When I was a young, aspiring programmer, I subscribed to RUN Magazine. RUN was geared towards developers of the Commodore 64 and 128 computers, and it contained a lot of interesting topics and introduced programs that you could type in yourself. Most of the programs were entertaining in nature.
Today, I am not aware of any resources that are specifically targeted to recreational programmers. This is unfortunate: computers are much more wide-spread than they had been years ago, programming languages have advanced, and even deployment of applications is easier, so instead of just writing a program for one's own use, one can write a program and put it on their webpage.
I'm also concerned that the lack of recreational programming resources limits the number of young, aspiring programmers who would benefit from cool and exciting applications. It seems that today's magazines, like Dr. Dobb's Journal, are written by technical people, for technical people. Where are the magazines written by technical people, for tomorrow's future programmers?
Additionally, I think a lot of adult programmers will also enjoy a recreational programming resource. And I would not intend to dumb down the content: RUN Magazine wasn't written for kids, but I did just fine with it when I was a teen. I'm not that atypical.
You may be thinking, "A magazine? Which uses dead trees? How prehistoric!" Why would I want to create a magazine when web resources are so plentiful?
In reality, I propose a magazine-website mix. But I think the paper magazine is important for a number of reasons, the most significant of which is that one is likely to pay attention longer to a magazine than to a website [reference needed]. The other is that it's easy to bring a magazine with you to study hall, in the car, and to other locations where it's good to have something to read.
A website will be important as well. For one thing, source code and data objects can be downloaded from it, and older content can be persisted. I'm thinking that the magazine would require one to type in some portions of source code to give the reader first-hand experience.
First, I want to create a resource that is language-agnostic and that, in fact, encourages experimentation with multiple languages and paradigms (declarative, object-oriented, functional, etc)
Second, I want the ideas to be interesting, cutting-edge, and engaging. Here are some ideas I've had:
- How to use Matrices to do Cool Graphics Tricks
- Building a quick game using PyGame
- Creating a Flock of Birds with OpenGL
- How to Create a Desktop Widget
- Using Biological DNA to Create Music in JFugue
- AI Tricks using Lisp or Prolog
- Building Robots that Explore Your Back Yard
If this sounds like something you'd like to help me get off the ground, please let me know!