Introduction To Programming

What Is Programming?

A computer is a very fast, very dumb slave that does exactly what you tell it to do. The creation of this list of instructions is the act of programming.

The program is written in a special computer "language". There are many different computer languages, with names like COBOL and RUBY. The Prop-1 uses a version of BASIC.

This language is easy to learn, and you only need to learn a little bit of the language in order to control most automated props.

Think about the game of chess. The basic rules are simple and easy to learn. You can learn all the rules in just a few minutes. You could play and win your first game within an hour of seeing a chess board for the first time. But it takes years to master chess. Some people study chess all their lives and get fairly good at the game, but will never become masters. But they don't need to be chess masters to enjoy the game.

Depending on your skills and dedication, you might become a great computer programmer. But you don't have to become great to have fun programming. You don't have to be a great programmer to make something that works.

Although there is much science to programming, it is also an art. A really great programmer is an artist. And you don't have to becoma a programming artist either. You just have to make something that works.

And it's easier than you might think.