identification.
• Dynamically typed: Python is dynamically typed, which makes it easier to understand. The interpreter takes care of determining variable data types at runtime.
• High-level language: Python is a high-level language that makes it easy to work with.
• Object-oriented programming language: Python supports an object-oriented model that lets programmers implement concepts such as Inheritance, Polymorphism, and Encapsulation. It helps developers to map things similar to how the real world works, enabling them to write code faster and more efficiently.

Apart from these features, other Python’s key features include a large community, an extensive standard library, open source, platform-independent, GUI support, etc.

Rust Pros and Cons

This section takes a look at Rust’s pros and cons.

Pros of Rust

• Rust has low memory usage. This is possible because of Rust’s ability to offer excellent memory control without using Garbage Collector.
• Rust is an excellent performance out of the box. It manages to match C++ performance. That’s because it is designed to perform. Moreover, it also offers LLVM optimizations. The other Rust features that improve the system’s performance include slices, HashMap API, and more.
• Rust also offers easy-to-understand error messages. That’s a boon compared to other programming languages that fail to do so. The compiler provides a detailed error so you can work with them with as much information as possible. 
• Rust offers a solid toolchain for better development workflow. Here, you get a Cargo package manager capable of providing package management, documentation generation, and test runner.
• Rust is statically typed, ensuring that type errors don’t creep in during runtime.
• Rust supports cross-platform development.

Cons of Rust

• Rust’s borrower checker introduces complexity. This requires Rust programmers to think as a borrow checker and resolve any issues with it.
• Rust doesn’t capture stack traces, which makes errors hard to debug. However, community-based tools already provide a workaround, such as using the error chain library.
• Rust is a new programming language and still growing. Its early phase means developers must deploy workarounds to overcome drawbacks, and libraries are still in progress.
• Rust’s documentation is still a work in progress. It can lead many developers to look for other resources or longer debug times. 
• Rust compile time is slower due to several checks to ensure error-free code development.

Python Pros and Cons

This section covers Python’s pros and cons.

Pros of Python

• Python is an easy-to-learn programming language thanks to its English-like syntax.
• Python offers an extensive library for easier and faster development across different spheres, including machine learning, web development, testing, automation, scraping, visualization, etc.
• Python is great for rapid application development. This is because of multiple factors, including dynamic typing, easy-to-learn, shorter program code, and extensive availability of libraries.
• Python is interpreted, which means benefits like faster error checking and the ability to execute independently of the platform.
• Python is truly portable and follows the write once, run anywhere philosophy. As Python is pre-compiled, its Python code can run anywhere using the platform-specific Python Virtual Machine(PVM)
• Python is dynamically typed, which doesn’t require programmers to type variable types. Its interpreter then determines the data type during runtime.

Cons of Python

• As Python is not a low-level language, it is not the fastest programming language. However, it doesn’t mean it is not ideal for real-world applications, but if you’re building a critical application, there are better choices than Python.
• Due to the dynamic type approach and use of an interpreter, Python suffers from runtime errors. This makes it harder to debug.
• Python memory consumption is higher due to the flexible data type, making it unideal for memory-sensitive apps.
• Python is not optimized for database access. So, if you’re working with a data-focused application that requires writing complex queries, there are better fits than Python.
• Python is not an ideal pick for developing mobile or desktop applications due to its high memory consumption and limited availability of Python mobile frameworks.

Rust vs. Python Comparison

In this section, we’ll look closely at Rust vs Python. Then, we’ll compare them via different criteria. If you’re in a hurry, check out the Rust vs Python table.

Popularity

When it comes to popularity, Python is the winner. This is because of multiple reasons, including its ease of use, usage in the ML/AI sphere, and the most obvious factor, age. 

Python is almost 3 decades old, from its inception in 1991 when Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum released its first version. In contrast, Rust was released in 2006. And, only recently, it has started gaining popularity.

Even though Python’s popularity is more than Rust, it doesn’t make Rust a loser. 

On the contrary, in the last 7 consecutive years, Rust has been the most loved programming language in the StackOverflow developer survey. However, it may not gain as much popularity as Python, considering Rust has a steep learning curve.

Learning Curve

Python is easy to learn and get started with. Its ease of learning begins with its English-like syntax and dynamic type approach. On top of that, there are excellent resources for learning Python, making it more accessible to the learning audience.

Rust, on the other hand, has a steep learning curve. Its core philosophy is to offer a tool to create memory-safe programs. To do so, it introduces many new concepts, such as the ownership model. If you’re a beginner, you may find it way more challenging. Experienced programmers must invest time and effort to become proficient at Rust.

Apart from that, Python also has a rich ecosystem where you get access to frameworks, libraries, and modules. Furthermore, it makes it easy to use Python, considering it offers good documentation. Lastly, you can write a program in fewer lines with Python than with Rust.

Performance

Performance-wise, Rust wins hands down. It can interact directly with the hardware as the code is compiled into machine code. Rust’s memory management approach also means better performance as it enforces memory checks during code compilation.

Python lacks speed because it is interpreted. This means that the Python Virtual Machine(PVM) must first interpret the code before it can interact with the hardware. However, Python’s goal is never to be fast but to offer more flexibility and ease to use.

Memory Management

Both Python and Rust aim to be memory-safe. However, Rust takes memory management too seriously and implements it through its unique ownership model, where variables need to be borrowed to use. Once the borrowing period ends, Rust’s borrow checker removes variable references automatically, ensuring proper memory management.

Additionally, the Rust ownership model forces programmers to use stack and heap to store values in the memory. Heap offers a less organized way to store values, whereas stack provides a faster, more organized way to store and access values. However, programmers can use the heap to store unorganized values and then use the stack to store the heap pointer for faster access.

On the other hand, Python is also memory safe but uses a garbage collector, which can lead to runtime race conditions.

Security

Rust takes security very seriously, and that’s obvious from its ownership model. It also offers proper Secure Rust guidelines for developers who want to build bullet-proof applications. Also, as Rust is compiled before the program runs, most errors and security issues are highlighted beforehand. Lastly, the Rust team actively patches any security vulnerabilities, ensuring a safe Rust ecosystem.

So, when you start developing with Rust, you use their default, “safe-by-default” mode. It also offers another mode known as unsafe Rust, which gives developers more flexibility to work with their code and makes them responsible for the app’s security.

Python is also very secure. However, it does lack in both memory and thread safety. This means developers must do the grunt work(such as memory management) to secure their applications.

Error Handling

When it comes to error handling, Python uses exceptions to handle errors. So, a developer can explicitly mention exception which works in addition to already available built-in exceptions.

In Rust, error handling works differently. Rust offers two error categories, known as recoverable errors and unrecoverable errors. The developer must resolve the unrecoverable errors because Rust enters the panic macro once it happens. Here, you get every detail of how to resolve the issue. In case of a recoverable error, the user must enter the correct input or resolve from its side. However, Rust’s inability to provide stack traces can leave developers who need help to be knowledgeable. Plenty of chain tools provide the much-necessary stack information for debugging.

Overall, Rust offers a better error-handling model, which guarantees memory safety, improves user-friendliness, and offers reliability & consistency.

Employability

Most learners learn a programming language because of the prospect of making money. So, where do Rust and Python stand when making money? 

Here, Python seems to win by a large margin. This is because most industry players use Python more often in their processes. That’s why most IT companies are looking for skilled Python programmers. Additionally, Python’s broad use cases mean plenty of roles across the industry, including data analyst, machine learning expert, full-stack developer, and so on.

• Practice Python interview questions

Rust, on the other hand, has a limited market demand. However, even if it is relatively new, its demand grows as more companies embrace Rust in their product or service. This means there is good demand for Rust programmers, but lower than that of Python programmers.

• Practice Rust interview questions

Both Rust and Python programmers are paid adequately according to industry standards.

Garbage Collection

Python relies on garbage collection to free up memory. Rust, however, doesn’t use a garbage collector as it handles memory at compile-time rather than run time.

Scalability

Regarding core design, Rust offers a more scalable architecture thanks to proper memory management, error handling, and the ability to interact with the hardware directly. However, Python can also be used to build scalable solutions, primarily because of available vertical or horizontal scaling options.

Community and Documentation

Python has a rich ecosystem and a vast community. It also offers excellent documentation which covers almost every aspect of its programming language. So, if you’re developing in Python, you’ll find help instantly in official documentation, video, or community.

Rust does fairly in community and documentation. The fact that it is new means a small community with fewer resources to fiddle with. However, its documentation has grown strong each year and offers a comprehensive outlook on what Rust offers.

Which one should you learn?

Choosing between Python and Rust takes work. Both are excellent programming languages. However, you may find that each has its strengths and weaknesses. Rust’s primary goal is to provide developers with the tool to create bug-free, high-performance apps, and services. Its memory management is unmatched, but it can take longer for teams to ship prototypes and final products due to its strict development rules.

In short, you should learn Rust if:

• You want solutions that use concurrency at its core.
• You want to scale your applications to meet users’ demands.
• You want to do low-level programming with access to logical and functional syntax.
• You want your code to be easily maintainable, as Rust’s old codes are compatible with newer versions.
• You want to benefit from the Rust high demand in the market.

Python, on the other hand, excels at prototyping. As a result, learning is easy, and teams can start with Python faster than Rust or any other programming language. Moreover, Python’s modern features, such as functional programming, object-oriented support, and abstractions, are well known to aid development. On top of that, Python is easy to maintain.

You should learn Python if:

• You want to do a data science project and benefit from its extensible visualization options.
• You want to create web apps that are easy to develop and maintain.
• You want to become in demand as a Python developer.
• You want to do web scraping or data extraction.

If you’re entirely new to programming, it is better to start with Python and shift to Rust. For experienced programmers, Rust can feel more powerful. However, you should consider future goals before learning any of these programming language.

In short, always remember that Python and Rust are programming language tools.

They are a way for you to create your desired output. So, pick a tool that lets you reach your goals.

When to use it?

In the previous section, we discussed which one should learn. However, it doesn’t guide you as you still need to figure out when to use Rust or Python. So let’s resolve it in this section.

When to use Rust?

Rust’s low-level performance, zero-cost abstraction, and excellent memory management make it ideal for the following purposes:

• Programming an operating system or microcontroller applications as you can connect to the hardware with Rust’s ability to do low-level programming.
• Rust is also an excellent pick for projects where you need to rewrite replacement software parts’ programming. Rust offers an excellent foreign-function interface so that you can write better-performing code for these parts.
• If you’re working with Embedded systems, you can make the most out of Rust as it can directly access the underlying hardware, including CPU, memory, and storage.

These’re not all the use cases. To better understand Rust’s ability to solve problems, you can see how companies like Figma or Coursera solve their proprietary platform-specific issues.

When to use Python?

Python is a general-purpose programming language that fits various use cases. These include:

• Python is an excellent pick for web development. It has a vibrant web ecosystem where you can use Python frameworks such as Django and Flask to create your web app.
• Python is very effective in data analysis and visualization. It has a rich visualization library and frameworks.
• Python is also a popular machine learning and artificial intelligence choice. It offers dedicated tools and libraries to do ML and AI projects.

Conclusion: Which One is Better?

There is no real winner when it comes to programming language. At the core of each programming language, a philosophy guides it. Python and Rust’s core philosophies are different.

