As if we all need to define that. Well, basically, programming is nothing more than writing out a list of instructions that tell a machine, step by step, what to do. Programs can be as simple as generating a report or as sophisticated as a commercial word processor package.
That mainly depends on the individual. If you are the type of person that doesn't care about learning more about your system and how it works, if you're just someone that just wants to type stuff and do very little else, then you are probably just wasting your time here. Programming is an art that can be really challenging. Nothing like learning a simple word processor or a spreadsheet. A lot of the tasks that seem real simple can require much much coding. If you don't like to spend a lot of time thinking on how to build something, if you're just the kind of person that just likes to get in, do something and get out. Then programming isn't for you.
Lot's. Have you ever imagined a great game or a great idea on what you think a computer could do to make life easier for you? Well, in order to make those things come to life, you need to learn programming. It comes in many different flavors. You can essentially do everything you want with interpreters that come with your OS. For most folks, everyone gets a free copy of an interpreter called QBasic, not to be confused with a compiler called QuickBasic. Most programmer's prefer C or Pascal, though. COBOL for the most part is out for personal computer use. COBOL programmers can't understand the basic fundamentals of a graphics user interface the way a C or Basic programmer can with the latest tools. COBOL requires programming that is too long for simple tasks and is generally only useful in generating reports. (Zzzzz...)
I set up this page to help share my hobbies with the rest of the world. The main purpose of the this page is to illustrate programming techniques that I use to write video games, database type programs, and other types of programs. It illustrates that almost any problem that you encounter on a computer can be solved with a bit of programming techniques.
Of course, I don't want to come across as setting myself up as a sole expert either, I'm not. That's why I invite people to submit links to their favorite programming sites as well. There is no way I alone could possibly cover everything that needs to be covered, that's why I encourage ideas, suggestions and site submissions.
Getting Started | Assumed Knowledge | References | Acknowledgements