Computer Programming
Programming a computer is almost as easy as using one and does not require you to be a
math genius. People who are good at solving story problems make good programmers, and
others say that artistic or musical talent is a sign of potential programmer. Various
computer languages are described, and tips on choosing the right language and learning
how to use it are provided.
Learning how to program is actually easier than many people think. Learning to program
takes about the same time as two semesters of a college course. The process of learning
to program is uniquely reinforcing, because students receive immediate feedback on their
screens. The programming languages Basic, Pascal, C, and Database are discussed; tips on
learning the languages are offered; and a list of publishers' addresses is provided.
One way of programming is rapid application development (RAD) has tremendous powers,
but it is not without its limits. The two basic advantages RAD tools promise over
traditional programming are shorter, more flexible development cycle and the fact that
applications can be developed by a reasonably sophisticated end user. The main
disadvantage is that RAD tools often require code to be written, which will result in
most developers probably having to learn to program using the underlying programming
language, except in the case of the simplest applications. The time gained from using a
RAD tool can be immense, however: Programmers using IBM's VisualAge report the ability
to create up to 80 percent of an application visually, with the last 20 percent
consisting of specialized functions, which means by using and IBM program it is much
easier because most of the program is graphics which is just point and click to do, and
the rest is code, which really isn't much.
Anyone who is willing to invest a little time and effort can now write computer programs
and customize commercial applications, thanks to new software tools. People can create
their own application with such programming languages as Microsoft's Visual Basic for
Windows (which is about $130) or Novell's AppWare, part of its PerfectOffice suite.
These products enable users to do much of their programming through point-and-click
choices without memorizing many complicated commands.
Programming can also be very difficult. At least one programming mistake is always made
and debugging it can be very hard. Just finding where the problem is can take a long
time alone, then if you fix that problem, another could occur. There was a programming
involving a cancer-therapy machine, has led to loss of life, and the potential for
disaster will increase as huge new software programs designed to control aircraft and the
national air-traffic control system enter into use. There is currently no licensing or
regulation of computer programmers, a situation that could change as internal and
external pressures for safety mount.
Programming these days is also hard if you don't have the right hardware and software.
Limited memory, a lack of programming standards, and hardware incompatibilities
contributed to this problem by making computing confusingly complicated. Computing does
not have to be complicated anymore, however. Although computer environments still differ
in some respects, they look and feel similar enough to ease the difficulty of moving from
one machine to another and from one application to another. Improved software is helping
to resolve problems of hardware incompatibility. As users spend less time learning about
computers, they can spend more time learning with them.
I would like to learn some of these programming languages. I am especially interested
in learning Borland C++ or Visual C++. Visual Basic is all right, but I think learning a
C language would be much more interesting and probably more profitable in the future.
Bibliography
1. Business Week April 3, 1995
2. Byte Magazine August 1995
3. Compute Magazine June 1995
4. Compute Magazine May 1996
5. Newsweek Magazine January 29, 1995
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