Python’s philosophy is ease-of-use, prototype-friendly, and maintenance-friendly. On the other hand, Rust primarily focuses on giving programmers the tool to develop bug-free, high-performance solutions. This makes Rust hard to learn and use. It also means developers spend more time perfecting the solution before releasing it. However, an almost perfect Rust app means less technical debt and maintenance.

You can choose Python for scientific research, data science, and web development. However, if you’re doing neural network development, WebAssembly development, or blockchain development, Rust seems to be a better choice.

The post Rust vs Python – Is THIS the Language of the FUTURE? appeared first on Simple Programmer.

The suggested timeline for this is 4-8 months, but depending on your existing knowledge, motivation, and amount of time for study, you could finish the self-paced course more quickly – or even spread out your learning over a whole year.

The training is part of Codecademy’s Pro subscription – meaning it takes some monetary investment to go through it.

I’ll do my best to show you what this course is all about, reviewing the different modules and Codecademy’s teaching methodology, so you can make an informed decision whether the Full Stack Career Path is right for you.

About me and this review

In my decade plus as a Software Developer, I’ve learned multiple programming languages to where I could teach them to others. At one point I created over 50 coding courses for a popular learning platform.

This taught me about how information should be relayed so that the students learn most efficiently. And I’ll be holding Codecademy to that same standard in this review.

Why consider taking Codecademy’s Full Stack Engineer Career Path?

There’s many ways (free and paid) to learn Front-End and Back-End development online. The draw of Codecademy’s Career Paths is the streamlined curriculum taking you from start to finish in just a few months, without having to do a bunch of manual research and keep jumping back and forth between different resources.

The attractive user interface has been created to make learning more immersive and fun. There’s also a community within the platform to help you out whenever you’re stuck.

All in all, their offer does seem to give some compelling reasons for choosing Codecademy over other ways of becoming a Full-Stack Engineer.

The timeline

The whole career path has 50 units with 168 total lessons. There’s several intermediate-level projects to apply your new skills, as well as multiple code challenges inside each unit. 

Let’s not kid ourselves – to become a Full-Stack Engineer from scratch, you’ll need to put in a serious amount of work.

For each lesson, you should be getting your hands dirty implementing the code yourself. And coding out those complete projects will take a bunch of effort and time as well. 

6 months is a reasonable timeline to go through the course in this focused manner. If you’re highly motivated, smart, and with a lot of free time on your hands, you might be able to do it in three months, or even two.

The exact timeline depends on you and your circumstances.

How it works

The curriculum consists of a number of modules, each teaching you one major aspect of Full Stack development. 

The text-based lessons inside each module introduce you to one concept at a time, which you’re then asked to implement via Codecademy’s signature built-in coding environment.

At the end of a module, you need to pass a two-part exam to further prove your learnings and receive your Codecademy Certificate at the end.

Features of Codecademy’s Full Stack Engineer Career Path

Let’s now have a look at what exactly is inside the program:

Modules

There are 6 modules in total, aimed at progressing you from the basics to job-ready.

Module 1: Web Development Fundamentals

Here you’ll be learning how to use HTML & CSS to create the scripts for websites. This includes local development, deployment, and styling your websites using CSS.

Module 2: Interactive Web Development with JavaScript

JavaScript is used to make websites interactive – and that’s what Codecademy will teach you in this module. By the end, you’ll be asked to create your very own portfolio website.

Module 3: Front-End Development

The Front-End development module will go deeper into JavaScript development and testing, as well as introduce the React framework, and give further instruction on how to use Git and GitHub.

The portfolio project for this module will be to build your own Reddit-inspired message board app. 

Module 4: Back-End Development

For the Back-End part of the career path, you’ll dive into using the Express.js framework in the back end, as well as databases with PostgreSQL and REST APIs. You’ll then build your own e-commerce app with REST API.

Module 5: Full-Stack Development

In the fifth module you’ll first learn about Front-End to Back-End connection and deploying web apps.

Then you’ll get a deeper education in security and DevOps.

You’ll finish by fleshing out the client side of your e-com app and merging it with the back-end you’ve already built.

Module 6: Interview Preparation

The interview prep module is interesting for those who actually want to get a job as a Full-Stack developer.

It teaches you everything from data structures & algorithms to the soft skills you need to win at both the technical and behavioral part of Software Engineering interviews.

Projects

Lesson Projects

These are smaller projects you find inside almost all lessons. They come with many hints, holding your hand until you’ve coded the solution.

Challenge Projects

You can either complete the projects inside the built-in environment (and share it by creating a Gist), or off-platform (and share it on GitHub) as well. 

Afterwards, you can download Codecademy’s solution code and compare it to yours.

They do have some starter code to get you running, but you’ll be doing most of the work yourself.

Portfolio Projects

Portfolio projects are meant to get you to become autonomous as a developer – able to create your own applications from scratch, from architecture, to coding, to deployment.

As opposed to Codecademy’s other more hand-held projects, you’re asked to gather your own resources, and write an individual app using your own code.

The result is something you can confidently show off to potential employers, in contrast to the guided projects which thousands of others have built in the same way.

Hence the name portfolio projects!

Quizzes

Codecademy have created a number of quizzes for you to test your retention of important Full-Stack concepts – while keeping your learning journey as fun and interesting as possible.

Community

The community feature you get with Codecademy is invaluable. No matter how thorough the educational material, it’s inevitable you’ll get stuck at some point.

That’s where the member forums come to the rescue. For any obstacle you run into, there will be someone who’s been there before and can share their insights with you.

On top of that, you can can create your own journal-type thread to document your progress with the Full-Stack curriculum.

The accountability and feedback you get from this community of peers can be most motivating and helpful.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The interactive UI is one of Codecademy’s strongest points
• The abundance of code challenges, quizzes and projects means your learning will never be passive, but always very hands-on
• The training is laid out very well, with lessons building on one another
• They’ve done a great job at combining guided learning with getting you to be more and more self-sufficient the further along you are in your journey to Full-Stack

Cons:

• Codecademy is mostly text- and code-based with few instructional videos. If you’re a very visual learner, it might not be best for you – check alternatives to Codecademy.
• The monthly Pro subscription is not necessarily cheap. If saving money is your prime concern, you might want to consider learning from free resources and tutorials instead.
• It doesn’t include one-to-one or group coaching calls or mock interviews, like a higher-priced online bootcamp would
• Codecademy’s certificate of completion is not equal to a cert from a higher education institution

Pricing

The Pro subscription required to access the Full-Stack Career Path will run you $29.99 monthly, or 20% less with yearly billing (23.99/month).

This is reasonable if you’re serious about putting in the work and getting to Full-Stack with a few months of focused study.

But it might be too much if you’re just looking to dabble in the topic, and you’re not going to spend that much time with the materials.

Compared to other platforms like Udemy, Codecademy is more expensive – but you also get a focused, multi-month curriculum. Considering there’s a whole module dedicated to interview prep, you could see the course as affordable.

Most stand-alone coding interview prep courses cost a similar amount, and they don’t teach you coding.

So whether the price is expensive or not depends on your goals and likely level of commitment.

7-day trial

Even if you’re not sure you want to stick with the Full-Stack Engineer Career Path for the long haul, you get the option to test-drive it for a week, entirely free.

That’s enough time to scan through the material – even complete the first few lessons – and see if it suits you and you can see yourself working with the training for the next few months.

Will it get you a job?

This course will not guarantee you a job as a Full-Stack Engineer.

What it will do is put you into a great position.

If you diligently completed the program, and created some unique portfolio projects all by yourself – that’s a good selling point to potential employers.

Of course, even after the training, you should keep sharpening and expanding your skills, and creating more and more real-world projects, preferably by joining forces with others as well.

The skills you’ve learned at Codecademy might be enough to land you a job – or it might take you more months of leveling up and getting your name out there.

Either way, you’re on a forward path of continuous improvement, and before long you’ll be able to break into professional development.

Final verdict – Do I recommend the Full Stack path?

In my opinion Codecademy is a great all-around option for learning Full-Stack development.

• They’ve nailed the step-by-step and interactive aspect, always motivating you to keep learning.
• The structure and the abundance of both guided and autonomous projects are excellent.
• The monthly price is fine if you’re actually using the platform a lot.

And while the certificate is not the same as a degree or bootcamp cert, it’s still valuable, especially if you’ve no work experience to show for.

Overall, I would recommend the Codecademy Career Path to anyone looking to seriously dive into Full-Stack development.

If you at any point feel it’s not challenging you enough, you can always add on other books and resources.

With any course, that’s a good idea anyway.

The post Codecademy Full Stack Engineer Career Path Review (2023) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

And if you’re not sure which one fits your project – check out this comparison article, in which we’ll look deeper into Rust vs. Go.

By the end of the comparison, you’ll have a clear picture of what Rust and Go offer. We’ll cover their key features, pros & cons, similarities, and differences and discuss the right pick based on your requirements. 

On top of all these, we’ll also argue that most teams might be able use both to power their applications, and reap benefits over sticking to just one programming language.

So, why the wait? Let’s begin.

What is Rust?

Rust is a high-level, multi-paradigm, memory-safe programming language to solve some of the problems encountered with C++. As it’s inspired by C++, it’s also statically typed and has a similar syntax to C++.

Unlike other modern programming languages, Rust focuses heavily on high-performance and secure applications. So, if you want to create a safe, yet fast app, choosing Rust is the right move.

Rust’s core design philosophy encapsulates many new ideas. These include its ownership and borrowing model, forcing developers to write bug-free code. So, you can write bug-free code as the compiler tells the programmer to fix all the issues beforehand.

Who uses Rust?

Even though Rust is a new programming language (first developed in 2006 by Graydon Horare), it has seen much success.

The first big founding block of Rust is its Rust Foundation. Many big companies, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Dropbox, are part of the foundation. All of these companies are using Rust in their production systems.

Rust is also popular among developers, ranking as the number-one loved language for 7 consecutive years. A few of the exciting use cases for Rust are:

• Figma’s use of Rust to improve front-end experience, and 
• Coursera’s use of Rust to power web-based assignment solutions. 
• Dropbox also uses Rust to improve its file synchronization engine. 
• And one last example worth noting is npm, a JavaScript package manager, which uses Rust for its main service. They chose to go with the language because to avoid bottlenecks in their service.

Rust key features

Rust excels as a fast-performance and memory-safe programming language. It does it with the help of multiple features, including zero-cost abstraction, memory, and thread safety.

It comes with an excellent compiler that offers insights into error messages. You also get pattern matching, move semantics, and type interface.

Two key features are zero-cost abstraction and memory safety.

• Zero-cost abstraction means that Rust can offer low-level memory access while using high-level programming concepts. 
• With no overhead, Rustaceans can create complex applications without worrying about performance penalties.

But, the most fascinating Rust feature is its ownership model that drives memory safe development environment. It enforces a strict rule on how memory can be allocated and accessed through borrowing models, which results in memory-safe programs.

It also offers thread safety, ensuring concurrency programs don’t run into race conditions.

What is Go?

Go (Golang or Go language) is an open-source statically typed programming language that models itself on C. In 2007, Google sought answers to improve productivity, especially around networked machines, large codebases, and multi-core.

Google kept it under its control at first, but open-sourced it after two years, in 2009. Two of the best minds, including Ken Thompson, Robert Gresemer, and Rob Pike, created the Go language. 

Golang’s robust standard library makes it easy to learn and build upon. It offers simplicity like Python and also something called goroutines which make it an excellent programming language for building concurrency-powered apps and services.

