3. If you really like it and want to take his courses then pay for a membership.
This guy can get information on a new topic into my brain faster than anyone on YouTube, while keeping me entertained and enjoying every minute of it. His code report videos are so entertaining (but less technical) that my non programmer wife likes to watch them.
I'm glad he can make a living at this. He's put thousands of hours of labor into producing fantastic content for free. I was happy to pay a fraction of a days pay to buy a lifetime membership to support his years of work, but if you don't like it don't buy it.
High quality technical content is important to me, and I'm thankful whenever those creators find a way to eat without being totally subservient to google's algorithms.
I discovered Fireship and Jack Herrington[1][2] only last month.
I normally never subscribe to channels on Youtube but these 2 are so good for both getting a clear explanation on what you want to learn and keeping up-to-date with what's to come.
I'll second the quality of his videos. I'm usually not a fan of stuff like that, because they tend to be not very precise, but he knows his stuff, and is able to compress it in a very short amount of time. Part of it is infotainement, but it's probably the best I've seen.
Looks like he actually puts effort into his videos. I am so sick of YouTube normies who literally just steal others content and add their 'reactions' to it with a click bait title. It's not 'fair use' in my opinion. They are just stealing other's work because they're too mediocre to do anything original themselves. Yet these very same people end up making tons of money on YouTube. Going to guess none of that goes back to the people whose content they steal. It can also be complicated if they're doing stuff like streaming video games because ultimately they don't own any of the game's assets. So are they really entitled to make money from that or not? I think it's an interesting question.
I came across Fireship on YouTube about a year ago. In my opinion, he is by far one of the better dev-centric YouTubers out there. Unlike the typical dev screencasts that are dry and boring, his videos are entertaining, informative, and succinct.
The primary reason I subscribed to his Pro lifetime membership was to support him as a content creator. However, after consuming several of his full-access courses, I enjoyed and found real value in his matter of fact, rapid-paced delivery of content.
Jack, if you’re reading this - please don’t let the negative comments here discourage you. Many of us are fans, and know that we support what you’re doing for the dev community.
I agree with you completely and I specifically want to complement his graphics design and editing skills in his videos.
IMO, Every YouTuber should also host their content on their website instead if relying upon conformist algorithms for Ads & Scammy sponsors; I've seen neither on Fireship videos, Besides he offers more value through his website.
Fireship person, More power to you as a fellow indie; Don't pay much attention to those who would praise a $999 monitor stand from a Trillion $ company but ask why an indie charges $30 for a living.
I'm glad to have found his youtube channel. But like mentioned elsewhere his 'sell' was that project oriented was better for teaching than videos but you can't actually try anything before you buy even though it says 'start free'.
I haven't used the Fireship site or any of their courses but I do really enjoy their YouTube channel. Especially the XYZ in 100s is a nice bite-sized introduction to some things you might have never heard of. https://www.youtube.com/@Fireship
100% agree about the YouTube Channel. It's especially useful for being a self-taught programmer trying to decide between frameworks, other development options, etc. Also I just watched their video from a couple days ago, "Things are gonna get weird in 2023" about how tech trends will play out next year, and it's both on point and hilarious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v_TEnpqHXE
Their videos are often the best introduction to frameworks, technologies or concepts. I'm consistently surprised how well that channel manages to pack quite technical topics.
i find it interesting that the videos always go over 1min 40 seconds but it really doesnt matter and nobody ever has a problem with the length of the videos. the "100s" is a promise that you take directionally but not literally. its an interesting gimmick that more people should apply in other domains.
To be honest I see this new trend of squishing down longform information (such as books, courses etc) into short tidbits with the promise of «infusing you with information» a detriment to learning. There is a huge difference between being told something by e.g reading a sentence summarizing a point, in comparison to reading the longer form. This is because a big part of what is learning, or grokking rather, is that you ponder and think about the information you just received in context with something else. You need to simulate and build a mental model using the information as a jumping off point. Thats where longer form of content such as a «slow» book is beneficial. It might be slow and repeating itself, but in doing so it gives you the chance to actually understand what is being presented to you. These short summaries are giving you non of that, unless you actually stop and ponder every single sentence, and at that point you might as well be consuming the longer form since it will help you in that aspect.
I honestly believe we’re currently being too focused on productivity hacks, so we’re not seeing the forest for the trees. You reading and remembering a line from a book is not the same as you understanding that line, and in this example where they state they are giving you a 60 minute lesson in 5 minutes - how much understanding are you actually left with at the end?
> see this new trend of squishing down longform information (such as books, courses etc) into short tidbits with the promise of «infusing you with information»
I see a general decline of attention spans around me and I wouldn't be surprised if more learning content takes this route.
There is also something to be said about the fact the I often remember things I saw in edu TikTok more than things I read in a book because it's presented in a more engaging and visual manner. So, I assume it actually helps some people learn easier and lowers the "activation energy" threshold to get started.
I think it’s important to recognize that there are multiple learning styles and not everyone goes through the same steps or finds value in the same places.
I think this is highly project and phase dependent as well, and sometimes the most valuable resource is a resource that can explain the essence of a thing in minutes thereby allowing you to make a decision about whether or not spending more time on the subject is warranted.
Well, I actually like the video format not for really learning but to discover new things.
For example, as a developer, I loathe coding tutorials in video and I prefer reading books / documentation on the topic.
But for everything that I’m just curious about (which is, science in general), the video format is really nice because I’m not going to invest my time in reading physics books. So instead of watching TV shows, I watch science videos on YouTube.
I know it’s pure entertainment but if I’m honest, I must say learned a lot of useful things that I can use on a daily basis.
Like, understanding the basics of thermodynamics is in fact really useful to heat your home or to correctly cook things. I know I’ll never be an expert in any domain with YouTube videos but they give me more than just watching dumb things.
Same could be said about books when they were invented. Books allow you to read whatever you need at any time instead of memorizing the information. You don’t get to store as much information if you read books. Remembering things will be a thing of the past. Those who memorize things are able to slowly over time form a better understanding. And so on …
Short attention spans seems problematic, but we live in an era where shrinking the things we don't know we know is better than better memorizing the things we know. Search has made this possible and I predict this trend will increase with AI like ChatGPT.
Learning git is the cheapest way to get faster at coding. First get a good grasp of command-line git and of the git workflow (dirty working directory -> staged index -> commit code), and then use git diff to see how your code changes from one commit to the next (or between the staged index and the previous commit, or just looking at one file, etc.)
If you get your git diffs from one commit to the next to start looking concise and clear, maybe one working function added per commit, one block, one small class etc,, then you can start coding pretty quickly, because you're adding in discrete chunks, testing as you go, and you don't get lost trying to do too much at once, you can quickly switch back to the latest working version, debuggging is much faster, etc.
VS Code makes visualizing diffs extremely easy. You can also select specific lines and commit them as you want.
This enables a workflow I love to use for smaller PRs where I just do all the work without making any commits and then at the end of it all I walk through my changes and group/organize the changes however makes the most sense
So, I click on "start here", get to three pages of promises of greatness and then - while I still don't have a clue what this thing really is - I get asked to sign up.
I lost interest with: "You can't learn to code by watching videos", "Fireship is all about project-based learning. I create short highly-focused videos that make learning to code addicting."
I can't take anyone seriously when they contradict themselves so quickly.
Maybe it is just because I learned to code back when people learned from books (sometimes even textbooks!), but I think the fastest way to learn to code is to get one good book on whatever language you want to use, and just start coding. Videos and tutorials are so low bandwidth, hours of videos and tutorials == the intro chapter to a book. If anything videos are eating the time you could spend reading and coding.
My experience was “read the book and do exercises until I feel a false sense of confidence. Then just go do stuff and use the rest of the book as a reference.”
What was most important to me was to make sure I didn’t burn out and get bored. It was important to get to a fun, captivating project asap.
Programming books are a start, but they hardly ever mention stat(), inodes, sockets, named pipes, the fact that kernel calls are extremely slow, deadlocks, data structures…
$30 /month feels like a lot to me. It reminds me of leetcode where I would actually consider paying for the service but the price is just so high I can't justify it for how little time I would spend with it. Maybe the price makes sense if you're going through every course on the site, but I'm really only interested in one or two so it just doesn't make sense for me. I'll just learn from other sources.
Leetcode's problem is that the free option is already really good. The premium version's offering just isn't compelling. Official solutions while nice are often not as helpful as the community submitted solutions. Getting access to more interview questions also isn't a selling point given how many questions are already on the site for free.
The best hackers I know are all super fast. That is the one quality that is common. They can create huge amounts of business value in a very short time by using fewer but better abstractions.
I still wouldn't sign up because after clicking to get started it asked me to sign in before even letting me try it out. Just a bunch of meme graphics.
Learned a lot from him in my super early days. Sometimes can teach whole topics, others it can give you the right amount of knowledge to search it and study it your self. Keep going Jeff
wtf "You can't learn to code by watching videos" -> "Solution (..) I create short highly-focused videos that make learning to code addicting." hard pass
The landing page says every course starts free but it's only intro "overview" videos I can watch. None of the actual content can be seen before paying.
They also talk about how their "project-based" learning is better than video learning, but it doesn't provide any examples of that. All I can see without registering are sample video lessons. Obviously they don't need to provide everything for free but they do need to prove to potential customers that their approach is better.
I don’t know why hyperskill.org is not getting any love on HN, zero videos, byte sized lessons to the point - followed by questions and assignment. Also mini projects at every 10 or so lessons which eventually makes up final project and their learning map is really awesome which maps topics to know before proceeding , and integration with JetBrains IDE is nice so you can submit projects or questions directly.
The Fireship videos on YouTube are excellent, entertaining and informative. I presume the videos are scripted - one of the reasons the videos are concise and no filler.
I haven't tried the Fireship courses, but I'm intrigued which teaching approaches preferred by developers: video, text, interactive exercises, book - a combination?
For me, I have found video instruction is massively varied. Although instructors may be familiar with a subject, some are not good at teaching. The best instructors understand their subject but also explain their subject clearly. Also, overly long videos can make watching video a chore. But there are always exceptions (e.g. Harvard online CS50?).
I currently believe that anyone who avoids books, avoids reading, and just wants videos, can't get good at software.
A similar example?: Can you get good at writing by looking at videos, but not reading anything. Or, get good at running, by looking at videos but not actually running? -- Coding is mostly reading and if one doesn't liked that...
But yes sure, some concepts maybe can be nicely explained in videos. It'd be a small % of all one needs to learn I think.
Think about Code Complete, the book. How long would a video have to be, to cover the stuff in the book.
Use multi-modal learning. Videos, tutorials, projects, ChatGPT. I think it's worth watching a video before diving into a project if you are very new to what you're learning. ChatGPT is a great new way to learn as well.
I think you can't learn to code *just* by watching videos. Videos can be a start, but you need practice. You can't learn to be a carpenter by watching videos either, but videos can be a great way to get started.
Fireship is a great jumping off point for programming. For example, I recently started learning Rust, and their "in 100s" video on it really helped me to get the basics. However, the best way to learn to code is still just to do it. It's much easier to build something you think would be cool, and use the vast amount of free information available on the internet, as opposed to sitting through courses that cost >$300 yearly.
[+] [-] short_throw|3 years ago|reply
If you haven't heard of fireship, do this instead of complaining about his prices:
1. Watch a few videos on his YouTube for free (https://m.youtube.com/c/fireship)
2. If you enjoy it, subscribe/watch more.
3. If you really like it and want to take his courses then pay for a membership.
This guy can get information on a new topic into my brain faster than anyone on YouTube, while keeping me entertained and enjoying every minute of it. His code report videos are so entertaining (but less technical) that my non programmer wife likes to watch them.
I'm glad he can make a living at this. He's put thousands of hours of labor into producing fantastic content for free. I was happy to pay a fraction of a days pay to buy a lifetime membership to support his years of work, but if you don't like it don't buy it.
High quality technical content is important to me, and I'm thankful whenever those creators find a way to eat without being totally subservient to google's algorithms.
[+] [-] resurge|3 years ago|reply
I normally never subscribe to channels on Youtube but these 2 are so good for both getting a clear explanation on what you want to learn and keeping up-to-date with what's to come.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/@jherr
[2]: https://www.jackherrington.com/
[+] [-] Zababa|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Uptrenda|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] megax|3 years ago|reply
The primary reason I subscribed to his Pro lifetime membership was to support him as a content creator. However, after consuming several of his full-access courses, I enjoyed and found real value in his matter of fact, rapid-paced delivery of content.
Jack, if you’re reading this - please don’t let the negative comments here discourage you. Many of us are fans, and know that we support what you’re doing for the dev community.
[+] [-] Abishek_Muthian|3 years ago|reply
IMO, Every YouTuber should also host their content on their website instead if relying upon conformist algorithms for Ads & Scammy sponsors; I've seen neither on Fireship videos, Besides he offers more value through his website.
Fireship person, More power to you as a fellow indie; Don't pay much attention to those who would praise a $999 monitor stand from a Trillion $ company but ask why an indie charges $30 for a living.
[+] [-] djmips|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cybrox|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] calny|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mrtksn|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] swyx|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] baron816|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ConradKilroy|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] opdahl|3 years ago|reply
I honestly believe we’re currently being too focused on productivity hacks, so we’re not seeing the forest for the trees. You reading and remembering a line from a book is not the same as you understanding that line, and in this example where they state they are giving you a 60 minute lesson in 5 minutes - how much understanding are you actually left with at the end?
