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Showing posts from May, 2025

Understanding Recursion in C: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

If you’ve just started learning about recursion in your programming course, it might feel a little confusing at first. But don’t worry — in this guide, we’ll break it down into small, easy-to-digest pieces with sample C codes and clear explanations. By the end, you’ll understand   what recursion is ,   how it works , and   when to use it . Tip:  You can try out all the code examples in this article using an online compiler like  Programiz Online C Compiler . No installation needed! What is Recursion? Recursion  is a programming technique where a function  calls itself  to solve smaller parts of a problem until it reaches a simple case (called the  base case ). Think of recursion like solving a puzzle where each piece depends on solving a smaller puzzle first. Key Concepts Recursive function  — a function that calls itself. Base case  — the condition that stops the recursion. Recursive case  — the part of the function where it c...

Understanding struct in C: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

When learning C programming, you’ll eventually come across the keyword   struct . If you're confused about what it does or how to use it, you're not alone—many beginners feel the same way at first. This guide will help you understand what a   struct   is, why it's useful, and how to use it effectively through simple explanations and code examples. Tip:  You can try out all the code examples in this article using an online compiler like  Programiz Online C Compiler . No installation needed! What is a  struct  in C? In simple terms, a  struct  (short for "structure") is a user-defined data type in C that allows you to group multiple variables of different types under one name. Think of it like a  custom container  that holds different pieces of related data. Why Use  struct ? Imagine you’re working with data about a student. A student has a name, ID number, and grade. Without a  struct , you'd declare them like this: char n...

Rethinking Complexity and Timelines in Software Development: A Ground-Level Perspective

In every software development team, setting realistic timelines and defining task complexity play a critical role in delivering quality work without burning out the developers. Recently, I found myself in a discussion with fellow team leads on how we currently handle project timelines. What followed was a reflection on how subjective and, at times, unrealistic our processes can be. Here’s what I observed, what I proposed, and what I learned. Blurring the Lines Between Complexity Levels Our current task complexity scale includes: Very Easy Easy Moderate Complex Highly Complex One of my initial suggestions was to  merge “Very Easy” and “Easy” into one category . Why? Because assigning labels like “Very Easy” can mislead stakeholders into expecting delivery within 1–2 days, regardless of context or dependencies. This opens the door to scope creep, last-minute changes, or underappreciation of testing and review time. By managing expectations under a single “Easy” label, we could introd...