This is my homework post for Professor @alejos7ven Season 20 Week 1 assignment, Basic Programming Course: Lesson #1 - Introduction To Programming.
Note :
I really like how Professor alejos7ven breaks down the class. I've always seen programming as a very complicated thing, but Prof. alejos7ven explained it in a very simple and fun way, especially about the concept of algorithms. I think I will continue to take this class, because it's fun.
My daily activity algorithm (general things, starting from waking up) is :
At this point I understand that an algorithm can be interpreted as a series of sequential activities, meaning that in my daily activities as described above, I certainly cannot write a random sequence, for example activity number 3 (bathing) followed by activity number 5 (leaving for work) without being punctuated by activity 4 (getting dressed). Is this my correct understanding, Professor?
Furthermore, is the algorithm as I wrote above acceptable, or does the algorithm have to be written in detail in practice, e.g. activity number 4 (getting dressed) has to be elaborated with details: getting a shirt, putting on a shirt, getting pants and putting them on, and so on?
Living in a technological age like today, which showcases the tremendous development of science including computer-based ones, of course we cannot help but say -with high confidence- that programming languages are currently one of the important pillars in our lives.
Why are programming languages important, and how do they help us? Because this is what makes it possible to build a variety of modern computer-based technologies that are currently one of the most important things in human life.
Some of the things made possible by the existence of programming languages:
It can be said that there is no one today who is not in contact with programming languages. They may not use it in a “rough” form, but they use it in a ready-made form, for example mobile applications (the simplest is messaging applications). If we compare apps to ready-to-eat food, then programming languages can be compared to seasoning. Not everyone sees the seasoning and prepares the food directly, but everyone must eat. That's roughly the position of programming languages in human life today.
Since this is a new topic that I'm learning, I don't have a detailed understanding of what a programmer needs when doing their job, but here's what I think is needed in programming (plus the knowledge I got from the internet):
| No. | Cathegory | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardware | A programmer when doing his job certainly needs a computer device that has sufficient specifications as a programming computer. |
| 2 | Software | Software, such as programming languages, is needed to write commands and information to be executed and implemented by the computer. In addition to programming language softwares, I also read on the internet that supporting softwares such as Code Editor is also needed. I knew for sure that the topic of software was included in the curriculum, this was one of the weeks I was waiting for, when Professor Alejos7ven talked about software. |
| 3 | Knowledge | Programmers must have sufficient knowledge and understanding of this topic, for example about algorithms. Actually, not only programmers, everyone should know what they are doing, the higher the knowledge base, the more perfect the work will be. I think so. According to what I read on the internet, knowledge must be continuously upgraded because of the dynamic developments in the world of programming. |
| 4 | Attitude | As I read in Professor alejos7ven's lecture that programming requires high accuracy of work (because a typo in just one character will definitely lead to programming failure), therefore it requires high perseverance and patience. I will not go too far into discussing more complicated programming languages that I have absolutely no knowledge of, I will give an example on Steemit alone using the Markdown language, it is clear that a typo of just one character when creating a table, for example, will make the table messy and ruin the entire writing. |
From the lecture given by Professor Alejos7ven, I understand that Pseudo-code is a language created to make it easier for people who want to learn programming, meaning that the complexity of computers is still there but is complemented by a language that can be understood by humans. So it's like the Pseudo-code becomes a communication “bridge” between humans and computers to understand each other. This of course makes it easier for people who want to learn programming. With pseudo-code, humans will easily understand the algorithm and type it into commands, before finally the codes are translated into the actual programming language. That's my understanding so far.
Here is how to write Hello World using Pseudo-Code (I named the algorithm “Hello World”) :
Algorithm HelloWorld
Print “Hello world!”;
EndAlgorithm
True to what Professor Alejos7ven said in his lecture, Pseudo-Code helps people understand complex programming languages, it is so easy to understand.
After writing my first code with Psedo-Code (the culmination of this assignment), I came to the conclusion that understanding the structure of algorithms is a must-have in programming, and that Professor Alejos7ven has made it easy to follow and understand. And this lesson from Professor Alejos7ven really helped me. It's not only easy, but also fun. Thank you.
Thanks Professor @alejos7ven for the lesson.