Golang is also a great choice for building web apps. Apart from that, it is also great for large projects and multi-core processors. 

In short, Go solves multiple problems, including slow build time, uncontrolled dependencies, difficulty writing automatic tools, and cross-language development.

Who uses Go?

Many companies use Go. These include Google, Netflix, Riot Games, Uber, Twitter, Salesforce, and Paypal. 

For instance, Uber uses Golang for their geofencing service. This service handles the user’s location and Uber’s service availability. Their team quickly shifted to Go as it is easy to learn and gives their geofence service a new life with 99.99% uptime and reliability.

Dropbox, a leading cloud storage company, utilizes Go to scale its systems in the most efficient way. They also shifted to Go from Python for more critical backends, improving concurrency.

Lastly, we have Riot Games — a leading video game developer company that uses Go in most of their products, including their entire backend microservice architecture.

Go key features

Golang excels as a programming language due to its unique take on many programming concepts. Some of its key features include:

Concurrency model: Go excels in concurrency. It offers a concurrency model that lets developers create concurrent operations to operate flawlessly.

The parallelism is achieved by goroutine, an independent Golang function that provides lightweight threads to concurrency.

In addition, Go also offers channels that offer bidirectional communication between goroutines. These channels can include unbuffered and buffered channels, which require present and future values for successful operations.

Lastly, it also uses WaitGroups to make the program wait to finish thread execution.

Standard library: Go has an excellent standard library with access to plenty of pre-written code for easy access and use. This allows developers to implement different features and build apps faster and more efficiently.

However, how is this different from standard libraries of other programming languages, such as Rust or Python? In this case, you can expect libraries that generally need third-party solutions.

Simple to use: Go is simple to use. It offers a simplistic language specification, enabling the team to use Go with less of a learning curve.

For example, simple rules such as making the function name UPPERCASE works wonders to improve readability while keeping everyone using the same formats for better readability.

Static typing: Go is a statically typed programming language. It means you need to tell the compiler the variable type before it starts compilation. This helps with catching errors and ensures better code readability. 

Code package management: Golang offers Go Modules, a built-in package management system. As you grow, you may also add external packages. The Go package manager deals with package dependency by managing installation, updates, and removal.

Rust Pros and Cons

Just like any other programming language, Rust has its pros and cons. Let’s list them below.

Rust Pros

Rust offers excellent performance out of the box while matching C++ performance, thanks to zero-cost abstraction. With it, developers can directly access hardware while having access to high-level paradigms.

Additionally, Rust offers LLVM optimization, HashMap APIs, and much more.

Rust requires low memory to function as it offers excellent memory control. It also doesn’t require Garbage Collector.

Rust’s compiler spits out easy-to-understand error messages.

A solid toolchain eases development workflow, powered by Cargo package manager and others.

The language supports cross-platform development.

Rust Cons

• Rust is relatively new, which means its documentation and libraries haven’t matured yet. This can lead to developers having to adjust their Rust application to new features frequently.
• Rust’s unique approach to ensuring memory safety is not easy to implement. If you’re new to Rust, you must learn and practice how it works. This makes coding Rust apps time-consuming and unsuitable for rapid application development (RAD).
• Rust’s compiler does provide a detailed error message with explanations. But, it fails to create a stack trace which is required for effective debugging. To bypass the cons, developers can use tools such as error-chain.
• Rust’s approach of weeding out every single error means slow compile time.

Go Pros and Cons

Lets look into Golang’s pros and cons:

Pros of Go

• Golang is simple to understand and use. Its simplistic approach makes it great for teams and big projects.
• Offers rich standard libraries with functionalities and features that developers would usually need third-party libraries for.
• A garbage collector for easy memory management.
• Go programming language has Google’s name attached to it
• Go comes with smart documentation 

Cons of Go

• Due to its “easy-to-use” philosophy, Go can facilitate sloppy coding practices – which might end up causing performance issues down the line
• The automated garbage collector can lead to memory safety issues.
• Go is a relatively new language which means it is yet to mature in terms of tooling and some other features.
• No GUI library.

Rust vs Go Comparision

Rust and Go are relatively new programming languages that solve problems with old programming languages such as C and C++. Both are open-source and offers developers the tools to meet modern development requirement.

Below, we’ll go through their similarities and then differences. Let’s get started.

Rust vs Go Similarities

In some regards, Rust and Go are quite similar. Here’s what they have in common:

Open-source

Both Rust and Go are open source. If we look at history, Rust was launched with an open-source tag. It welcomes new developers and contributors to build the community. 

However, the same is not true for Go.

When Go was first created in 2007, it was not open source. Google waited 2 years before making it open source in 2009.

Their open-source nature means better development experience. This way, developers can include their packages in the project and let Rust and Go’s package management handle them by automatically fetching and building the packages.

Performance

Performance-wise, Rust and Go are high-performing programming languages. They enable you to write efficient code using hardware resources directly. 

Concurrency

Concurrency lets developers run tasks in parallel for more efficiency and scalability. Rust and Go offer concurrency models that let developers effectively build apps and solutions utilizing multi-core processors.

Team friendly

Teams need to look into tools that help them collaborate for a long time. In this case, both Rust and Go excel.

For example, both handle code formatting with proper tooling — Gofmt for Golang and rustfmt for Rust. Both automatically format the source code so that team members are always on the same page.

Lastly, we have code readability. Go sports excellent readability similar to Python, and Rust is just slightly behind. This improves code review time – and developers can add new features without spending too much time understanding the code.

Safety

Both Rust and Go programming languages have excellent security out of the box. For instance, any application you create using Rust or Go is completely secure from attacks such as buffer overflows, malware and brute force attacks.

This way, developers don’t have to worry about common security issues and can focus on making their applications more robust and feature-rich.

Additionally, their team works hard to address any core programming language loopholes. Finally, they offer a proper submission methodology, where their team of experts patches the security loophole as soon as possible. 

However, Go and Rust each have unique ways of managing security. We’ll cover this more in detail in the “Security” section under Rust vs. Go differences.

Portability

Developers can create portable applications using Rust or Go. Both follow the “write once, compile anywhere” philosophy. Rust, for example, can work across different operating systems using LLVM compiler infrastructure.

In addition, the infrastructure is capable of running across different hardware architectures. Furthermore, Rust’s standard library offers cross-platform abstractions, making it truly portable.

Go’s portability is enhanced by self-contained runtime, not having to rely on third-party/external libraries to run the program. Just like Rust, Go offers cross-platform abstractions.

Rust vs Go Differences

In this section, we’ll look closely at Rust vs. Go differences. If you’re in a hurry, check out the Rust vs Go comparison table.

Popularity

Undoubtedly, Go is more popular than Rust because Golang was released earlier. This means Go had more time to build a community, related frameworks, libraries, and documentation. It’s backed by the power of Google’s name and its open source status.

If we look at numbers, Go beats Rust by just around 1.8% (11.15% vs. 9.32% in favor of Go) in the most popular technologies. However, Rust has stayed at the top of the most loved programming language for the past 7 years.

According to the TIOBE Index for April 2023, Go is in the 10th position, whereas Rust is in the 19th. The index is a pointer for getting an idea of what’s happening in the world of programming languages from the usage perspective, and they can use it to make strategic decisions.

Learning Curve

As Go values simplicity and a conventional approach, there’s an easy learning curve with the language. This makes it great for teams to pick up Golang quickly and start working on large codebases without feeling bogged down.

Its standard library enriches the Go ecosystem. You can pick the libraries you need and jump into your project.

Rust, on the other hand, has a steep learning curve. It’s because it follows a different philosophy than Go. 

Rust aims to give programmers the tools to create secure and bug-free code. To achieve this, Rust introduces many new concepts and models, including the ownership and borrowing model that requires programmers to think about stack and heap. 

All of these need a lot of time to learn and perfect before programmers become confident to use Rust at the production level. However, once known, Rust can become easier to implement, resulting in a high-performance, secure, and bug-free application.

Performance

Performance is one of the most significant talking points between Rust and Go difference. Considering that both Rust and Golang offer high performance, it is essential to know which one is faster and by how much.

If you check the publicly available Rust versus Go benchmark, you’ll notice that Rust is faster than Go in most scenarios.

On top of that, Rust offers a robust model for developers who want to create fast applications that are also predictable. It gives developers complete control of hardware and reaches maximum performance with reliability.

Go also offers high performance but is created for faster development time, which ends up producing a speed deficit compared to Rust programming language. 

Concurrency

Both Rust and Golang support concurrency. Go has complete concurrency support, whereas Rust’s concurrency is still under active development.

Go implements concurrency with its goroutines. Therefore, it is an excellent alternative to operating system threads as these goroutines threads. These threads can execute Go functions separately and map them to the OS threads. In addition, these threads can safely share data through Go channels.

This approach of complete control over lines gives Go developers full control over its execution and behavior.

So, if you’re building a scalable app that utilizes hardware’s multi-core capacity, then Go is a perfect choice. Golang also fits into high-scale applications. For example, you can use it to build and manage microservices.

Rust’s concurrency model is different as it takes advantage of its ownership and type systems. As the Rust compiler looks for memory issues, most concurrency problems are solved at compile-time. Rust names its approach fearless concurrency, where your code is free from subtle bugs and easy to refactor. 

Rust uses message-passing concurrency, creating channels between threads to send and receive messages. It also has Shared-state concurrency, Sync, and Send traits for easy concurrency management.

Overall, you can implement concurrency in both Rust and Go. However, if you want 

a straightforward approach with excellent concurrency support, Golang comes out ahead.

Memory Management and Safety

Golang uses a garbage collector to manage memory. This means it takes time for the data to get released. It is optimized but does come with some overhead. However, Go’s garbage collector runs periodically.

Rust, on the other hand, doesn’t use any garbage collector. Its approach is rigorous, and it requires the developer to take control of memory management. It would help if you did proper compiler checks to avoid data race conditions, making it very challenging, at least initially.

Updates

Rust is a new programming language that gets a lot of updates. These can be security or feature updates. Rust’s release cycle is set to 6 weeks, but that doesn’t guarantee new features, as some features can take years to develop before being released. 

On average, you can expect anywhere between 10-15 updates per year. This is great for the future of Rust language but can become a headache for developers trying to keep up. It means constantly looking to adjust their application code and the need to learn new things. 

Go, on the other hand, aims to offer a stable experience. It is now almost 15 years old and requires less frequent updates. Go receives two updates on average every year, which is way fewer compared to Rust.

Which one should you learn?

You should choose Rust if:

• you want to create a high-performance application that don’t run into race conditions
• you’re writing an operating system or hardware-level code
• you’re working on memory-safe feature
• you want to create a codebase that is easily maintainable
• you want to have complete control over concurrency threads
• you’re looking to build zero-cost abstraction solutions

You should choose Go if:

• your team wants to pick up a programming language that is easy to learn and work with, individually or as a team.
• you want to take advantage of multi-core modern processors
• you’re building scalable solutions
• you’re building a solution for simplicity and readability
• you want easy syntax
• you want a flexible web development programming language

When to use?

These are the use cases or scenarios for Rust or Go:

Rust

• Programming microcontrollers
• Systems programming

Go

• Building server-side applications, microservices, or network programming
• Creating Web APIs
• Web development
• Databases development

Final Words

Rust vs. Go — a fight of modern programming languages where you’re the only winner. As a programmer, team, manager, or developer, your job is to pick a programming language that fits your requirements. That’s why it doesn’t matter if Rust is better than Go or Go is better than Rust.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll have noticed that Rust and Golang have common grounds, be it performance, memory safety, concurrency, and their open source nature. However, there are differences in how each programming language achieves its goals.

