Robert Ciesla - Programming Basics: Getting Started with Java, C#, and Python

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What do video games, social networks, and your activity bracelet have in common? They run on software a group of (more or less) programmers wrote somewhere far, far away. Gadgets and hardware are only one, more visible side of the coin of our technology-driven societies. In this chapter, well discuss the very basics of programming. Well also take a gander at the visible parts of digital systems: the hardware.

Basically, programming is the act of telling digital devices, such as your personal computer, what to do. We type in listings of commands, as defined by a programming language, in order to have useful or entertaining events occur. Properly programmed computers run much of the communications and online services in the world. You can mention things like ATMs, ticket readers, and smart phones as gadgets that run on software that somebody created in some programming language.

As a budding programmer, youll benefit from understanding the kind of universally found electronics youre working with. Its a good idea to have at least a basic understanding of the most commonly found components inside a computer.

These hardware components in a computer represent your work force. As a programmer, you run this show. Think of the act of programming as telling the factory workers what to build. You manufacture applications, whether they be big, complicated software projects or tutorials from some awesome book on coding.

For the purposes of this book, any relatively modern desktop or laptop computer works fine. We wont be needing any expensive hardware while getting our feet wet in programming.

Naturally, a digital device cant run on software alone; a central processing unit (CPU) is the hardware brain which executes code and makes things actually happen (see Figure ). Even in a less complicated piece of electronics, all instructions flow toward and through a CPU (or a bunch of them). Being very small in size, these microchips have increasingly been a part of our lives since the 1970s. Every digital device has a CPU in it, probably even your stationary bicycle/clothes rack.

Figure 1-1

A top-down view of an older Intel Pentium 4 CPU used in millions of PCs back in 2005. Image by Eric Gaba. CC BY-SA 3.0

2. Hard Drives (a.k.a. Hard Disks)

This component is there to store data just about permanently. Within a hard drive , youll find tens of thousands of files, whether they be pictures, text files, or databases. Your operating system (e.g., Windows or macOS), too, rests within the confines of a hard drive. These devices come in two varieties: mechanical hard drives (see Figure ) and solid state disks (SSDs).

Figure 1-2

A top-down view of a Western Digital mechanical hard drive. Image by Darkone. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 ( creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en )

Mechanical drives are more affordable, but since they have moving parts inside, they are somewhat more easily damaged than SSDs by excessive vibration and extreme weather. In addition, solid state disks usually operate much faster.

3. Video Card

Video cards are responsible for displaying a systems visuals, whether they be plain text or dazzling 3D graphics in a modern video game. These devices come in a variety of configurations and prices, ranging from $30 word processor fiends to $1000 gaming monsters (see Figure ). Computer monitors are typically connected directly to a video card.

Figure 1-3

An Nvidia 7900GS video card from 2006

The video card business has basically been a duopoly between