Learning to Program

Choose a Text Editor

One of the most important parts of programming is writing code (but, as discussed in the sidebar, coding and programming are not exactly the same thing). When I say code, I mean instructions for a computer written in a programming language that the computer can understand. Code is written in plain-text files using a text editor. Your text editor is perhaps your most important tool (like Robin Hood’s bow, King Arthur’s Excalibur, and Susan Boyle’s voice). You have many text editors to choose from, so choose wisely.

Programming vs. Coding

The difference between programming and coding might be subtle, but it is significant. Coding is just a part of programming. In fact, coding is probably the easiest part of programming. Programming ...