Undoubtedly, picking Rust can be a challenging decision. But nothing can beat Rust if you’re creating a high-performance app where memory safety is crucial, with complete control over threads and hardware interaction.

Similarly, Go lends itself for use in big teams – with similar features to Rust, while offering simplicity, ease of learning, and an excellent standard library.

So, which one are you picking for your project? Comment below and let us know.

The post Rust vs Go – Comparison and How Each Fits Your Needs appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Once you’ve experienced the efficiency boost you can get from using portrait mode, you’ll never want to go back.

There’s a number of different models of vertical monitors out there. And of course they’re not all created equal. 

Let’s review the options you have, rank them based on size, ergonomics, image quality, and price, and allow you to pick the one that perfectly fits your desk setup for coding as well as your requirements and goals.

Why trust this review?

I’m reviewing the monitors from my point of view as a veteran Software Developer. My 10+ years spent coding on all kinds of different screens taught me what to look out for in a programming monitor.

I learned the pros and cons of different brands and setups. It’s why I’m able to discern a model that’s of high quality from one that isn’t.

Quick guide on what to look for in a vertical monitor for coding

What are the vertical monitors you can best use for programming?

1. Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240
2. Alienware AW2723DF
3. ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ-W
4. LG Dual Up
5. Dell UltraSharp U2722DE
6. LG UltraGear 27GP850-B
7. ASUS ProART PA278QV
8. BenQ PD2700Q

Best in class for coding – vertical monitors with OLED panel

Why OLED panels are great for programming

OLED screens offer excellent low-light performance. The big advantage over IPS-paneled vertical monitors is that they’re much better in dark rooms—which many coders prefer working in.

An investment for professionals

They’re also much more expensive than regular monitors. But if you’re a high-salaried Software Engineer, you might not mind investing this kind of money into increased efficiency and performance in your career.

Few OLED options

You’ll find more screens using this technology in the 34”+, 4K resolution category—but for sub-32”, QHD (2K, 1440p) displays, there’s not much choice when it comes to OLED monitors.

Here’s my top pick for a vertical coding monitor with OLED technology:

Best oled

Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240

The Xeneon 27QHD240 is the 27″ model OLED monitor just released by Corsair. Like many performance hardware components, it’s built with gaming in mind.

But its bright display, ergonomics and option for vertical orientation make it an attractive choice for coders as well.

That’s if you’re open to spending considerable money on your work equipment—because this monitor is anything but cheap!

Check Price on Amazon

Corsair Xeneon 27″ – Quick Review

Image: A major selling point of this state-of-the-art display is the OLED screen, offering stellar brightness (1000 nits at peak) for any lighting condition, as well as looking equally good from almost any angle.

Colors look beautiful on the Corsair XENEON thanks to its excellent color gamut range and the super-high contrast you get with OLED panels. The high refresh rate of 240Hz is perfect if you’re a coder who’s also into gaming.

Build quality: Corsair’s high-end vertical monitor is well-built and gives off a professional feel. Note though that apart from the stand, most of the display is made of plastic.

Ergonomics: With a stable frame and a multitude of options for adjustments (swivel, tilt, and of course pivot to vertical), this monitor belongs to the highest category when it comes to ergonomics.

Pros

• Light (13.8lbs) & thin
• A hand proximity sensor will light up the control buttons so you can easily find them
• 3-year warranty including for screen burn-in (a risk with OLED)
• Comprehensive & intuitive OSD

Cons

• The Corsair Xeneon’s price is prohibitive for most, unless it’s a career investment
• No integrated sound system

Best IPS panel monitors with portrait mode for both programming and gaming

Another category of interest when it comes to vertical monitors for programming is that of the hybrid coding and gaming monitor.

Many programmers are also avid gamers, and would enjoy one of these: If you’re ready to fire up a game, you can turn the screen back into horizontal orientation and play your favorite titles at a sky-high refresh rate—thanks to fast IPS panels.

As a bonus, the high refresh rate also makes for a smoother experience when you’re scrolling through source code or websites.

best coding/gaming hybrid

Alienware AW2723DF

Released in late 2022, the Alienware AW2723DF is Dell’s high performance gaming monitor—easily set up in vertical orientation—in the 27″, 1440p category.

With its off-white color scheme the screen stands out from its competitors.

It also sports one of LG’s Nano IPS panels, which (apart from OLED panels) are the highest quality you’ll find .

Check Price on Amazon

Alienware AW2723DF – Quick Review

Image:

Dell’s Alienware AW2723DF has reasonably wide color gamut and viewing angles. It’s impressively bright for an IPS panel as well—up to 600 nits. The 240Hz refresh rate, overclockable to even 280Hz, makes playing games and scrolling text ultra-fluid.

Main downside of the display is the lower contrast and poorer black levels the IPS panel provides compared to OLED.

Build quality: While the Alienware monitor is made out of mostly plastic, it does look and feel nice and valuable—which you could say is to be expected at this price point!

Ergonomics: The monitor stand is solid, and the screen is easy to adjust to vertical, as well as tilt and swivel. It also has two RGB lights in the back if you like adding some cool optics to your programing workspace.

Pros

• Cool optics. Good build quality and ergonomics
• Display alignment grid, helpful for multi-monitor setup
• Good image quality & very fast refresh rate (good Nano IPS panel)
• Useful for both gaming and coding in horizontal or vertical mode

Cons

• Black screen areas look sub-par in a dark environment
• The Alienware isn’t amazing at preventing reflections from bright lights
• It’s pricy for an IPS-panel vertical monitor if you’re only looking to use it for coding and general tasks, not high-level gaming

coding/gaming runner-up

ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ-W

ASUS’ 27″ monitor with vertical option, called ROG Strix XG27AQ(-W), offers fast refresh rates for gaming. It launched to the market in early 2021.

But it could also be of interest to programmers looking for high performance, excellent brightness and image quality for a work station screen.

The ASUS display is a good choice for someone who just wants to code, or who wants to do both coding and gaming, with very few negatives.

Check Price on Amazon

ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ-W – Quick Review

Image: With the ASUS Rog Strix you’ll be getting quality visuals, with accurate colors, and decent color gamut range. Smooth scrolling and gameplay are possible due to high refresh rates from 144Hz up to 170Hz (overclocked).

Contrast and black levels are okay (as is usually the case with IPS panels) – which means it’s fine, but not amazing for working in a dark room. Peak brightness is good for IPS, but lower vs some competitors like the Dell Alienware (max 400 nits).

Build quality: Build quality on this monitor is solid, providing a professional feel.

Ergonomics: These are impeccable on the ASUS: It pivots, swivels, tilts, and adjusts height effortlessly. This makes it perfect to use as a vertical monitor for coding as well as other tasks in any desired orientation. Viewing angles are wide—no matter which position you put it in, you’ll be able to see the image clearly.

Pros

• Eye care mode for late-night work. The ROG Strix allows you to decrease blue light levels in 5 increments. Together with the flicker-free backlight, this serves to reduce eye strain.
• Aesthetic and powerful looks. Available in white, in addition to the standard dark color
• It’s cheaper compared to other high-performance gaming and business / coding vertical monitors

Cons

• The Rog Strix is quite bulky for a 27” screen, as well as heavier than most (weighing almost 20lbs)
• The built-in speakers (2W) are nothing to write home about

16:18 vertical monitor for massive space – LG Dual Up

most screen estate

LG DualUp

In the world of coding monitors—even vertical ones—this monitor truly stands out.

Its 16:18 aspect ratio (2,560 x 2,880 pixels) qualifies it as a portrait mode monitor—but it offers more than your standard model. With the LG DualUp, you get more space vertically and horizontally!

Which means you can see 80+ lines of code at the same time, and still comfortably show other windows on the same screen, if you so choose.

Check Price on Amazon

LG DualUp – Quick Review

Image: The DualUp’s image quality is good, the colors are lively and accurate. At a maximum of 300 nits, its brightness is not amazing. It also isn’t made for competitive gaming with its 60Hz refresh rate.

Build quality: Build quality is decent, but could be better. It feels more plasticky and not as solid as some of the other models.

Ergonomics: The included mount is fully adjustable. The stand features cable management clamps, making it easy to keep your space tidy.

Pros

• Reasonably powerful built-in speakers (7W)
• There’s an 80W USB-C output you can use to charge your laptop from.
• Ambient light sensor that can automatically adjust the brightness according to outside light levels

Cons

• It’s not for watching videos in full screen: The unusual aspect ratio means you’ll have to deal with black bars in your playback window.

Best Options for Dedicated coding and office Work

What if you don’t need your new monitor to double as a high-end gaming display with its amazing refresh rate—you just need it to be great for programming and general tasks? Then there’s still a number of vertical screens for you to choose from.

Best of all, they’ll be considerably cheaper than the decked-out gamer monitors! Check out four of your best options I’ve reviewed:

Best overall

Dell UltraSharp U2722DE

The Ultrasharp U2722DE is Dell’s 27” QHD (1440p) productivity monitor, which was released in early 2021.

As a 60Hz refresh rate model, it’s of course not a perfect screen for gaming, but the beautiful IPS panel does very well if you’re using the UltraSharp as a (vertical) programming monitor.

Check Price on Amazon

Dell Ultrasharp U2722DE – Quick Review

Image: The screen produces a beautiful image, with nice and wide color gamut. Viewing angles are wide so you’ll be able to see screen contents well from any direction.

The Dell is rated to 350 nits of brightness, but only reaches 300 at maximum in practice.

Build quality: Build quality on the Dell is excellent and everything about it looks and feels professional.

Ergonomics: A fully adjustable stand that’s also really sturdy makes it super easy to pivot to vertical, tilt, swivel, and change the height of the display.

Pros

• The monitor doubles as a docking station, with a USB-C charging hub (up to 90W), a KVM switch to change between PC, laptop, or even console, as well as integrated cable management
• Dell is offering a generous 3 year warranty for the UltraSharp U2722DE.

Cons

• There’s some glow (typical of IPS panels) and backlight bleed, which is noticeable when the screen output is very dark.

Budget option #1

ASUS ProART PA278CV

This vertical screen from ASUS was released in early 2021 and is made for creative professionals.

With a quality 27″ QHD IPS panel, it produces an excellent image, and has the perfect pixel density for an efficient programming setup.

Check Price on Amazon

ASUS ProArt PA278CV – Quick Review

Image: The ProArt PA278CV has good image quality and color accuracy along with wide viewing angles. Its brightness goes up to over 400 nits, and coupled with the matte screen that makes it great at fighting glare from outside light sources.

Build quality: Although it’s plastic, the ASUS’ build quality is good. The stand is solid (albeit a bit vulnerable to scratches).

Ergonomics: Ergonomics are excellent on the PA278QV. You can easily pivot it to vertical and back, and it can swivel very far, as well as tilt a decent amount. It also has a cable management feature at the back of its stand.

Pros

• Built-in speakers (2W)
• Affordable price, but great quality

Cons

• The panel has low contrast and struggles to accurately produce blacks. Blacks will look gray-ish (more so when there’s little light in the room)
• Refresh rate of 75Hz – not amazing for gaming

Budget option #2

LG UltraGear 27GP850-B

Just like the aforementioned Dell UltraSharp, the LG Ultragear 27GP850-B is a 27” QHD vertical option monitor released in March 2021.

