[Day 7] Programming Languages

Program or be programmed. Or so they say... [Skillcrush Bootcamp] DAY 7 [PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES] --------------------------------------------------------------- Ah, programming languages. Those enigmatic things we use to speak with computers and get them to submit to OUR will. There are literally hundreds of programming languages and all of them have a similar goal: to provide a way for humans to communicate with the machines. Since we are all about the web, you will only be learning about the top three web programming languages: PHP, Ruby, and Python. But just so you know, for every web programming language there are dozens of other programming languages for desktop computers, mobile phones, robots, etc. etc. etc. [Programming Languages] Computers talk to one another in binary, which looks like this: 0011101010101111000111 It doesn’t make sense to me or you, but it sure does to your computer! Since we can’t write in binary, we need to write our instructions in a programming language. They usually look like weird English with a lot of semicolons and extra parentheses. Then a program called a compiler or interpreter converts our instructions into binary that the computer can understand. There are hundreds of different programming languages, and they all make you type different things to get the same result. When you write your first program, it’s traditional to make the computer print “Hello world” on the screen – take a look at how you do it in these two different languages: PHP echo "Hello World!" Ruby puts "Hello World!" No programming language is really better than another – they all have different strengths and weaknesses. Some might be faster, or better in robots, or really good at making web pages. PHP, Ruby, and Python are three popular programming languages for the Web. --------------------------------------------------------------- PHP When you ask a web server for a page, it’s [PHP]’s job to create it. When you browse a WordPress blog or make a post on Facebook, PHP is putting it all together. --------------------------------------------------------------- Ruby [Ruby] is a programming language designed for productivity and fun. [Ruby] was created in 1995 in Japan by Yukihiro Matsumoto (who is known as Matz). He felt that programming languages had been too focused on being for machines and needed to align more with human needs. --------------------------------------------------------------- Python To create a “Hello, World!” app using [Python], all you need to write is: print “Hello, World!” Quite a bit more straightforward than some of [these other examples], we think! Web applications like YouTube, Reddit, Dropbox, and Yelp are all powered by [Python]. Up until the mid-1980s, computer programs were written on cards with holes punched in them (punch cards). If we still used them today, a single iPhone picture would take up over 9,000 punch cards! 1. Go to [www.tryruby.org] 2. Do everything the cartoon foxes tell you to do! 3. Enjoy learning the fundamentals of the Ruby language :) TOMORROW [Frameworks] Frameworks By Skillcrush A framework is a collection of code libraries that are used to accomplish typical tasks when building web applications. --------------------------------------------------------------- EARLIER THIS WEEK [Frontend vs. Backend] Frontend vs. Backend By Skillcrush The frontend is the part of a web site that you can see and interact with, while the backend is all the rest. [Continue Reading →] --------------------------------------------------------------- You received this email because you are subscribed to the Newsletter List from Skillcrush. [unsubscribe from all lists] [update subscription preferences] Skillcrush 115 West 18th Street, Floor 2 New York NY 10011 USA