[+] [-] jatins|3 years ago|reply
I see a general decline of attention spans around me and I wouldn't be surprised if more learning content takes this route.
There is also something to be said about the fact the I often remember things I saw in edu TikTok more than things I read in a book because it's presented in a more engaging and visual manner. So, I assume it actually helps some people learn easier and lowers the "activation energy" threshold to get started.
[+] [-] haswell|3 years ago|reply
I think this is highly project and phase dependent as well, and sometimes the most valuable resource is a resource that can explain the essence of a thing in minutes thereby allowing you to make a decision about whether or not spending more time on the subject is warranted.
[+] [-] pjerem|3 years ago|reply
For example, as a developer, I loathe coding tutorials in video and I prefer reading books / documentation on the topic.
But for everything that I’m just curious about (which is, science in general), the video format is really nice because I’m not going to invest my time in reading physics books. So instead of watching TV shows, I watch science videos on YouTube.
I know it’s pure entertainment but if I’m honest, I must say learned a lot of useful things that I can use on a daily basis.
Like, understanding the basics of thermodynamics is in fact really useful to heat your home or to correctly cook things. I know I’ll never be an expert in any domain with YouTube videos but they give me more than just watching dumb things.
[+] [-] pryelluw|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] charlie0|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] photochemsyn|3 years ago|reply
If you get your git diffs from one commit to the next to start looking concise and clear, maybe one working function added per commit, one block, one small class etc,, then you can start coding pretty quickly, because you're adding in discrete chunks, testing as you go, and you don't get lost trying to do too much at once, you can quickly switch back to the latest working version, debuggging is much faster, etc.
[+] [-] culi|3 years ago|reply
This enables a workflow I love to use for smaller PRs where I just do all the work without making any commits and then at the end of it all I walk through my changes and group/organize the changes however makes the most sense
[+] [-] kleiba|3 years ago|reply
Err, no, thank you.
[+] [-] SapporoChris|3 years ago|reply
I can't take anyone seriously when they contradict themselves so quickly.
[+] [-] hr0m|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jacobsenscott|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Waterluvian|3 years ago|reply
What was most important to me was to make sure I didn’t burn out and get bored. It was important to get to a fun, captivating project asap.
[+] [-] lifeplusplus|3 years ago|reply
One of the best intro to inner workings of JS : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o8hhJPK0m0&list=PLAwxTw4SYa...
sadly udacity is hell bent on removing all quality content off their website so get it while it's on youtube.
[+] [-] bombolo|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 63|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] eachro|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] epolanski|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ilrwbwrkhv|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] peter_d_sherman|3 years ago|reply
They do the most amount of work -- with the least amount of code!
(Compare to long-winded political speeches where a lot is said -- but very little is actually accomplished! <g>)
[+] [-] 999900000999|3 years ago|reply
https://www.theodinproject.com/
If you charged 10$ for it I would off already signed up. I actually want to learn front end React
[+] [-] encryptluks2|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Aeolun|3 years ago|reply
> Solution: I made a bunch of (better?) videos that teach you how to code.
I’m not sure I understand this logic.
[+] [-] RobTonino|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Lapsa|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kecupochren|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] digitallyfree|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] HiroProtagonist|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] djmips|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Jayakumark|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|3 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] design-of-homes|3 years ago|reply
I haven't tried the Fireship courses, but I'm intrigued which teaching approaches preferred by developers: video, text, interactive exercises, book - a combination?
For me, I have found video instruction is massively varied. Although instructors may be familiar with a subject, some are not good at teaching. The best instructors understand their subject but also explain their subject clearly. Also, overly long videos can make watching video a chore. But there are always exceptions (e.g. Harvard online CS50?).
[+] [-] cutemonster|3 years ago|reply
A similar example?: Can you get good at writing by looking at videos, but not reading anything. Or, get good at running, by looking at videos but not actually running? -- Coding is mostly reading and if one doesn't liked that...
But yes sure, some concepts maybe can be nicely explained in videos. It'd be a small % of all one needs to learn I think.
Think about Code Complete, the book. How long would a video have to be, to cover the stuff in the book.
[+] [-] jasfi|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sosodev|3 years ago|reply
"I create short highly-focused videos" -- a bit contradictory, no? Sure it's "project based" but so are many other free courses
[+] [-] humanistbot|3 years ago|reply
[+] [-] eiiot|3 years ago|reply