[Super Easy] How to Start Programming! [Windows/Mac]

In recent years, it seems that opportunities to hear the word “programming” in everyday life have increased dramatically. Even people who had no interest in programming at all are now thinking “Maybe I should try programming too.”

Programming is difficult, it’s easy to give up - negative opinions stand out when starting to program. However, programming is actually not as complicated as you might think.

This article introduces “How to Start Programming” for those with little to no programming knowledge. Let’s get started.

Super Easy Way to Start Programming

Starting programming is very simple. The target audience for this article is “people who are interested in programming and want to try it, but aren’t good with complicated things…” You’re probably feeling that you want to start programming, but computer settings and environment setup seem complicated, and it’s daunting to start, right?

As of 2020, starting programming has actually become very easy. You can start programming from an internet browser without computer settings and without installing apps on your smartphone.

You might be thinking “What does programming from a browser mean…?” Let me explain step by step.

”How to Start Programming” That’s Easy to Start on Both Windows and Mac

Starting programming in a browser is very simple. Try searching for “Ruby REPL” on Google.

REPL stands for interactive execution environment, or in simple terms, it’s an environment where you can execute program code interactively, as if you were having a conversation with someone. This might be hard to understand just from the explanation. Actually, the quickest way to understand is to touch a REPL with your own hands.

Repl.it ruby online editor Repl.it java10 online editor Repl.it c online editor Repl.it html online editor Repl.it php_cli online editor Repl.it python online editor

With Repl.it, you can run nearly 100 programming languages in an internet browser, including popular programming languages like Ruby, Java, HTML, C, Python, and PHP.

Click on the links above and actually try running a program. If you haven’t created a program yet, let’s try running a simple Ruby language program. Click on the following link.

Repl.it ruby online editor

This program is one of the simplest programs that can be executed in the Ruby language. Copy and paste this code, and click the “Run” button to execute the program.

puts "hoge"

Were you able to execute the program like this?

With Repl.it, you can execute many programming languages from a browser without setting up an environment, including the following:

• ruby
• java
• c
• html
• php
• python

By using sites that offer such REPLs, when a complete beginner wants to try programming, the barrier to starting programming is greatly lowered.

”How to Start Programming” by Setting Up Environment on Windows or Mac

When starting programming by installing programming languages and development environments on Windows or Mac, you need to research the method yourself.

Actually, the work of installing a programming development environment on a computer is very complex and can be difficult in some cases. In fact, according to a survey by a major programming school, “environment setup” is the 3rd most common reason beginners give up on programming learning.

This is how difficult programming environment setup is. This is the reason I recommend browser-based execution services like the one I introduced this time to complete programming beginners.

The reason programming environment setup is difficult is that the setup method varies depending on the operating system, operating system version, and state.

In other words, it’s not just about whether your operating system is Windows or Mac, but if it’s Windows, whether it’s Windows 10 or Windows 7. Furthermore, if it’s Windows 10, what build is it, is oo installed… you need to check such items.

If you proceed with programming environment setup without properly checking these, it may cause unexpected errors. Errors that occur in these irregular environments are difficult to solve with normal Google searches. If you find yourself in such a state, you have no choice but to redo the environment setup from scratch or… unfortunately, give up on programming.

Systems where you can progress through learning with online video lessons like Udemy are called online courses. In most online courses including Udemy, to prevent learners from stumbling, you can directly ask questions to the online course instructor or discuss things you don’t understand in user forums.

Online courses are often structured for specific user environments. For example, whether the online course is for Windows users or Mac users.

By using Udemy’s online courses, you can learn a curriculum that matches your programming environment. If you’re starting programming by setting up an environment on Windows or Mac, please consider using an online course.

Summary

How was it? You might be a bit surprised at how simple it is to start programming. The barrier to starting programming has become much lower compared to before. Starting programming learning is not as difficult as it used to be.

Programming is said to be difficult until you start. As mentioned above, the probability of giving up during environment setup is high. Conversely, once you start programming, it’s yours. Please don’t be too afraid to start programming, and try it with a light heart.