Intro

You may have never programmed before. Now you will.

What is code?

In general, code is something that stands for something else.

In computers, code is a series of instructions that tell a computer what to do.

What is coding?

• coding (aka programming or software development) is a creative, human activity
• coding does not mean "cracking the code" or "deciphering" -- it's not a mystery or a secret, it's a language
• the words (and numerals and punctuation) we write are translated into long strings of ones and zeros

What is coding NOT?

• coding is not mathematical
  • some logic (if / then / and / or / etc.)
  • mostly just counting ("do this 10 times")
• coding is not solitary
  • most coding happens in a team
  • all professional coding happens with clients / users / designers / managers etc.
  • pair programming is awesome
• coding is not about finding the right answer
  • there's always more than one way to do it
  • every solution has tradeoffs
  • there is always a better way, and never a perfect way
  • often the hardest part of coding is defining the problem, not solving it

"The only perfect program is an empty file." - Alex

What is coding?

• coding is fun!
• coding is frustrating!
• coding is creative!
• coding is communication
  • between you and a computer
  • between you and other coders
  • between you and future you

A Program Is Like A Recipe

• a recipe is a collection of ingredients and instructions

• a program is a collection of data and code

When you are writing code, you are not baking cookies, you are writing a recipe for how to make cookies.

(recipe from popcornpottery.com)

Languages

• every program is written in a LANGUAGE
  • like Java or Python or C or Fortran
  • even HTML and CSS and SQL are languages
  • every computer language has a silly name
• computer languages are very specific compared to natural languages
• different languages are useful in different areas, but there is a lot of overlap
• today we will learn the JavaScript programming language

Errors Are Awesome

• Don't be afraid of errors
• Your computer is trying to help you fix your program
  • It's just really bad at communicating

If your code is a two-year-old child, then an error is a temper tantrum.

(It can take effort to figure out the underlying reason why they're upset and fix it.)

• It's not all gibberish
• Try to read it -- really try! -- and pull out the pearls from the pig slop

See also: What went wrong? from MDN

What will we learn?

In this class, you will learn about:

• The command line and why we use it
• Strings, Arrays, Variables, Objects, Loops, Files
• How to run your code interactively or from a file
• How to make a very simple website run on your own computer

Follow along online! Put a browser pointed at this site on one side of your screen, and Terminal on the other.

What if I know some of this already?

• Pair up
• Help your partner, help your neighbor
• Docendo discimus ("By Teaching We Learn")
• Promote yourself to TA

The best way to learn is to teach.
- Latin proverb

Technical requirements

See the Installfest project for more instructions.

Software:

• a text editor - VS Code from Microsoft https://code.visualstudio.com
• JavaScript - a live node.js installation
• Git - version 2.x
• GitHub
  • Sign up for an account at https://github.com/
  • Add an SSH key to your GitHub account; follow these instructions: https://help.github.com/articles/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/

• Heroku

  • Sign up for an account at https://signup.heroku.com
  • Install the Heroku Command Line Interface (CLI) at https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-cli

• Please stop right now and check

  • If you do not have these, RAISE YOUR HAND

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