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I was sitting at work today thinking about what I would be up to tonight. I usually go to Nekstlevel, a LAN centre in Toronto that I frequent. It’s cheap, fun, and I get to relax and be myself, while having a few beverages with friends. The people there usually game and I code. Code and code and code. (Well, I game too, but not until I’ve had enough of what I am doing.)

Not so long ago, I was the same way; I’d get there shortly after work and game until the early hours of the morning. It was fun, but not entirely constructive. I don’t regret it, please don’t get me wrong. It’s just that things changed. Why in fact did I move away from scrimming most of the weekend to what I do now?

About six or so years ago, I started dabbling in a scripting language called VectorScript. It’s a proprietary language for the CAD software I use at work. Since I was doing some tasks repetitively, I figured there must be something I could write to make my work easier to manage and to make better use of my time. Needless to say, I was instantly confused. It’s a difficult language to learn when you are a beginner, but it laid the ground work.

While gaming, a natural step is to be introduced to IRC. I used mIRC for all of maybe an hour. I felt it was too cumbersome. (I do not like that word.) Anyhow, everyone was using it, and I wanted to try something else. (Mac user comes out.) That’s when I decided upon Klient.

We’re going on three years now, and I can certainly say that without using Klient, I wouldn’t be as knowledgeable about certain things as I am now. I am far from an expert in any programming language, but because of an IRC client, (yes, an IRC client) I’ve broadened my horizons into worlds that I had no idea existed.

Klient introduced me to my first Windows scripting, using VBScript. I found that the default options/features of Klient were lacking (it doesn’t include a scrimbot) for my uses. So, I went about scripting my own. It wasn’t easy, but the benefit of trying to figure it out was that I could use what I learned in other facets of my life. And since then, I have become pretty knowledgeable with VBScript, to the point that if I do something twice at work, I script it. My spreadsheets at work now contain numerous macros and vbs scripts because of an IRC client.

After scripting for a while, I wished that I had dialogs and forms in what I was writing. Delphi was given to me from a co-worker and I started using that. The syntax is similar to VectorScript, (VS is based on Pascal) so I while I didn’t feel quite at home, I had a foot in the door. Object orientated programming I was learning still, but since Klient’s scripting is object orientated, I had a grasp on what was going on.

So after all this, I can actually look at code in several languages and understand what is going on. For example, while I might not have a fundamental understanding of how PHP works I’m at least able to read it, and make changes to certain things. I’m able to see inefficient code and rewrite it.

I’m thankful that I didn’t stick with mIRC. I would have never known what I do now.

It’s difficult to say thank you to an application. So I am saying thank you to its author. If you hadn’t written Klient, and if you hadn’t helped me out at times along the way, I would have been struggling with all sorts of things I do now.

I still can’t believe how far I have come, and I owe it all to one decision I made.

I made the right one.

Aye, I’m a geek. Not your typical pocket protector never has been laid type, but a geek nonetheless.