CST 363 - Week 1

1. While relational database tables and spreadsheets may look similar, they have some important differences. Spreadsheets work well for small amounts of data, but they lack the power and efficiency to handle large sets of information. Relational databases also implement log and security features in order to restore the database in case of an accident and protect data.

2. Setting up and managing a database may be complex and time-consuming, but it can save you time and resources once in place. Databases allow you to track and analyze data in ways that would be tedious and time-consuming without one. They allow data to be structured in such a way that is consistent and predictable. For example, allowing checks to ensure that birthdates are stored as dates. Because of a database's security features, utilizing a database to manage data can also protect your information. Logs also make it possible to prevent catastrophic consequences after an accidental update by allowing a previous version of the database to be restored.

3. I am currently thinking of going into either game development or mobile app development. After creating an Android app for CST 338, I realized that a database can be very useful in storing such aspects as high scores, player information, and even game features like a bank of trivia questions. I'm hoping to get more comfortable with utilizing and setting up databases so that I can feel confident using them as my development skills expand.

CST 338 - Week 7/8

 Jotto

Looking back at the Jotto assignment, I definitely would have approached it more systematically instead of the hail mary way I usually approach challenges. I think this would have saved me quite a bit of debugging. I would also have wired things up more thoroughly so I didn't have to program the whole project before testing.

Victories

This semester I feel proud of going out of my way to utilize the resources available to me and learn something new. I tend to take the comfortable path, but I reached out to both the TA and Dr. C for answers when I struggled or just wanted to improve and that's definitely something that was hard for me to do in previous classes.

I also was very excited to learn about Android Studio. While Project 2 was certainly a crazy undertaking and there were many moments of defeat. I managed to get a reasonably solid grasp on how to handle intents and shared preferences, which is a win in my book. I had fun making layouts too, as it reminded me of web development and design, which is something I really loved when I was younger.

Considering I had effectively no Java experience before this class, I feel a lot more comfortable with it and am looking forward to undertaking more challenges in future classes.