Computer Basics for Absolute Beginners [free 1-hour course]

Here are this week's five links that are worth your time: 1.freeCodeCamp just published a fully-animated computer basics course. Even if you've been using computers for years, this course may be helpful for you. And it should definitely be helpful for any friends and family members who've never used a laptop or desktop before. This course covers computer hardware, how cloud computing works, security basics, and more. (1 hour YouTube course): 2. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the foundation of data communication on the World Wide Web. And this in-depth course will teach you how this massive network of computers really works. You'll learn about Domain Name Systems, URL paths, security, and more. If you're interested in networks and back end development, this course should be well worth your time. (5 hour YouTube course): 3. Django is a popular Python web development framework. If you want to build a sophisticated website, it may make sense to learn Django. Like Node.js, Django is used at scale – most notably powering Instagram's website and APIs. This course will teach you Django fundamentals. You'll code your own online marketplace while learning about core Django features. (2 hour YouTube course): 4. If you want to go old school and never even touch your mouse when you're coding, you can use the Vim code editor. Vim comes built-in with many operating systems. It uses a sophisticated series of keyboard shortcuts for quick code edits. It can take years to get really good at Vim. But I know many developers who swear up and down that this is worth the time investment. If you want to take the plunge, this Vim Beginner's Guide is a great starting point. (20 minute read): 5. I started freeCodeCamp back in 2014. Since then, a ton of people have asked for my advice on how to learn to code and ultimately get freelance clients and developer jobs. So last year, I wrote an entire book summarizing my many tips. Even though one of the Big 5 book publishers in New York was interested in a book deal, I decided to instead make this book freely available to everyone who wants to become a professional developer. I hope it's helpful for you and your friends who are getting into coding. (full-length book – roughly 6 hour read): More than a million people use freeCodeCamp every day. But it costs a lot to run this charity and our website. Did you know that we use more than 100 servers? And that we have more than a dozen translators working to make our learning resources available in languages like Spanish, Korean, Swahili, and Ukrainian? Please consider supporting our mission. You can help us make an even bigger impact: Quote of the Week: “To err is human. But to really foul things up you need a computer.” — Paul R. Ehrlich, biology professor at Stanford Happy coding. -- Quincy Larson Teacher at freeCodeCamp.org I share useful things on Twitter at If these emails aren't worth your time, you can turn them off: