This week I finished getting access to most, if not all of the accounts I needed. I also got a Dev VM which is very important, because is where I write, commit, and build all of the code, you know the entirety of my job. I also started the TIL’s (Today I learned) this week. I believe I’ve got to know the team better as I’ve met and worked with James, another one of the software engineers on the team.
As you can see in the last TIL, I noticed that my code reading skill is lacking, even though I was a TA. There is a distinct difference though as a TA I would read code for a simple task that I myself had already written. Either as part of the class when I took it, or beforehand to prepare for student questions. Now I have to read completely unfamiliar code, interpret it and build on it. That is something I have not had a lot of experience with, and that is why I am here as an intern; to learn new skills.
What I did
This week I mostly worked on code cleanup. Trivial tasks that they had been saving for me the intern =D. For example converting a bunch of test state defines to an enumeration. Although it was a bit tedious it got me more familiar with the code base in general, which is a good thing.
TIL
6/1/2017
String literals are stored as ROM inside the executable due to a compiler optimization. This means that it is safe to return a char pointer that points to a literal. I learned this from James in a code review.
6/2/2017
Reading and understanding code is a skill I have not always been great at but now it is very important for my success here at the company.
Personal
Nothing too new happening, a 2nd cousin’s graduation party. Dinner with grandparents. I have been driving by Mendon Town Forest on my way to work every day, and I hiked with Kim (my girlfriend). It’s a nice little place that seems to be on an old estate. There was a building foundation from an old house, in addition to one for a mill house, and an out-house (not the bathroom). It’s right near Southwick’s Zoo, so I recommend it, if you are in the area.