Basics 1: Introduction to Programming Languages
Discover the fundamentals of programming through real-life examples and start your journey into mobile app development.
Namasthe! 🙏 Welcome back to CodeVedaa! As I mentioned in my previous blog, Mobile Application Development — My Journey, this series is for those who have no knowledge of programming, to help you understand the fundamentals of programming, starting with what programming languages are, why we need them, and how they help us to build amazing mobile apps. You can also explore my other blogs as per your interest https://medium.com/@codevedaa.
Now, if you’re ready to start, thank you for making this decision! I promise to help you every step of the way to become a Mobile App Developer. All I need from you is your quality time, so let’s begin. Don’t worry — coding is fun and even healing(Yes, at least for me, and soon it will be for you too). The thrill of seeing your app work is worth it, trust me. 😄
1. What is a Programming Language?
Imagine you’re in the kitchen, preparing Uppittu for the very first time in your life. You follow a recipe that tells you, step by step, how much of each ingredient is required, how to do the seasoning, when to add Rava, and how long to let it simmer.
Think about how your Upma got prepared — it’s because you followed all the instructions from your reference recipe, step by step. That’s what a programming language does. It’s a way of giving the computer step-by-step instructions, so it knows exactly what to do.
Just like a recipe helps you cook a tasty meal, a programming language allows you to create useful apps and solve problems in the digital world.
2. Why Do We Need Programming Languages?
Now you may be thinking, okay, to give instructions, why can’t we use a language we know better? Imagine I say: ‘ನಿಗ್ರೂನಿನ್ಮಗೆ ಕಗ್ರುಕನ್ನಡ ಬಗ್ರುಬರುತ್ತಾ?’ Can you read it? Maybe not, because it’s what I can say encoded Kannada — the way my grandmother used to whisper when she wanted to hide the location of the sweet box from us kids. Clever, right?
What I’m trying to say is that the one who should understand and perform the task is the machine (computer or mobile), not us. But the thing is, these smart machines understand a very basic language called binary, which is made up of 1s and 0s. It’s like flipping a light switch on and off. Now, let’s see how to say Hello in binary:
01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 (Hello in Binary)
👀 What do you think? Is it possible for you to work in this binary world? This is just a simple word, but imagine giving hundreds of instructions like this! This is why we need higher-level programming languages to make things easier for both humans and machines. But how does a programming language replace binary? It’s simple — machines compromise and say, “Okay, humans, let’s agree on a language with rules that won’t confuse either of us. I’ll take an extra step and interpret it into my own language.”
It’s like you wouldn’t follow a recipe exactly as it’s written. If the recipe says “100g of Rava and 200ml water,” 👀 you’re probably searching for where your mom kept the weighing tools. Our kitchen is not organised at all…. But don’t worry — your stomach will pressure your mind to help with conversions: Guru, take 1 glass of Rava and 2 glasses of water, that’s it, Mom won’t do all these.
When we “convert” the recipe from grams to glasses, we are making it easier for ourself to understand — just like how programming languages convert our instructions into a form computers can understand (with the help of compilers and interpreters).
3. Why So Many Programming Languages?
But, why sooo many? Why not just one common language? It’s simple — we can’t follow the same recipe for all dishes, right? Just like how we have different recipes for Mysore Pak and idli, there are different programming languages for various tasks.
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Just like how we can’t use a mixer to make idlis or a pressure cooker for frying, each programming language is designed for a particular purpose. Some are great for making apps, some are good for managing huge amounts of data, and others are perfect for making websites.
New Challenges, New Tools: Think about how your kitchen looked years ago and how it looks now. We like to update in all possible ways, adding new gadgets like air fryers, ovens, and grinders. We always come up with new tools to make cooking easier.
The same goes for programming languages — new languages come up to solve modern problems. For example, when people wanted apps that worked well on both iPhones and Androids, Dart and Flutter came along to make that possible.
So, just like different tools make cooking more efficient for different dishes, different programming languages are designed to handle specific tasks effectively.
4. Popular Programming Languages and Their Uses
Here are some popular ones and what they’re known for:
- Java: Reliable and strong like your cast iron pan, often used for building Android apps.
- Swift: The perfect pressure cooker for creating smooth apps on iPhones.
- Kotlin: The kadhai that Android developers need.
- Dart: A multi-purpose pot that can cook apps for both iPhones, Androids, websites and Desktop, with one set of instructions.
- JavaScript: Think of it as the masala box for adding flavour to websites.
- Python: Like a Swiss army knife — it’s used for everything from AI to data analysis.
5. What’s Next?
In the next blog, we’ll dive into the programming languages you’ll need for mobile development — like picking the perfect recipe to make your dream app a reality! Choose the one that suits your taste, and let’s cook up some amazing apps together.
If you found this helpful or have any questions, drop a comment below! I’d love to know if you enjoy these cooking comparisons or if you have suggestions for future topics.
Thank you! Happy Coding… or should I say, Happy Cooking! 🧑🍳🤪. Shubha Dina.🌞
