code review 117840043: go-tour: add discussion of pointers and some small tweaks

go-tour: add discussion of pointers and some small tweaks

- Mention Sprint instead of Print when discussing recursive stringers.
- Remove discussion of the "new" function; it's rarely used today.
- Better hint in the cube root exercise (Who knows the cube root of 2?).
- Use v to refer to Vertex and p to refer to a pointer.

[adg, 2014-07-16 10:25:42]

Hello campoy (cc: golang-codereviews@googlegroups.com),

I'd like you to review this change to
https://code.google.com/p/go-tour

[campoy, 2014-07-16 18:06:34]

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article
File content/moretypes.article (right):

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
content/moretypes.article:16: The prefix `&` returns a pointer to a variable.
s/prefix/operator/

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
content/moretypes.article:21: The prefix `*` allows you to access the pointer's
underlying value.
The operator `*` returns the value of the variable pointed by a pointer.

Trying to make it impersonal, like the precedent sentences.

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
content/moretypes.article:234: * Advanced Exercise: Complex cube roots
Actually I'd argue we should just drop this exercise.
I've literally never seen anyone using complex numbers and always skip this
exercise during live courses.

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go
File content/prog/tour/pointers.go (right):

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go...
content/prog/tour/pointers.go:13: fmt.Println(i)  // see the new value of i
print the value of i

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go...
content/prog/tour/pointers.go:17: fmt.Println(j) // see the new value of j
print the value of j

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/struct-lite...
File content/prog/tour/struct-literals.go (right):

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/struct-lite...
content/prog/tour/struct-literals.go:13: p  = &Vertex{1, 2} // has type *Vertex
I think declaring p at the end of the var list is clearer.

[adg, 2014-07-16 23:57:29]

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article
File content/moretypes.article (right):

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
content/moretypes.article:16: The prefix `&` returns a pointer to a variable.
On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> s/prefix/operator/

Done.

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
content/moretypes.article:21: The prefix `*` allows you to access the pointer's
underlying value.
On 2014/07/16 18:06:33, campoy wrote:
> The operator `*` returns the value of the variable pointed by a pointer.
> 
> Trying to make it impersonal, like the precedent sentences.
> 

Changed to "The `*` operator denotes the pointer's underlying value."
An operator doesn't return anything.

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
content/moretypes.article:234: * Advanced Exercise: Complex cube roots
On 2014/07/16 18:06:33, campoy wrote:
> Actually I'd argue we should just drop this exercise.
> I've literally never seen anyone using complex numbers and always skip this
> exercise during live courses.

I'd like to add some more exercises (my next step) before removing this one.

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go
File content/prog/tour/pointers.go (right):

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go...
content/prog/tour/pointers.go:13: fmt.Println(i)  // see the new value of i
On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> print the value of i

it's obviously printing; i'd drop the comment if that's all it said.
the point is we're examining the new value.

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go...
content/prog/tour/pointers.go:17: fmt.Println(j) // see the new value of j
On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> print the value of j

see previous comment

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/struct-lite...
File content/prog/tour/struct-literals.go (right):

https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/struct-lite...
content/prog/tour/struct-literals.go:13: p  = &Vertex{1, 2} // has type *Vertex
On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> I think declaring p at the end of the var list is clearer.

Done.

[campoy, 2014-07-17 01:42:21]

On 2014/07/16 23:57:29, adg wrote:
> https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article
> File content/moretypes.article (right):
> 
>
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
> content/moretypes.article:16: The prefix `&` returns a pointer to a variable.
> On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> > s/prefix/operator/
> 
> Done.
> 
>
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
> content/moretypes.article:21: The prefix `*` allows you to access the
pointer's
> underlying value.
> On 2014/07/16 18:06:33, campoy wrote:
> > The operator `*` returns the value of the variable pointed by a pointer.
> > 
> > Trying to make it impersonal, like the precedent sentences.
> > 
> 
> Changed to "The `*` operator denotes the pointer's underlying value."
> An operator doesn't return anything.
> 
>
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/moretypes.article#new...
> content/moretypes.article:234: * Advanced Exercise: Complex cube roots
> On 2014/07/16 18:06:33, campoy wrote:
> > Actually I'd argue we should just drop this exercise.
> > I've literally never seen anyone using complex numbers and always skip this
> > exercise during live courses.
> 
> I'd like to add some more exercises (my next step) before removing this one.
> 
> https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go
> File content/prog/tour/pointers.go (right):
> 
>
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go...
> content/prog/tour/pointers.go:13: fmt.Println(i)  // see the new value of i
> On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> > print the value of i
> 
> it's obviously printing; i'd drop the comment if that's all it said.
> the point is we're examining the new value.
> 
>
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/pointers.go...
> content/prog/tour/pointers.go:17: fmt.Println(j) // see the new value of j
> On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> > print the value of j
> 
> see previous comment
> 
>
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/struct-lite...
> File content/prog/tour/struct-literals.go (right):
> 
>
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043/diff/1/content/prog/tour/struct-lite...
> content/prog/tour/struct-literals.go:13: p  = &Vertex{1, 2} // has type
*Vertex
> On 2014/07/16 18:06:34, campoy wrote:
> > I think declaring p at the end of the var list is clearer.
> 
> Done.

LGTM

[adg, 2014-07-17 01:43:25]

*** Submitted as https://code.google.com/p/go-tour/source/detail?r=05ecf5d65670
***

go-tour: add discussion of pointers and some small tweaks

- Mention Sprint instead of Print when discussing recursive stringers.
- Remove discussion of the "new" function; it's rarely used today.
- Better hint in the cube root exercise (Who knows the cube root of 2?).
- Use v to refer to Vertex and p to refer to a pointer.

LGTM=campoy
R=campoy
CC=golang-codereviews
https://codereview.appspot.com/117840043