[Brewer]

I have heard a lot of people say that they like to use their white boards before they actually start coding. My question is this: Is it a worth while investment? What size white board should I get? How much will this size cost?

[WolfCoder]

I just draw on paper.

[AdamSpeight2008]

A good alternatives to a whiteboard;-
Tileboard (DIY store) + whiteboard markers.
Glass / Mirrors

[macosxnerd101]

If you're just entering college, then I'd say maybe a small whiteboard the size of a sheet of paper, maybe a little bigger. And that's only if it helps you. At my internship, my boss gave us his whiteboard the size like you'd see in a small classroom. I'm the only one who really uses it, though my coworker did use it to help teach my other coworker (who is also interning and is from my school) some OOP in Java. I find whiteboards helpful for large projects and brainstorming at an abstract level. Mostly pseudo-UML.

[Choscura]

I find them helpful for mocking up ideas. Also, I second the idea of tileboard and markers, its basically the same thing as whiteboards are made out of, just go get a 4' x 8' sheet and screw it in to the studs in your wall. Generally I'll brainstorm, take a picture, erase everything and keep going.

[dorknexus]

Whiteboards are generally most useful for collaboration like scenarios. It makes it easy to swap around ideas and change things on a white board. If you're wanting to get it to do program design then I would just use the software you are most comfortable with to whip up quick UML diagrams.

[NeoTifa]

How much does one cost at walmart, like $10? XD Go for it. I got the larger sized one. I've got like 6 actually....

[xclite]

Whiteboards are awesome. I rarely write things down, so having a board on my wall for the important stuff (deadlines, a list of classes with assignments that I haven't done yet) gives me the minimal organization I need. Also, it helps in visualizing problems and planning the structure of solutions to problems.

[baavgai]

Paper. It's easier to scratch things down quick and readily available.

Never buy paper for brain storming, the backs junk mail, etc, work just fine.

[modi123_1]

Coat a wall with chalkboard paint and go nuts with the chalk. Make sure to bang the erasers out your window, or near your pc vents.

[NeoTifa]

I was going to do that actually, but then I moved and my landlady said I can only paint my walls white. I have one that's a monthly calender, so I keep it at work to record all my school events, like tests, hw, and rotc events. Then I have another giant one in my kitchen that is half cork board half white board. Tis awesome. Also, I have other various small ones. I would, however, like to have a giant, 2 sided one on wheels like they have in the campus library. ^__^ Calculus is so much easier with one of those.

[Tom9729]

modi123_1, on 02 August 2010 - 09:22 AM, said:

Coat a wall with chalkboard paint and go nuts with the chalk. Make sure to bang the erasers out your window, or near your pc vents.

We did this at my dorm. It doesn't work very well (hard to clean).

NeoTifa, on 02 August 2010 - 07:11 AM, said:

How much does one cost at walmart, like $10? XD Go for it. I got the larger sized one. I've got like 6 actually....

Exactly. I got mine at Big Lots for about the same price.

I used to have a smaller one, about the size of a sheet of A4. Boy was it fun to write and explain Java programs on that...

This post has been edited by Tom9729: 02 August 2010 - 07:44 AM

[modi123_1]

NeoTifa, on 02 August 2010 - 08:26 AM, said:

I was going to do that actually, but then I moved and my landlady said I can only paint my walls white.
<snip>

You know they have paint on white board, right? It's white and all.. Idea Paint

Tom9729, on 02 August 2010 - 08:44 AM, said:

modi123_1, on 02 August 2010 - 09:22 AM, said:

Coat a wall with chalkboard paint and go nuts with the chalk. Make sure to bang the erasers out your window, or near your pc vents.

We did this at my dorm. It doesn't work very well (hard to clean).

Strange I've done this at a buddy's place.. it worked wonderfully.

[Tom9729]

modi123_1, on 02 August 2010 - 09:47 AM, said:

Strange I've done this at a buddy's place.. it worked wonderfully.

YMMV depending upon what kind of walls you have. We only actually did a small part of the wall so it probably would have made more sense to just steal a chalkboard from an old classroom or something...

[Luckless]

I LOVE white boards. I'm a very indecisive person, so when it comes to planning things out, I need something that can easily be erased and modified. Plus, it's great for math homework =)

This post has been edited by Luckless: 02 August 2010 - 09:04 AM