Recently, I wrote about why I think every TODO in your source code needs a ticket ( LINK).{{ double-space-with-newline }}Now that a few weeks have passed, I realize that I did not give the full picture in that article. Even if you have a TODO ticket, it does not automatically mean that it will be helpful. Here is why.
Everyone is aware that code with comments is a bad thing. It will inevitably decay, and future developers will be wondering if there is any need for it at all. Every developer is aware of this. So they often remind themselves to follow up the commented out code with a TODO comment, to see that something needs to be done. Many IDEs support this idea and can show you all TODO comments in your current project. However, I think using TODO comments to remind yourself of work that needs to be done is a very bad idea. Here is why.
You know how a computer works and you have learned to think like one. You know what a programming language is. Now you are ready to learn your first programming language. But which one should you learn? Let鈥檚 help you with that.
Now that you know how a computer works and how to think like a computer, you are ready to learn your first programming language. But what is a programming language? This article will answer this question.
A computer works with binary data. How can we represent real-world concepts like numbers, names or colors if we can only use sequences of 0鈥檚 and 1鈥檚? Learn more about data types in this article.
An algorithm is a description of a process that operates on a given input to produce a desired output. This definition is both very general and very similar to the description of what a computer does. The difference is that an algorithm is just a description of a process. It does not necessarily have to run on a computer. But algorithms are also sequences, and thus they are very well suited to be executed by a computer program.
Now you know how a computer works. The basic concepts are actually rather simple. Of course, actually building a computer is an incredibly complex undertaking. Fortunately, we programmers can focus on programming them. In the last section we learned that a computer command basically performs these three task: Read the instruction and data from memory. Perform a calculation. Store the result at another address. Then the computer continues with the next command. Then the next. And so on. This is the programming of the computer.
To solve a problem with a computer, you have to understand how it works first. Almost all computers that are in use today are digital. The analog computer is a thing of the past, so we can focus on digitial computers. The word digital in the context of computers mean that they based on binary numbers - numbers that consist only of zeroes and ones. This fact determines everything how a computer works. The amazing thing is that just with two numbers, computers can be used to solve a huge variety of tasks. To understand how a computer achieves this feat, you have to learn to use binary numbers yourself. This is the first step towards thinking like a computer.
This chapter introduces you to one of the most powerful tools to structure a program: The function. Functions allow us to reuse a sequence of commands to avoid having to write them down multiple times. Functions can also be customized by providing them parameters that change their behaviour on every call.
There is no better time than today to become a programmer. The demand on the job market is rising continously. And it has never been easier. There are countless books about all kinds of programming languages and interactive online courses. But mastering a programming language is not enough to become a professional software developer. You need to learn many other skills, too. I taught myself these skills. And you can do it, too. Based on my experience, I give an overview about everything you need to learn in order to get you started on the path of becoming a professional developer.