It’s aimed at gamers, but you can put it into vertical orientation to use as a programming monitor.

With its fast, overclocked 180Hz refresh rate, both games and code or text scrolling will look super smooth.

Check Price on Amazon

LG UltraGear27GP850-B – Quick Review

Image: The LG’s Nano IPS panel scores with great color gamut and wide viewing angles. Brightness is rated at 400 nits—brighter than many similarly-priced competitors.

Build quality: The monitor is made out of almost all plastic. Considering this, the build quality is okay.

Ergonomics: The Ultragear 27GP850-P is slightly limited in its ergonomics: While you can pivot it to vertical as well as adjust height, tilt range is limited, and you can’t swivel it at all.

As such it’s best if you’re looking for a stationary setup, and not looking to change the monitor’s orientation around a lot on the fly.

Pros

• The LG is reasonably priced if you compare it with the Dell Ultrasharp, and even more so with an OLED vertical monitor like the Corsair Xeneon.
• There’s plenty of output options, from dual-USB 3.0, to DisplayPort and dual HDMI, to a headphone jack.

Cons

• Like most IPS monitors, it does glow when the screen is showing black.
• Its contrast and black levels also don’t look perfect when you’re in a dark room.

Budget option #3

BenQ PD2700Q

The BenQ PD2700Q is an older model that was released in mid-2016.

It still offers competitive performance as a coding monitor, though.

Its price is the most affordable of any vertical screen reviewed in this article.

Check Price on Amazon

BenQ PD2700Q – Quick Review

Image: Being a designer monitor, the BenQ PD2700Q has great color coverage. The brightness levels are good (up to 350 nits), with a flicker-free backlight, reducing eye strain during long programming sessions.

For an IPS panel, it’s doing well with showing accurate black and gray colors. Overall, the image looks great on the BenQ PD2700Q.

Build quality: The BenQ’s chassis appears strong and durable.

Ergonomics: The stand is solid, and you can adjust the screen by ways of pivot to vertical, tilt and swivel. Although the adjustments don’t go as far as some other coding monitors’, they’re useful enough for most situations.

Pros

• Viewing angles are excellent
• Useful DualView feature to display and switch between different applications during development
• 3-year warranty

Cons

• Weak-sounding speakers (1W)
• No USB-C port, and no USB-3 outputs–only 3x USB 2.0. (There is a more expensive “Apple-ready” version available)
• Not great for gaming, its pixel response and input-to-output time are slow
• Due to its slightly beefy construction, it ends up being heavier than most 27” screens at 15+ lbs net weight.

Buyer’s Guide for a Vertical Coding Monitor

Here are the specifics of what you should look out for when buying a vertical monitor for programming.

Size & Resolution

Not too big, not too small

When you’re using a 19″ screen as your vertical monitor, you’re leaving screen real estate on the table that could make you even more productive.

On the other hand, I consider a 32″ display the maximum for a vertical monitor. Beyond that, you’ll have to move your eyes and head too much to see some of the contents. It’ll also be heavier and harder to adjust.

A resolution that’s crisp, but not excessive

FHD resolution is fine. But upgrading from 1080p means you get more space to work with while everything still looks good.

Most programmers feel that native 4K resolution is too high, and you need to scale your screen output to work with it from a normal distance.

Because scaling doesn’t always work perfectly, and you’re now paying for resolution you’re effectively not even using, I recommend QHD/1440p as the sweet spot for any reasonably-sized vertical coding monitor.

Adjustability & Ergonomics

The perfect vertical programming monitor will have a solid stand that allows pivoting to vertical with ease, as well as swivel/tilt into different angles you’re working at. This is also useful for showing your work to others at your desk.

Everything should be intuitive, easy to reach, and durable.

Image Quality

Although as programmers we don’t need the same color quality as designers, a display that:

• has reasonably wide color gamut
• is bright enough for low-light situations
• offers good contrast so that blacks look natural

is still preferable.

The IPS panels I’ve reviewed produce a beautiful picture, beyond what cheaper TN models can do.

There’s differences between IPS models as well, so pick one that has the specifications you need:

• Does it need to have a high refresh rate because you’re into gaming?
• Is peak brightness very important to you?
• Do you need the most accurate colors and highest native contrast?

When it comes to image quality and brightness, OLED panels are in their own league – but they’re also very pricey. Consider whether investing that much makes sense for your goals.

Price

For around $300, you can get a good 27″ vertical coding monitor at QHD resolution that will serve you well. Only if you really need a high-end device should you be looking to spend between $600-$1000 on the most expensive devices we’ve reviewed.

FAQ

Can any monitor be used vertically?

Not all monitors can pivot into vertical orientation using their original stand. But, if you get a separate wall mount, you’ll be able to use them vertically as well.

With MacOS or Windows 10+, you can easily put your screen into portrait mode.

How exactly do I put my monitor into portrait mode?

The standard hotkey in Windows for putting your screen into portrait mode is Ctrl+Alt+Left or Right Arrow Key. To reverse it, use Ctrl+Alt+Up Arrow.

If this doesn’t work, just go into your Windows display settings, and under orientation, select Portrait Mode.

Likewise, in MacOS, go into your display preferences, and set the rotation to 90°.

Which resolution is best for a vertical coding monitor?

QHD resolution on a 27” vertical monitor makes for a pixel density of 100+ pixels per inch. You’re getting a nice and sharp image, but the screen contents don’t become so small that you have to use scaling.

Scaling doesn’t work well across all applications.

This makes working with a lower, but still sharp resolution a better bet than going for the absolute highest resolution available.

The goal is to find the sweet spot between image sharpness and readability at native scale. A 27” vertical panel with QHD/1440p/2K resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels) fits into that sweet spot.

As a bonus, 2K monitors are also generally more affordable than 4K models.

The post Best Vertical Monitors for Programming in 2023 – Reviewed appeared first on Simple Programmer.

So, if you’re an aspirant looking to get a Rust developer position, or a hiring manager looking for questions to test your candidates‘ Rust knowledge, we got you the best Rust interview questions.

Before you start

Let’s give you a quick overview of some general things before you get started. This will help you set your expectations for Rust jobs as a candidate.

• The average salary for Rust developers is $120K per annum.
• The range of Rust dev salaries starts at $60K per annum for junior developers and goes up to $140K per annum for senior developers.
• The Rust market is currently growing. This means that not only is the developer pool increasing, but the number of jobs along with it. In short: There’s plenty of market demand for Rust developers.
• Huge companies like Dropbox, Mozilla, CloudFlare, and even Discord use Rust to power their systems.

With this overview out of the way—here are your sample questions and answers:

25+ Rust Interview Questions and Answers

1. What is Rust?

Rust is a high-performance multi-purpose programming language. It is reliable and offers a rich type of system with no runtime. It provides an ownership model that makes it thread and memory safe. Its user-friendly compiler shows detailed errors for bug-free development. These make it an excellent pick for building tools, servers, and web apps.

2. What are the benefits of Rust?

There’re many benefits to using Rust:

• Rust features faster execution and low-level access, similar to C and C++. But at the same time, it offers safety similar to a high-level programming language. Due to no runtime, it is ideal for high-performance-critical services and embedded solutions.
• Rust’s memory-safety approach means that it lets developers write bug-free applications. It manages to prevent data races, especially when running concurrent threads. 

In short, Rust enables developers to build bug-free, high-performance, and robust software.

3. Explain Rust’s ownership model?

Rust manages memory through an ownership model. The model has a strict set of rules for the developer to write their programs. This leads to compile-time checks, resulting in bug-free programs. In other words, programmers must write code that takes care of memory from the onset.

The ownership rule can be summarized as follows:

• In Rust, each value has an owner.
• Only one owner at a time can be present.
• When the owner goes out of the scope, the value is dropped.

4. What is borrowing in Rust?

Borrowing in Rust is accessing variable value without taking ownership. Instead, the borrow checker carries the transaction and ensures references are valid while providing strict rules around data mutability. 

A variable, once borrowed, can have its value read. Sometimes, the value can be modified depending on the access level. This simple technique allows Rust developers to write memory-safe programs devoid of common programming mistakes.

5. Can you create infinite loop in Rust? If yes, how so?

You can use the handy loop keyword to create the infinite loop.

$ rust loop {// …. }

6. How are Stack and Heap used in Rust?

Stack and Heap play a crucial role in Rust’s memory management. For optimal memory management, both must be used. However, as Heap is less organized and slower than Stack, it is best to avoid directly accessing Heap. 

To circumvent the problem, the coder can use Stack to store the Heap pointer, which points to the actual heap location. This method is faster. 

Also, using Stack is a better choice when using fixed-sized data types. In case of no fixed data size, Heap must be used. Also, the programmer should delete data on Heap once not required. It minimizes duplicate data to ensure the program doesn’t run out of space.

7. Why doesn’t Rust use a garbage collector?

Rust doesn’t use a garbage collector because memory management is done through the ownership model. A garbage collector is unnecessary as all checks are done during compile time.

However, technically, Rust has a static garbage collector that makes sure that memory that is not in use is recycled before any other program or variable tries to access it. 

8. What is Cargo?

Cargo is a popular Rust package manager that lets developers manage packages and libraries. It is an excellent tool, especially when working with complex projects.

For example, it’ll take care of your Rust package’s dependencies, automatically downloading and compiling them. It is also intelligent enough to ignore build files when you use Git.

9. Which command do you use to create a new project in Rust?

You can use the cargo new command to create a new project. However, you can also approach the method manually by creating the necessary Rust files and folders. However, the cargo package manager makes Rust project handling easy and intuitive.

10. How do you use cargo to build and test Rust code?

Cargo offers plenty of commands to build and test Rust code. To create a new Rust program, use Cargo new to create a new project.

To build the project, use thr Cargo build command. And to test the project, Cargo test. It opens up the debug mode and runs the test suite.

You can run the Cargo check command to check whether the program compiles quickly. And, if you want to run and build a project together, use the Cargo run command.

11. How you convert a normal Rust program to Cargo compatible?

Changing a non-cargo project to Cargo requires you to do two steps:

• Move your main.rs file to the src directory
• And create a Cargo.toml file.

In the Cargo.toml file, you want to add the necessary structure, which includes [package] and [dependencies].

The default code for Cargo.toml is:

[package]

name = “guessing_game”

version = “0.1.0”

edition = “2021”

# See more keys and their definitions in the Rust Documentation

[dependencies]

12. What is Rust Reference &?

The & symbol creates a reference to a value. Once created, the value is borrowed.

fn main() {
    let x = 5;
    let y = &x;
    println!("{}", y);
}

13. What is Rust Macro? And how it is different from a function?

Rust offers macros like println! It refers to a set of features in Rust.

Technically, macros deal with metaprogramming, where a set of code/way of writing code generates other code. It helps reduce the amount of code which in return reduces code maintenance.

A macro differs from a function in how they are declared and executed. In Rust functions, it is essential to declare the type and number of parameters. Macros don’t require this approach and can take one or more parameters.

Another big difference is that macros are expanded before the compiler intercepts them, which is invalid for Rust functions.

14. Tell us about the rustfmt automatic formatter tool 

rustfmt is a useful Rust development tool with automatic formatting based on the community code style.

