Coding is my favorite hobby and I really enjoy doing it. But frequently, I get asked, “What is coding?”, especially by people who are not really computer-savvy. So, in this article, I thought I would explain all about coding and what it really is! Enjoy!
Starting off, I like to say that coding is behind all of the websites and apps that we use today- coding is like the brain of the apps and websites which is strange to think about but it is true. If you think about it, the whole World Wide Web is built on code so if a computer programmer (or a person who codes) messes up on a line of code that whole website or app would be wonky and not working
properly.
As you can see, the job of a computer programmer is very crucial and you can get fired if you make even a little mistake in the code. The first computer programmer in history was Ada Lovelace who coded the analytical engine- a machine that can calculate complex math problems the idea of the machine was created by mathematician Charles Babbage in 1843 but he could not figure out how it would work, so Ada Lovelace figured it out and wrote down some of her programmings on a note known as Bernoulli numbers but the machine was never actually fully brought to life as Ada Lovelace died in 1852.
Ever since then, computer programming has evolved to have many different code languages such as
Blocks, Lynx, Python, Javascript, and C++. Blocks is for beginners since you cannot actually code real website or app off of blocks and block coding is more for simple games or simulators. The blocks are colour-coded for the user so they have an easier time learning and there are also many different block coding tutorials all over the internet to help you. The next step after blocks is Lynx, which I am doing now. Lynx is a form of text coding but it is still simpler than Python, Javascript, and C++, Lynx is also a Canadian-created coding platform and is free for Canadians but everyone else has to pay a small fee.
Python, Javascript, and C++ are basically the same level and these big 3 platforms are the real deal.
These coding platforms are what real developers use to program websites, apps, and more. For example, Google uses C++ to program the Google Chrome search pages.
So, coming to the end of my article, I just wanted to say that if you want to learn how to code- refer to the internet and find a good video tutorial to start you off or even make an account on one of the block coding platforms and just tinker around (that is what I did) but just make sure that you have lots of fun and it might even become your new favorite hobby- I must warn you though, that sometimes coding can be frustrating but just think it out and coding is very rewarding when you finally figure out that one line of code!
