Why Programming? You may already have used software, perhaps for word processing or spreadsheets, to solve problems. Perhaps now you are curious to learn how programmers write software. A program is a set of step-by-step instructions that directs the computer to do the tasks you want it to do and produce the results you want.
There are at least three good reasons for learning programming:
Programming helps you understand computers. The computer is only a tool. If you learn how to write simple programs, you will gain more knowledge about how a computer works.
Writing a few simple programs increases your confidence level. Many people find great personal satisfaction in creating a set of instructions that solve a problem.
Learning programming lets you find out quickly whether you like programming and whether you have the analytical turn of mind programmers need. Even if you decide that programming is not for you, understanding the process certainly will increase your appreciation of what programmers and computers can do.
A set of rules that provides a way of telling a computer what operations to perform is called a programming language. There is not, however, just one programming language; there are many. In this chapter you will learn about controlling a computer through the process of programming. You may even discover that you might want to become a programmer.
An important point before we proceed: You will not be a programmer when you finish reading this chapter or even when you finish reading the final chapter. Programming proficiency takes practice and training beyond the scope of this book. However, you will become acquainted with how programmers develop solutions to a variety of problems.
What Programmers Do In general, the programmer's job is to convert problem solutions into instructions for the computer. That is, the programmer prepares the instructions of a computer program and runs those instructions on the computer, tests the program to see if it is working properly, and makes corrections to the program. The programmer also writes a report on the program. These activities are all done for the purpose of helping a user fill a need, such as paying employees, billing customers, or admitting students to college.
The programming activities just described could be done, perhaps, as solo activities, but a programmer typically interacts with a variety of people. For example, if a program is part of a system of several programs, the programmer coordinates with other programmers to make sure that the programs fit together well. If you were a programmer, you might also have coordination meetings with users, managers, systems analysts, and with peers who evaluate your work-just as you evaluate theirs.
Let us turn to the programming process.
The Programming Process Developing a program involves steps similar to any problem-solving task. There are five main ingredients in the programming process:
No comments:
Post a Comment