Learning an easylang
learning an easylang is supposed to be easy! here is how to get started:
a programming language is usually implemented as a computer program, or as several programs. the language implementation generally falls into one of two categories:
• interpreters
• compilers
compilers are faster, and translate your program all at once. a compiled program will usually run without its compiler.
interpreters are slower, and continue to run while the programs you load into them are running. as they translate your programs only part at a time, they are sometimes more interactive or have additional features when compared with compilers.
whether a language is compiled or interpreted, the first step to using it is to get a copy of its implementation (its compiler or interpreter) and start reading.
truly easy languages often come with beginner-friendly documentation. sometimes you can find communities online that will answer your questions or help you get started.
in general, the things you want to accomplish when learning an easylang are:
• learn the "syntax" and commands. syntax in programming is like grammar in english and other natural languages. commands are like vocabulary. for example, in basic a one-line program may look like this: *10 print "hello, world"*
• the print command puts text on the screen, the text to put on the screen comes after the command (this is called a parameter) and the line number 10 provides an easy way to get back to this line from anywhere in the program.
• after you have learned the basics of syntax and learned a few commands, you may want to start trying to understand existing program examples. if the language is easy and you have learned a few things about it, you should be able to start understanding some beginner-friendly examples. try changing part of one to find out if you can get it to do something a little different.
• the goal is to improve these skill enough to be able to express your own ideas (or your own versions of ideas) with the programming language. mastery would lead to greater flexibility and attention to details such as "writing better code," though many people are biased either towards or against their own work.
• if you are lucky, you may find a friendly community where you can share your work with other people. this is surprisingly like joining an art community, with cliques and critics everywhere. still, you may make a few friends that are good to talk to and nothing will inspire new ideas like hanging around other coders.