What is Programming?

Programming helps us create mobile apps like Instagram, websites like Facebook, and software like Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe photoshop.

Credit: Net Solutions

Not just them.

Programming is all around us.

Inside modern malls, energy-saving Escalators and Elevators works beautifully because of Programming.

And finally, Self-driving cars are impossible without programming.

Simply put, it just makes our modern life reliable and easy.

So, what is programming?

Programming is a way of instructing the computer to do something we want.

For example, imagine we are creating a Football video game.

And in plain English, a possible set of instructions to the computer could look like this:

IF a player scores a goal THEN
increment his/her team score by 1
play cheering sound
show the happy faces of the team supporters
END IF
IF time = 90:00 THEN
stop game
show the winner and loser
show re-match screen
ELSE
continue to increment the time until next goal or 90:00 minutes
END IF

Note: This is not a code in any programming language. This is just a pseudo-code that helps us write actual code.

Simply put, Programming helps us tell the computer to perform various kinds of tasks for us.

Basically, computers are dummy.

They don’t do anything on their own without instructions from us.

For example, your computer doesn’t turn on itself automatically.

Your mobile phone doesn’t call someone without you pressing the call button, right?

Just so that we are on the same page, your mobile phone is a computer too.

Not just that, modern televisions with apps like Netflix are computers too.

They all can be programmed in a certain way to listen to us.

So, how do we use programming to instruct the computer?

Simple.

We have to write instructions that a computer can understand and implement.

And to write those instructions, we have to use a Programming language.

We are humans. We can communicate with fellow human beings using our vocal abilities and signals, right?

But the computer is not a human that can understand your English, right?

So, some smart humans invented various programming languages that computers can understand.

Each programming language has a specific purpose or simply put it is created to solve a specific set of problems.

C++ Programming Language Logo

For example, Operating Systems like Microsoft Windows and Mac OS are written using C and C++ Programming languages.

Softwares like Adobe Photoshop is also programmed using the Language.

Another popular programming language Javascript is invented to add interactivity to web pages.

Logo of the Javascript Langauge

For example, the Advanced interactivity that you see on the web pages is impossible without instructions written in the Javascript Programming Langauge.

Similarly, Python programming is used for scientific and mathematical related computing tasks.

This list goes on and on.

This is all good.

But what happens next when instructions are written in a particular programming language?

When we are done writing instructions, we have to provide them to the computer so that it can execute those instructions.

Usually, we write the instruction inside a computer file.

And a computer file with a set of programming instructions is called a computer program.

Anyway, once the computer is done executing the instructions, it gives us back an output.

Let me give you a basic example.

print(5+6);

The above instruction is written using the Python Programming Language.

When the computer executes the above line of code, it comes back with the output:

11

What we just saw is an instruction for our computer to print the result of a mathematical operation.

Now, let me give you a complex example.

These files contain the programming instructions to run Adobe Photoshop.

When we click on this Photoshop Icon, the computer will execute the instructions inside all these files.

But this time, the output is a user interface that we can use to create images.

Now comes the important question.

What do we call a person who does computer programming to save the day?

A Programmer.

A programmer is a person who writes code to solve problems and innovate the world with a beautiful idea.

Programmers also go by synonyms “Developers and Coders”.

That’s all.

Now that you have a clear understanding of what programming and a programming language means, think about what you want to build and pick a programming language based on that.

We’ll see you in our next story. Have a good time ❤.