documentation: add hints for the first exercises without starter implementation

[daveziegler55]

I like your idea for allergy code.
However, I can't find any main method so I am having some trouble understanding how it really works.
Also I am having trouble running a test for $ gradle test in my terminal. Perhaps I am missing something in my install? Thank you.

[sjwarner-bp]

Hi @daveziegler55 - the allergies exercise does not have a starter implementation with it in line with our POLICIES.md, as it is rated 4 or higher in terms of difficulty.

However, the enums used for this exercise are in Allergen.java. I imagine that you are getting this file confused with the implementation you are meant to create. If you haven't already, I would make another Java file in the src/main/java/ directory called Allergies.java, and then create your implementation in this file!

Please let me know if this helps - there is also guidance available in the Gitter room if you ever need it 🙂

[stkent]

This raises a good point about the transition from {stubs provided} to {no stubs provided}. We could probably make that transition less abrupt. How would folks feel about adding some hints to the earliest* exercises without starter implementations?

*The tricky thing is that we'd need to do this for several exercises in order to cover the set of {exercises that might be the first exercise a user encounters} due to the nextercism branching structure.

[sjwarner-bp]

I think that's exactly right - it would be a really good idea to put some hints in and ease users into the idea of making their own files.

This exercise is probably particularly confusing due to the fact that there is a file providing enums, but it isn't a starter implementation.

[FridaTveit]

I agree that this is a really good idea :) But as @stkent mentioned, it will be really hard to keep track of which exercises to do this for. We could add hints for the first core exercise with difficulty 5? Or all exercises with difficulty 5? All exercises with difficulty 5 would probably be the most thorough while not being too hard to maintain. But it would require a lot of duplication...

[sjwarner-bp]

There are currently 14 exercises with difficulty 5 - I agree with the point you are making regarding duplication @FridaTveit. 14 exercises is quite a lot, however (if I understand correctly regarding nextercism) it is quite possible that many users will not complete all 14, especially if they choose to specialise in a specific area. For this reason, I'd be apprehensive about a less thorough coverage.

Additionally, I agree that this will be easiest to maintain! 🙂

[stkent]

All with difficulty 5 sounds easier to maintain, for sure. We could still end up with paths through the curriculum that abruptly jump (if a path has no exercises with difficulty 5) but I'm not sure there's a reasonable fix available.

[FridaTveit]

Sounds like we're agreed to do all with difficulty 5 then :) I'm happy to do a PR for that unless either of you particularly want to do it? :)

[sjwarner-bp]

Sounds good to me @FridaTveit - go for it! 🙂

[wolf99]

FYI - traversing the curriculum just by the core exercises, the first exercise I come across without a starter implementation is parallel-letter-frequency which is a level 6. Not having a starter implementation - nor any mention of creating one in the exercise's readme did through me for a moment. Given that I have worked with other language tracks it was only a moment. However, I can imagine that for people for whom this track is their first, this may take more than a moment to grasp.

[stkent]

Hmm, not sure what the right solution is here. Thoughts, @exercism/java?