[Factor-talk] Factor 4 dentists

[Patrick Mc(a. <pa...@sp...>]

I'm 35 now. At 23 I could not turn on a computer and at 29, I was so 
proud to create a file by typing "ls > somefile.txt". Since this break 
though moment I have learned about 10 languages and continue to study 
everyday but I am still very much behind the average on this list. I 
work with scientific instrument hardware and just code evenings and 
weekends, >90% of this time is studying.

Back in 2007 I really barely understood what a database table was and 
had no clue about what a primary key was, yet I was able to hack 
together a database backed PHP site. My piece-O-crap, 1/3 finished site 
soon outranked a competitor with over 40M in revenue for the most 
critical keyword, I understood the content but their design team did not.

PHP has a reputation as a poorly designed language. I think factor is 
the anti-PHP but this is good and bad. Rasmus didn't design PHP for CS 
students and he is proud to hear of a story of a dentist who wrote a PHP 
application to organize his clinic. The barrier to entry with PHP is a 
joke but for me at least, factor is like storming the beaches of 
Normandy alone,  armed with with a pointy stick.

I am determined to learn this language and once I do, I want to write a 
book to make it easier for people like me to learn it after. I was 
thinking of writing a "pocket guide" to the language. It would be 100 
pages of 8.5 X 11 sheets or less. I was planning on distributing it for 
free as a PDF but selling hard copies which wold be printed in batches 
of 2s or 3s at a local store. Here in Canada it is super easy to get an 
ISBN number so I would get one.

Any objections to this? It would be 2-6 months away. Assuming it is 
available at no charge, could I use code samples from the documentation?

Thanks for reading-Patrick