SEC S20W01 || Basic Programming Course: Lesson #1 - Introduction To Programming

This is my homework post for Professor @alejos7ven Season 20 Week 1 assignment, Basic Programming Course: Lesson #1 - Introduction To Programming.

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Note :

• I performed this task on Windows 10 PC, Google Chrome.

Task 1 - Describe in your own words an algorithm of some activity you do daily.

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 :

1. Waking up;
2. Having breakfast;
3. Taking a shower;
4. Getting dressed;
5. Leaving for work;
6. Spending 9 hours at work;
7. Returning home;
8. Doing chores;
9. Checking on Steemit;
10. Going to bed;

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?

Task 2 - What is the importance of programming languages in the world? How do they help us?

^Source

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:

• The Creation of a Variety of Applications
  From those that are entertainment to those that can help with daily work. The application platform is now also getting wider: there are web-based, mobile, and of course desktop-based (PC, Mac). Popular apps today include Telegram and WhatsApp in the telecommunications category. Online shopping apps are also growing in popularity as they help merchants and buyers save money, effort, and time.
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• The Development of AI Technology
  AI technology is recognized to be very helpful to humans in many ways. Mainly, this technology is used in the health sector. But it is possible that this technology can also be used in other fields such as education, defense, product development, and so on.
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• Website Design and Development
  The web page that appears and is presented on the screen of the device has certainly undergone a journey that is not short before it can be seen by viewers. The design and development is done using a programming language. Steemit for example uses the Markdown language which has its own level of difficulty but is easy to understand because it is quite simple.
  ^{Without programming languages, we might never see steem.com}
• Automatic Internet Data Collecting
  I don't know if there is a specific term for this. A case in point is: a Telegram bot called SteemAlert (no longer available) that monitors the activity of certain Steemit accounts registered by subscribers and reports to them. I think this helps subscribers to get the latest info from the Steemians they follow. Similar bots have also been present on Discord, some users of this messaging application must have known a bot called GINA (now no longer operating).
  ^{Telegram SteemAlert Bot screenshot}
• Task Automation
  Programming languages can also produce bots that are capable of performing repetitive tasks that have been automated. For example, in a group on a messaging app, a bot would welcome new members with a series of messages and instructions. This certainly helps when the group manager is not there for some reason.
  ^{MEE6, a bot on Discord that can be used to automate tasks, such as welcoming new members to the server. The characters that can be typed into MEE6's automated messages may be unlimited, allowing it to handle multiple tasks at once.}
• Blockchain Technology Creation and Development
  Blockchain technology is created with cryptographic technology written in a complex programming language, which involves a lot of commands as well as mathematical equations. For some people who only use blockchain technology to trade crypto tokens, they may not realize that every transaction they make is automatically recorded in the blockchain with a special programming language that may be different on each blockchain. The analogy is similar to someone who can see and taste the deliciousness of grilled meat but cannot see the existence of salt and pepper in the marinade.
  ^{5 layers of a blockchain, wouldn't be there it it was not for the programming language.}
• There are many other things that can be achieved, which we may not see today.

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.

Task 3 - What do you need while programming?

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):

Task 4 - Write your first "Hello world!" Using pseudo-code.

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.

Conclusion

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

Thanks Professor @alejos7ven for the lesson.

Pictures Sources

• The editorial picture was created by me.
• Unless otherwise stated, all another pictures were screenshoots and were edited with Adobe Photoshop 2021.

Sources and Reading Suggestion

• https://www.indicative.com/resource/programming-algorithm/
• https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/introduction-to-algorithms/
• https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/data-structure-tutorial/what-is-an-algorithm
• https://www.computerscience.org/resources/computer-programming-languages/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_language
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/793628/worldwide-developer-survey-most-used-languages/
• https://www.kdnuggets.com/2021/05/top-programming-languages.html
• https://www.lenovo.com/ph/en/glossary/programming-language/
• https://www.computerscience.org/resources/best-programming-languages-to-learn/
• https://www.mooc.org/blog/why-is-computer-programming-important

^{Picture created by @aneukpineung78}

Thanks for stopping by.