If you were born before the year 1999 you remember the “dark ages” of no Google, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, or personal web pages. If you told someone you were a blogger, they would have definitely looked at you funny, and might have thought you said booger maybe making a Revenge of the Nerds reference (Booger was a character in the hit 80’s movie Revenge of the Nerds). However, things are very different today. Source codes of various types are intermingled into our daily lives in almost everything we do, they are truly inescapable.
The need to understand the basics of programming is important and is going to increase in importance as the years go by. I know right now you are probably saying things like, “It looks too complicated…” or “I don’t know anything about computers…” well I can tell you from firsthand knowledge that YOU CAN do it, and it IS NOT too complicated. Remember when you were learning how to write, ride a bike, or the first day of school? Learning to code is really similar to any of your first experiences, the key is to start learning little by little, practice, and most importantly MAKE MISTAKES. Out of all those aforementioned keys, I feel that making mistakes is the best way to learn. When I first started learning HTML, which stands for Hyper Text Markup Language that your web browser reads to display a web page, I would make all kinds of mistakes. And guess what? I still do! The beauty of not being afraid to make mistakes or fail is that you learn what works and what doesn’t. The computer is only going to do what you tell it as long as you follow the rules. Some programming languages are more forgiving than others, but all in all, if you just start with the basics of HTML, you will be well on your way of learning the basics of coding. Subsequently, you can learn things like software programming algorithms, and that’s when things get more exciting because you will learn to make the computer do really cool stuff! In the end programming will give you an insight to our society and how things work, by allowing you to look behind the curtain and see the great and powerful Oz, and who knows, you just might turn it into a career! Don’t be afraid to start learning programming. If you never become some sort of programming genius, though you may, that’s okay. You can still take your knowledge and start a blog or create a simple landing page highlighting you, the sky is the limit! Below are some helpful resources to get you up and running. Good Luck! Below are some helpful resources to get you up and running. Good Luck! w3schools W3schools needs to be book marked into your favorites. They have tutorials on just about all the prominent programming languages. Also, you get definitions to all the acronyms that you might run across. YouTube Next is YouTube. The chances you have used YouTube at least once is pretty high, so now instead of searching for funny cat videos you can search for HTML tutorials. There are a lot of good videos and a few bad ones so just use some common sense when searching. Here is just one of thousands of videos. Lynda.com Next is Lynda.com. Lynda is also a great place to learn HTML5 and all kinds of programming languages. The tutorials do cost, but they are top notch and you can also start a free trial. Here is a link to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics on the job outlook for web programmers, just in case if you aren’t convinced enough to start learning how to program! Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics
0 Comments
Remember that old 70's R&B song by The Dramatics called “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get”? Well, they could have named the song WYSIWYG, although admittedly that acronym doesn’t roll off the tongue well.
In the programming world there exist a plethora of Web Authoring Tools that will allow you to create dynamic web pages and view in real time what your code would look like published. This functionality is called WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get). However, most web developers would agree that the best developers are able to use traditional web authoring tools, such as notepad, WYSIWYG is still a great feature, and learning how to maneuver using both tools will help you build a more solid foundation. I have reviewed three web authoring tools for your viewing pleasure. Two of the tools are free and the third will require some cold hard cash. I suggest that you play around with the free web authoring tools and find the tool that works for you and if you are feeling feisty by all means purchase one! 1. KompoZer: This free web authoring tool is like your first bike with training wheels. The interface is pretty straight forward, and you don’t have to be a serious programmer to jump right in as it works much like a word processor. KompoZer does have the WYSIWYG functionality and is plenty powerful enough to fit your needs to create a great looking site. KompZer Download 2. Notepad++ This is like regular Notepad on some serious steroids, like the Incredible Hulk type steroids. Notepad++ is free and has many features that are useful, such as color coded syntax, code collapsing, macro recording, code searching, and auto code completion to name a few. Even if you end up installing another web authoring tool, I highly suggest you have Notepad++ in your arsenal. Notepadd++ Download 3. Dreamweaver: This IDE is what I personally use in conjunction with Notepad++, the bad news is that this one cost a little coin. Adobe has done an outstanding job over the years with the Dreamweaver platform and it shows because many professional Web Designers use DW. Dreamweaver also has the WYSIWYG functionality along with so much more that it would take me forever to cover it all. Just know that if you are serious about web development you can’t go wrong with Dreamweaver. Adobe Dreamweaver Download Often times it is hard to figure out where to start to create an effective web site and where to host it. The first step is to determine the audience you are trying to reach. I am attempting to build a personal portfolio site about me and I have already determined the layout by searching other portfolio sites that are interesting to me. Now that I have a better sense of the direction I want to go in I can start sketching out my layout on a piece of paper or choose a template form a web site builder. Often times when a web designer meets with a client they will sketch out the layout on something as simple as a napkin. This rough sketch will just be a guideline for the web site. One way I think of designing a website is like oil painting, because just like painting you will have multiple layers until you reach the final product. Also, like a painting the most important thing to remember is to have a solid foundation to build upon. My web site will have eight pages. The pages will include a splash page, home, about, art, music, web design, contact, and a site map. I hope to accomplish a site that will give an insight to who I am and what I do, and of course I want it to be interesting to look at as well as easy to navigate. The last step is to find a place to host the site. There are a few options one is free and the other cost. Often times with the free hosting sites you might have to have advertisement on your site, or you may be limited to how many pages they will host. Below are three sites that I have researched. 1. Weebly Weebly is awesome because it is 100% free and its interface is simple and quick to use. You basically just drag and drop your content. 2. Wix Wix is template based and also easy to use, plus like Weebly it allows you to drag and drop content to your liking. 3.Webs Last but not least is Webs which is similar to the others. You choose a theme to you site and then and you content then publish it. It is really that simple! There are plenty of other sites that cost but these sites will help anyone that needs a website get started. |