This improves collaboration and prevents any issues related to code style. So, if the team uses rustfmt, everyone follows the same style.

To add rustfmt to the project, run the following command:

$ rustup component add rustfmt

15. Explain error handling in Rust.

Error handling in Rust works differently compared to other programming languages. Here, Rust doesn’t use exceptions but instead breaks the errors into two categories: recoverable and unrecoverable.

Recoverable errors are errors that can be solved or are primarily user based. For example, file not found error. In case of recoverable errors, the program doesn’t stop and asks for a retry from the user. 

In case of an unrecoverable error, Rust initiates its panic macro. It prints the message, unwinds, cleans the stack, and quits. Examples of unrecoverable errors include accessing an array beyond its length.

16. Is Rust ready for web?

Rust is ready for the web if you consider production-ready frameworks such as Axum and Actix Web. On top of that, other popular Rust web frameworks like Warp and Tide exist.

These frameworks are complete web solutions and give developers access to essential tools, including templating, routing, middleware, and form handling. And you have crates and databases such as SQLx and Diesel. 

Rust for the web can be a game changer considering that developers can take advantage of WebAssembly. 

17. What are common data type in Rust?

Rust common data types include integers, booleans, floating-point numbers, and characters.

18. What is the purpose of the mut keyword in Rust?

In Rust, variables are immutable. This safety-first approach makes Rust bug-free and offers excellent concurrency. The mut keyword tells the Rust compiler that the variable is now mutable. 

let mut guess = String::new()

In the above code, a mutable guess variable is created. It is also bound to an empty String instance.

19. Does Rust have any disadvantages? If it does, mention them.

Rust does have some disadvantages, similar to any other programming language. These disadvantages include:

• Rust compilation takes time to complete
• Rust’s borrowing system is complicated.
• Rust has a higher learning curve, which could be a challenge in situations where the team needs to learn Rust in a timely manner for an upcoming project.
• Rust is still new, which means that many of its libraries are not yet complete

20. How you declare global variable in Rust?

To declare a global variable in Rust, use the const keyword. You can also use the static keyword to declare a global variable which gives the mutable variable status. However, it is not recommended to use static as it is an unsafe practice.

21. What purpose does Cargo.lock file offer?

The Cargo.lock file keeps a tab on all application dependencies.

22. Can operating systems be written in Rust?

Rust is a multi-purpose programming language. It is equipped with all the low-level access features and hence offers appropriate features to write a complete operating system. For example, Redox and Google’s KataOS are written in Rust.

23. What is the difference between emum and struct in Rust?

A struct in Rust is a data type you can use to create your custom data type. It is helpful to encapsulate data and then access it later on. For example, in a struct, you can create multiple fields where each field can have its data type.

Below is the example:

struct Omega {
    x: i32,
    y: i32,
    z: "string"
}


fn main() {
    let p = Omega { x: 1, y: 2, z: "hello" };
    println!("{} {} {}", p.x, p.y, p.z);
}


#output
1 2 hello
```
</code></pre>
<!-- /wp:code -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p><strong>Enum, </strong>on the other hand, lets you create a type with different variants.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:code -->
<pre class="wp-block-code"><code># enum example in Rust
```rust
// Language: rust
enum Direction {
    Up,
    Down,
    Left,
    Right
}

24. Provide impl block example in Rust.

An impl block in Rust lets you implement Rust’s struct and enum data types.

# example of impl block in Rust
impl Direction {
    fn as_str(&self) -> &'static str {
        match *self {
            Direction::Up => "up",
            Direction::Down => "down",
            Direction::Left => "left",
            Direction::Right => "right",
        }
    }
}

25. Write an example of a generic Rust function

Rust trait lets programmers define shared behavior for shared types. It can hold more than one method for an unknown type Self.

trait Animal {
    fn new(name: &'static str) -> Self;
    fn name(&self) -> &'static str;
    fn talk(&self) {
        println!("{} cannot talk", self.name());
    }
}

26. What can you create with Rust?

Rust is a general-purpose language. You can use it in domains like web servers, databases, operating systems, and real-time and secure applications.

Candidate-specific questions

In any interview, the interviewer asks questions you have to answer by filling in your own experience. These questions can include

• Tell us about your Rust projects.
• Please walk us through the architecture of one of your Rust projects.
• What is the most challenging task you did related to Rust? And how did you manage to overcome it?

You can practice answering these questions beforehand so that you’ll be able to handle them with confidence.

Overall, Rust programming is relatively new. If you’re applying for a beginner-level Rust job, your questions will mostly cover beginner stuff. For experienced developers changing their careers, most questions would be advanced or Rust project specific.

The post 25+ Rust Interview Questions and Answers appeared first on Simple Programmer.

This article covers the best game developer resources to help you create great games.

Let’s get started.

Why do you need resources for game development?

Game development from scratch and creating your assets along the way is complex. It requires hundreds of hours, and you need strong motivation to master the different stages of the game development process.

This process starts with laying out the plan, creating a story, creating engaging visual effects, developing game mechanics, adding music, and testing and debugging. On top of all these, you also need to market and promote your game to reach your intended audience.

You also need to know a lot about different things, be it graphics, music, marketing, programming, or project management.

There’s no doubt that making games isn’t easy. (Let’s not sugarcoat it to appeal to new game developers).

To help you through this, you need to use the best resources available. They’ll teach you about game development most efficiently and help you troubleshoot issues if you’re stuck. It’s also crucial to have access to something that helps you stay ahead of the curve by informing you about new trends and topics.

We figured the best way to support you in this is to filter out the noise—and curate only the best resources for your convenience.

Game Design

1. GDC Vault: GDC Vault is an excellent source for game design videos. It includes all Game Developer Conference talks and provides in-depth insights from the best minds. In addition, it offers free and paid sections. For beginners, the free section is more than enough. However, if you feel limited by the free content, you can get their paid subscription, especially if you’re a professional.

2. Boardgamizer: If you’re into board games, you’ll find Boardgamizer very useful. It hosts access to board game strategies and lists popular designs for inspiration. In short, it covers the board games topic in detail. 

3. GameDeveloper: If you like written content, then you’ll find Game Developer (formerly known as Gamasutra) useful. It covers game design topics and other helpful game developer resources, including programming, audio, art, production, business, and more.

4. Three Hundred Mechanics: You can check out this site if you’re looking for game design inspiration. It lists 300 different game mechanics by the author. He documents all his ideas, and you can explore them for better ideas.

5. HacknPlan: This tool offers an excellent way to do game production and allows game designers to plan, organize and track game development progress.

6. Game Design Workshop: If you need more programming or artistic experience, this book can still help you get started with digital game creation. Tracy Fullerton writes the book and discusses design techniques using popular games.

Art

1.  2D Game Art Guru: A excellent resource for game development art that Chris manages. He has 20 years of art development experience, which is reflected in his work. He covers various art topics, including helping new learners get started with Inkspace, an open-source tool for creating art.

2. The Art of Game Design, Jesse Schell: This book discusses game design questions through different lenses, trying to understand fundamental and most profound game design principles. It also covers VR and AR platforms and goes through popular games such as Last of Us and Unchartered 4.

3. Textures.com: If you’re looking for high-quality CG art, this site is for you. It offers free and premium content which you can use to create art for your game.

4. GameDev Market: Explore various game art, including 2D backgrounds, GUI HUD, 2D characters, Audio SFX, GUI Icons, and much more. It also offers 3D assets.

5. The Art of Making of Hogwarts Legacy: This book explores one of the newest games in the market, Hogwarts Legacy. It explores its original concept art, an excellent pick for aspiring game developers who want to learn from it.

6. OpenGameArt: OpenGameArt lists tons of free art real users submit. Here, you can access 2D, 3D, and concept art. Additionally, you also get access to textures, music, documents, sound effects, and even tutorials.

7. Real-time VFX: This ultimate guide allows learners to learn real-time VFX. It includes tons of information and guides you through the whole learning process.

Effects

Without effects, actions in your game feel empty. That’s where these resources will come in handy.

1. Freesound: Freesound is the best place to get sounds for your game. All sounds are covered under the Creative Commands Licensed, so you can use them without worrying about copyright issues.

2. Incompetech: Incompetech is a free-to-use graph paper generator. 

3. Blender 3D models: Get your project’s 3D models, particle systems, and effects. Here, users submit their own generated content for other users to use.

4. FreeSFX: FreeSFX houses more than 500K music tracks and sound effects. All of these are free to download and use.

5. GameSounds: GameSounds lists royalty-free sound and music.

Blogs

Blogs give you insights in a concise manner (as opposed to textbooks and documentation).

1. Microsoft Game Dev: If you rely on Microsoft technologies to build your games, this blog can help you get started. In addition, you can also check out AWS for Games, which offers more detailed resources on game development in the cloud and AWS.

2. CGspectrum Blog: CGspectrum blog offers diverse content related to game development. Here, you can access topics such as game development, 3D modeling, visual effects, visual production, and digital painting.

3. GamesIndustry.biz: Keeping up with game industry news is vital to know trends. GameIndustry.biz covers GDC, events, academies, and other news that shape the industry. It also lists video game jobs.

4. HTML5 Game Development: If you’re into HTML5 game development, you’ll find this blog helpful. It offers engines, tutorials, demos, tools, and news related to HTML5 game development.

5. Unity Technologies Blog: Unity is at the forefront of game engines, and you surely don’t want to miss out on what they have to share.

6. GameDeveloperTips: This blog covers interesting game development topics, ranging from beginner to advanced.

7. GDkeys: GDKeys blog covers exciting topics for indies, game designers, and enthusiasts. They also host a discord server where you can interact with like-minded people.

Podcasts

Listening can sometimes be a better way to learn things, especially when you’re doing mundane tasks. So here, we list the best podcasts you should take advantage of.

1. Psychology of video games: This channel regularly hosts podcasts about how video games and psychology interacts. They regularly post new podcasts and talk about fascinating topics.

2. GameDevUnchained: GameDevUnchained talks about various topics related to game development. They post new podcasts every week discussing games, tech, and more.

3. Level Design Lobby: Level Design Lobby dedicated itself to breaking level design techniques for its audience and how they can be used and improved. They break down popular games’ level design and interview famous artists.

4. CoRecursive: A game dev podcast aggregator lists the best video game podcasts online. It is handy to find exciting podcasts and learn about new things.

5. GameDevAdvice: Another brilliant game dev podcast by John JP Podlasek, who has 30 years of experience in the game industry.

Free Tutorials

Tutorials can give you the required knowledge to get started with problem-solving, troubleshooting, and converting ideas to life.

1. GameDev.net: A game developers’ community that offers access to tutorials and lively forums.

2. Alanzucconi: He is a pioneer in game academics. His work is renowned in the game industry. You can read about his work on his blog.

3. Game accessibility guidelines: Game accessibility is one of the big topics in game development. This tutorial/game resource teaches you basic, intermediate, and advanced game accessibility guidelines. Everything is in a document form.

4. Brackeys Youtube channel: If you’re new and want to get started with game development, then this Youtube channel offers everything you need to know to get started.

5. Visual Storytelling for Film and Video Games: This 120 hours course on visual storytelling for video games is free for everyone. You can also pay for it(optional) to get a certificate.

6. CS50’s Introduction to Game Development: It is a 12-week course about game development. It is a beginner’s course and provides excellent value for your time. It is free, but you can get a certificate with a fee.

