Want to Code?

When I actually looked for the first time at the code in a browser window, weired but was revelatory for me. I couldn’t digest most of it most of it, but I could pick out snippets of words and phrases that looked like something I know or can read our. There were a few font names that I recognized, and I understood pixel sizes more or less. The rest of it was alien to me. So this is how the computer talks, or so I thought.

It looked interesting but thought learning such things was for the selected few computer gurus. I couldn’t make out the starting point or the tools I needed to begin developing (coding). So I decided to give it a try. This is what I came across during my research

If you’re planning on learning to code, it’s worth thinking through the mechanics of coding. Knowing what exactly is happening when you code, what it means when we say someone is coding, what the difference is between coding and programming, what languages you may end up coding in, and how to get started coding, will help you be a better coder.

Think of coding like this

You don’t speak binary, and the machine doesnt speak human languages. So, for you to tell the computer what to do, you need to design a translator that can act as an bridge. This is the purpose of code.

“Code is a  form of writing that isn’t binary, that is easy to learn and interpret for humans, but that the computer can still understand.”

There are many of coding languages. A few languages are multipurpose, but most serve a specific function. CSS, for example, primarily functions to make things look pretty. JavaScript, a relatively old language, exists to make web pages more functional.  There are specialized languages that are great if you need something super specific, but all you really need to get started are a few common ones.

Recommendation: Start with HTML and CSS