7. Introduction to game development for the web: The MDN web docs tutorial is a beginner’s doorway to web game development.

Game Development Courses

Courses are a more structured approach to learning. These game development courses can help you sharpen your skills and knowledge.

1. Udacity: Udacity offers access to plenty of game development courses. Its Interactive 3D Graphics is an advanced course on computer graphics. If you’re a beginner, check out its 2D Game Development with libGDX. It also offers exciting courses, including Mobile Games Engagement and Monetization and How to Make a Platformer Using libGDX.

2. Udemy: Like Udacity, Udemy has a lot to offer. Its game development courses range from learning Unreal Engine 5: The Complete Beginner’s Course to Advanced techniques such as Game Physics in Unity.

3. Coursera: Coursera is also a great place to learn game development. It offers a wide variety of courses that range from beginners to advanced. One of its popular courses includes Introduction to Game Design by the California Institute of the Arts.

4. Learn Unity: Learn Unity offers access to more than 750 hours of on-demand training. In addition, it provides pathways that help learners to have a better learning experience.

5. AudioTuts: Get in-depth learning about music and audio. It offers an excellent collection of courses, articles, and tutorials.

Marketing

1. Slay the Spire: Success through Marketability: This is a talk by Mega Crit Game’s Casey Yano on how they achieved success through marketing decisions, adding value to the game, and community-building.

2. Indie Game Marketing: The post guides you on how to market indie games, discussing pitfalls to avoid, must-haves, the importance of App Store Optimization(ASO), and the time to sell your Indie game.

3. Beginner’s Guide to Games marketing online: An excellent guide on marketing games online. It discusses different ways to promote a new game.

4. Effective Indie Game Marketing: It offers a step-to-step detailed guide on marketing an indie game. 

5. 20-item Game Dev Marketing Checklist: A handy checklist when marketing your new game.

6. Udemy’s Game Marketing Courses: A great collection of game marketing courses. Some courses include Business of Mobile Gaming, Introduction to Games Marketing, and Indie Video Game Marketing on Reddit.

Communities/Forums

Communities and Forums give you access to like-minded people. It gets you into meaningful and relevant conversations with the ability to ask for help and help others.

1. Polycount Forum: It is a forum that delivers game art. Here, you can discuss video game art(2D and 3D). In addition, it is an active community that covers news, work opportunities, contests & challenges.

2. r/gamedev: The Gamedev Reddit channel discusses everything related to game development, including art, music, marketing, business, and programming. It is very active, and you can get plenty of good old discussion archives, resources, and news.

3. r/IndieGaming: If you’re an indie game developer, you’ll love this small yet active subreddit. Here, most people ask for advice and share progress on their indie games.

4. GameDevLondon: London developers can use this community to build games and connections. It offers chat options, events, and podcasts.

5. Game Dev Network: This discord server is an active community of more than 40K developers. You can discuss game dev code, jobs, tools, and game engines here.

Conferences

1. Game Developers Conference: One of the top game developer conferences held annually in San Francisco, CA. It brings the best experts to the stage that shares excellent real-world insights.

2. MGS 2023: This conference covers app monetization, mobile user acquisitions, product development, user retention & engagement, to name a few. It focuses more on the app ecosystem and is a 6-day event.

3. Meet to March: A great event to meet game programmers, financiers, marketers, and authorities. You get excellent networking opportunities here with expert speakers sharing their experiences and learnings.

4. Digital Dragons: A 2-day event focused on gaming B2B. It has 94 presenters with over 1400 attendees. Alongside the speaker’s talk, they also have panel discussions.

5. DevDays Europe: This conference discusses cutting-edge technology, followed by workshops. That’s why it is a great event to visit for programmers, marketers, UX designers, and game developers.

Programming

1. FreeCodeCamp: If you’re a beginner who wants to create web-based games, there is no better place than FreeCodeCamp. It provides you access to web-based technologies without spending a single dime.

2. Math for Game Programmers: Noise-Based RNG: Squirrel Eiserloh discusses Noise-Based RNG and how he replaces it with a math library in this GDC video.

3. Procedural Generation: Learn the most popular game dev technique, Procedural Generation. 2D procedural generation, a comprehensive guide, and MIT’s take on 3D words with deep learning.

4. Khan’s Academy JS: Games and Visualization: Learn about advanced JavaScript for games and visualization. 

5. Game programming courses: Coursera, Udemy, and edX offer some excellent courses on game programming. 

Best Flow of Resources to Get Started With Game Development

Game development is a process. It requires careful planning and execution. You’ll find the massive game dev resources confusing if you’re starting. After all, where to start?

The very first step is to lay out the plan. Next, you must create a Game Design Document(GDD). It requires tools such as Nuclino, Workflowy, or Dundoc.

Next, you need to devise a good story. For it, you can check the game design resources listed here. Then, you can learn what makes a good story. Along with the knowledge, you can use story-building tools such as Canvas, Twine, ChoiceScript, Miro, and others.

You can pick Scrivener, Obsidian, and even Google Docs/Sheets for writing.

Withyour GDD created, it’s time to load your project management tools such as Trello, Asana, ClickUp, or HacknPlan and get agile. 

Now, you need to think about your tools. Different teams have different requirements. They can use Unity or build on their custom engine. In any case, online resources are plenty. For a custom engine, you must reference internal documentation for better understanding.

Your game development should progress nicely from here. First, however, you should get a prototype covering core mechanics. It’ll help you stay confident about your project and create placeholders for future assets. Next, for audio, you should check out our effects section.

Lastly, it’s essential to always keep learning. Our game dev resources list online courses, free tutorials, communities, and in-depth videos. Feel free to review them and use your knowledge to build a new fascinating experience for the players!

The post 55+ Game Developer Resources to Create Amazing Games appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Which factors are important to achieve this?

• Ergonomics
• Screen real estate and configuration
• Quality components
• Necessary & useful accessories
• Optics and ambience

Let’s explore the best programmer desk setup ideas and essentials, so you can get inspiration & improve your existing space, or even design from scratch the perfect coding cave for yourself:

The first rule of programmer desk setups – choose the right screen(s)

Your monitor setup for coding is the centerpiece of your programming desk, and you should choose it wisely. The goal is to have a lot of screen real estate, but not so much that you need to crank your neck to work with most of it.

Whether you’re going for dual or triple monitors, portrait or landscape, flat or curved, 16:9 or ultrawide display—make sure it can show every app you’ll need for coding, without being excessively huge. 

Try to find the sweet spot: A monitor setup that delivers both impressive optics and maximum efficiency at the same time. If you’d like to dive deeper into what makes the ideal monitor arrangement for coding, do check out the comprehensive post answering that question. 

SP’s Recommendation for the best coding monitor: Dell Ultrasharp 27” QHD⤻ͣ

The coding desk itself

Sit-Stand Desk⤻

Sitting too much is obviously bad for you. And as programmers, we do it for hours and hours every day. Standing is a bit better–but too much of it isn’t ideal, either.

The best option is a mix of both. A sit-stand desk you can control electrically (or even by crank) lets you switch positions relatively quickly, and puts your body into the varied posture it craves. 

Anti-Fatigue Foot mat⤻

The same goes for your feet. Your feet are made to experience differing surfaces and movement challenges throughout the day–or else they stiffen up, and slowly lose function. When you’re in standing mode, it’s the perfect time to let your feet explore the mini-landscape in the form of a foot mat made for this exact purpose.

Which Hardware to put on your coding desk

Desktop or Laptop computer for your coding desk?

If possible, go for a desktop for higher performance at lower pricing, and better upgradeability. 

On the other hand, if you frequently need to work while you travel, get a laptop instead.

Better optics for your machinery

• A laptop dock⤻ looks sleek for when you’re using it with the lid closed (or simply storing it). 
• Adding RGB lighting⤻ to your chassis gives your PC a much cooler look

Desk Shape and Layout

Straight vs corner desks

A corner desk does give you additional space to put things like a printer, for example. But it’s not something that’s strictly necessary for a great programming desk setup–and it can look less slick than a straight desk.

Cutout desks offer better ergonomics

A desk with a cutout makes for a more immersive coding experience. It also gives you more space to rest your forearms and wrists on, which puts you into a healthier position while you’re working. This point is relevant only if you’re not using a keyboard tray under the desk (which is recommended and we’ll get to later).

Laptop Stand (if using a Laptop)⤻

Keep your coding environment at eye level. This is important to avoid head-forward posture, neck pain and injury. If you’re using a laptop as your main, or as a supplementary screen, make sure to put it up on a dedicated stand. That way you’ll never have to hunch over to work on it.

Monitor Arm to Adjust & Rotate Your Screen(s)⤻

Especially if you’re using twin monitors, it could make sense to mount both of them to one of these versatile monitor arms. They’ll let you freely & quickly change the position of your monitor setup without having to fiddle with each screen’s individual stand.

Because they’re so robust and versatile, they’re a better option than the integrated stands in almost all cases anyway.

Backlighting⤻

The right lighting helps you get into the right mood for a coding session. It can give your desk setup a really cool look—you can even pick custom-colored lights to design it to your taste even more. 

More added benefits of good lighting are that it eases the strain on your eyes, and makes you and your space look better if you’re doing video calls or recording videos to share on YouTube or other platforms.

Keyboard Tray⤻

Something most programmers suffer from are tight upper trapezius muscles. They’re the ones pulling up your shoulders towards your ears. The culprit is having to elevate your arms to reach your coding PC’s periphery—because keyboard and mouse are sitting on a desk that’s simply too high.

Do you want to be able to sustain a long programming session (and career) without pain? Then your shoulders need to carry as little tension as possible!

You accomplish this by using a keyboard shelf underneath the desk. Now you’re reaching straight ahead—or slightly down—to type, causing your traps to stay relaxed.

Mechanical, Ergonomic, Split Keyboard⤻

When you’re using a regular keyboard for coding, your shoulders are constantly rotated inwards. This makes the shoulder and chest tightness caused by working at a desk even worse.

What a split keyboard does is allow you to type in a more neutral shoulder position. Over time, this can make a big difference in your shoulder health and overall posture.

Wrist Rest⤻ͣ

If you rest your wrists on the desk surface – writing code on a keyboard placed on top of it – they will be placed into extension the whole time. Obviously that’s not optimal, and it can even lead to things like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. 

By placing a soft pad under each wrist, you’ll create a neutral position for your wrist. They’ll thank you for taking off the stress.

Programmable Multi-Button Mouse⤻

With the many repetitive tasks and commands we’re doing as programmers, any way to automate or add efficiency to their execution is more than welcome. This is where a good programmable mouse can come in handy.

For example, if you’re using a tiling software to manage your monitor setup, you could assign buttons for jumping between your different work areas.

Desk Pad⤻

A big desk pad will turn your hard worktop into the most comfortable and secure surface for your coding periphery. You’ll likely want to have a mouse pad anyway, so why not make it bigger?

That way you’ll get more area for mouse movement, comfort for resting your arms, and anti-slip padding for your keyboard at the same time. Improved optics for your desk space are an added bonus.

Desk Setup Essential for Software Engineers – FHD Webcam⤻

Because professionally programming work for clients or employers is not simply a solitary affair anymore–like it or not, you’ll need to frequently check in with clients, employers or team members, often by video call–a proper webcam with good lens and resolution is a sensible investment.

Some models offer such high video quality that they’re perfectly suited to record videos for YouTube or other platforms as well.

KVM Switch⤻

As programmers we often have multiple machines for different purposes. By adding a KVM switch to your desk, you’ll be able to jump between and use the same monitor, mouse and keyboard for all of them. 

Noise-Canceling Headphones⤻

When you need to give full focus to your programming work, you want to block out all outside sounds. Thankfully we have amazing technology today that does it perfectly.

Not only will these headphones improve your efficiency when writing code—you can take them with you whenever you travel, greatly reducing your stress and making any plane ride that much more peaceful.

Professional Chair⤻

Yes, a great programmer chair represents a mid-sized monetary investment. But it’s one that can save you a lot of back and hip pain down the line.

Unfortunately, humans aren’t built for sitting on our butts for hours on end developing software. The least we can do to limit the damage we’re doing to our bodies is put ourselves into a more ergonomic sitting position. A high-quality chair with back & neck support helps you do that.

Consider spending the money—I promise you’ll be paid back with more productivity and longevity in your programming career.

Footrest⤻

While we’re sitting there using only our brain and hands, our legs are craving movement—or at least a change in position once in a while. If not, our muscles tighten up, and the legs can even swell up because blood flow is being limited.

Place a simple footrest in front of you under your desk, and you’ll be able to stretch out your legs, move your ankles, and generally sit in a more neutral position. Believe it or not, it even takes some stress off your back. 

Speakers⤻

Sometimes you don’t want to wear your headphones, or you have company. This is why it’s cool to have some good quality speakers at your programming desk as well. It’s nice to have the option to create some ambience audio, or shake the walls with your favorite tunes. 

Cable Management⤻

The perfect programmer desk setup obviously can’t have a mess of cables. You’ll want to have everything clean, organized, with all cables neatly tucked away.

Your work station will look much better and this will unclutter your mind as well, so you can focus even better on your code creation. This is one of the cheaper upgrades to your setup, but which makes a big difference.

Greenery⤻

Want to turn your work area into a more lively environment? Then consider adding some plants. They’re also good for improving air quality. 

Art⤻

Depending on which style you’re going for with your desk setup, there’s different styles of art you can choose to put on your walls. It’s a perfect way to round out your programmer habitat.

Gadgets⤻

If you’re into Star Wars, Anime, or any other fantasy characters: Putting little statues or toys will definitely add character to your work desk.

The post The Best Programmer Desk Setup (Ultimate Guide) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

At Simple Programmer, we specialize in the career skills to get you the job you most desire. 

Let’s lay out a realistic roadmap you can follow to achieve your dream of becoming a professional game developer.

Developing games for a living – the financial perks

According to salary.com, the average salary of a game developer in the US is $73,427. 

This is less than what you’d make in a Software Engineering position—but you might be willing to accept this, in exchange for getting to work every day at something you’re deeply passionate about. 

What you need to do to become a Game Developer – 8 essential steps

If you follow this roadmap, you’ll maximize your chances of becoming a great developer and landing one of those sought-after jobs in the game industry—or finding success on your own.

1. Set your goals

How you’ll go about becoming a game developer will depend heavily on what you actually want to achieve. There’s a number of different paths and end goals available to you in the field of game development:

• You can make games just for fun as a hobby
• You can focus mostly on coding and specialize as a Game Programmer
• You can learn a wider set of skills and become a Game Designer
• Your goal could be to make your own games and go solo as an indie developer 
• You could plan to join a prestigious game studio, working on the most advanced titles
• You might want to become an expert in a distinct coding language and game engine

The different types of game developers
These career paths are available for you as an aspiring Game Developer:

• Game Programmer
• Game Designer
• Gameplay Engineer
• Systems Designer
• Different types of Game Artist

Also ask yourself what kinds of games you want to create. Is it state-of-the-art 3D games (“AAA/Triple-A”), or 2D titles? And for which platform? Mobile, console, or desktop?

2. Pick your means of development

Let the goals you’ve set in the first step dictate which game engine you’ll learn to use. Each engine uses a specific coding language. 

By knowing what part of which kinds of games you’ll want to work on, you can confidently pick the right engine to get into, as well as the programming language that goes along with it.

The most popular engines for professional game development

The vast majority of the highest-end 3D games are developed in Unreal Engine. Unreal does have a “visual scripting” function, meaning you don’t necessarily need to know how to code to create games.

But, if your goal is to one day work as a professional in game development with Unreal, you’ll need to learn its native programming language, C++. Writing custom code gives you the possibility to add unique features and behaviors to a game. You have complete control over every detail, and the performance of your game. 

It’s not enough to be proficient with a built-in game builder. To have a chance to become a pro game dev with Unreal Engine, you’ll need to be able to code every feature of a game from scratch using C++.

Unity is the second major game engine in professional game development. Like Unreal, it does have visual scripting. When it comes to writing your own code to build a Unity game: You’ll need to use the C# programming language (“C-Sharp”).

3. Become good at coding

Now it’s time to start your journey into learning to code. For the language you’ve picked, gather some resources: Books, free tutorials, and courses. You’ll want to learn Computer Science fundamentals and programming principles along with writing your first code.

Your passion for game programming should push you to study hard: Watch 1-2 tutorials or course lessons per day, every day for 2-3 months—and try to apply everything you’re learning right away.

4. Further develop your game developer skills

Which skills do you need to become an in-demand game developer?

• Coding skills. You’re working on this. But it’s not enough to simply be good at writing code. A professional game developer needs to have many other abilities as well.
• Math and physics skills. The gameplay of games is based on physics. Learn as much as you can about it. Math underlies all code—understanding it will make you a much more effective programmer. Subjects to study are Linear Algebra, Calculus, and Trigonometry.
• Software Engineering skills. As a game programmer, you should become an expert in all aspects of making software. Further areas of focus should be knowledge of networking—working with databases and implementing server backends. Debugging is another crucial skill for a game developer: When working for a game studio, you’ll spend a lot of time working with, debugging, and improving other people’s code.
• Problem-solving ability. This is the number one skill for any programmer, and game developers are no exception. Work on your ability to analyze a problem. Then find, plan, and implement an effective and efficient solution.
• Imagination and creativity. The chance to use your creativity most days you’re at work is a blessing. Whether you’re working with your team on creating the next level of your game, or figuring out best way to code gameplay features, imagination and creativity are essential skills for game developers.
• Storytelling. Try to learn about linear and non-linear storytelling and narrative techniques. In a linear storyline, the players’ actions drive the story forward, while in non-linear games, the actions players take will determine how the story will unfold. Understanding how stories develop and reach a satisfying end can give you a much-needed perspective in writing the increasingly complicated code necessary for such storylines.
• Work ethic and time management skills. Game developers are no strangers to looming deadlines and long hours worked. This is why it’s imperative to be disciplined in your work, and excellent at managing your time and energy.
• Teamwork and communication skills. Completely self-created games are an exception in the world of professional game development. The most likely career situation for a pro game developer is working at a game studio, in a team. This makes the job more fun and interesting—but it also requires you to be a team player, empathetic leader, and good communicator.  
• Passion for game development. You will face hardship—while learning, while trying to get into a job, and while on the job—and you need to be able to deal with it. Your unwavering love for game development will get you through anything.

 5. Consider a degree

Do you need a degree to succeed as a game developer?

• You do not need a degree to be a good game developer, nor to get a job at a games company. Game studios are above all looking at the practical value you can bring them. 
• You can bypass the need for a degree with an exceptional portfolio and superior demonstrable skills, or even with creative ways of hunting for jobs.
• But, a university education in a relevant field will give you a good theoretical foundation, as well as some applicable or transferable skills. 
• The prestige it still holds with many companies can get you into interviews more reliably.

Game degree vs Software Engineering degree

Keep this in mind:

• Game degrees aim to teach you a bit of everything. But companies are often looking for specialists vs generalists.
• Degrees that include a 1-year placement are preferable. You might get hired back by the same company if you did a good job. Plus you already have experience to show—and game studios are looking mostly for candidates who already have experience.

6. Start developing games

To get started developing games, it’s recommended you pick a simple game that already exists, and try to recreate it with the help of tutorials and courses. Any time you’re stuck, you’ll have to learn new concepts and pieces of code to keep progressing. This is the best way to increase your game development skills—intense, hands-on, and fast.

It’s a good idea for an aspiring professional game developer to make games in different genres, just to be exposed to a wide variety of technical challenges, and develop a wider set of skills. 

The best game devs are constantly creating (and recreating as more advanced versions) games. They learn how to ship a finished product from early on, which will prove invaluable as they enter their career.

7. Create a strong portfolio that stands out

The field of game development is competitive. If you want to attract the attention of game studios—or your application be considered for an interview as a game dev—you need to take every chance to stand out.

A portfolio is a must. But the competition has caught on to this need. It’s not enough to show simple games made with the Unity editor in your portfolio—that just puts you at the level of most others. 

Ideas for an outstanding game developer portfolio: 

• Showcase excellent coding skills by creating your own game engine from scratch.
• Make your own physics engine
• Develop a game with unique features (vs. making a me-too game)

The portfolio should be visually appealing as well. 

Always include screenshots of the game scenes so that potential employers can assess the games. Also, include the links for the game installation software so that they can try playing the games.

8. Prepare and hunt for your first job

Before you start applying for game developer jobs, you’ll need to prepare your knowledge and coding skills to be able to answer the questions asked at game developer interviews.

Getting a job as a game developer is not easy. Try hard at getting your foot in the door of the industry, even if it’s not for your dream company or position.

Internships

Internships—or placements during your university studies—are an amazing opportunity. Most employers only want to hire someone who already has experience, which these let you gain. Moreover, if you do a good job and really prove yourself, there’s a good chance you’ll get an offer to join that same company you interned or were placed at full time.

Shooting for a junior position at a game studio

Good places to find open game dev positions are on game companies’ websites and job boards. Send your resume to any studio that’s hiring, even if it’s not your dream position. In addition, you can contact companies that aren’t officially hiring—they might still consider finding a place for you if they’re impressed by what you have to offer. This is a good way to avoid competing with dozens of other developers, as you do for job openings advertised on job boards.

Your portfolio and marketing can help you get a job

A game developer who is constantly building interesting projects and showing them off online can pique the interest of a game studio. This underscores how important an impressive portfolio and getting your name out there really is. Another way of becoming more known and building relationships that could lead to a job in the field is going to meetups, game jams and conferences. You’ll be able to make interesting new friends, get feedback on your games, and network with industry insiders and potential employers.

Plan B: Gain more experience in a regular programming job & pivot into a game development position later

Because of the fierce competition in the market, you might not be able to get into a game development job right away. Another viable option could then be to apply for a general programming job. You’ll gain experience programming and finishing projects. Some of the skills you learn might be the exact specialties a company is looking for. Armed with practical experience—a valuable point on your resume in the tough industry—your chances of getting a game dev job will have increased significantly.

9. Stay ahead of the competitive market

Once you’ve scored your dream job, keep learning. Stay ahead of new developments and trends as well as technological advancements. Make sure to talk with friends in the industry, be part of online communities and attend conferences. That way you’ll stay in the know and never get left behind.

There’s many ways to get paid for game development

If working as a game programmer at a studio doesn’t sound like what you want to do, then there’s other ways to make money as a game developer. From selling indie games to freelancing—if you’re serious about making a living creating games, you’ll have multiple options to do that.

The post How to become a Game Developer (9 ESSENTIAL Steps) appeared first on Simple Programmer.