Computer Programming: What is it, what is it for and what are its basic concepts?

programming is one of the largest branches of computer science, doing a good handling of their languages ​​we can create any software, or web page. These are present everywhere on the Internet, as well as also in all the programs we run.

If you are new to this world of programming this post will help you a lotwhere we will show you the basic but most important concepts before beginning to understand any programmatic code.

In the last section we will show you what are the most used programs, to be able to program any software from scratch. Although not all of them have the same functions, depending on what you are looking to do. They will help you a lot.

What is computer programming and what is this technology for?

The programing it has many usesbut its main objective is to create software that can be executed on the computerto, or through some program.

To make a schedule rules need to be establishedalong with small commands, instructions and expressions, which at a glance tends to take similarity to a bounded natural language.

In other words we can say that a programming is made up of rules, parameters, rules, symbols, and keywords that are used to form a program. Such programs are created for the purpose of human usesolving a given problem.

Being the programmatic language the responsible for the proper functioning of the programs. This creates a guide, so that the computer can respond positively to the software and follow the steps, without collapsing it. These steps and orders they are known as algorithms, whose function is to guide the reader system what to do.

We can understand from the above that the programming language is the direct intermediary, between the computer and the user (us), being a reciprocal communication, solving all the problems raised with the use of the functions.

The functions are those that translate the information that has the program to the computer to carry out the proposed activities.
Programming Types

Next, we will show you some of the most common types of programming:

• Sequential Programming: It is known like this, because they are those programs that form and create designs with directives that go in sequence (one after the other), as well as Cobol, Basic, etc.
• Structured Programming: This is the type of programming that is designed by modules. Each of these are in charge of performing a special task, when an action is requested to be executed, the module in charge of executing it is called, such as Turbo Pascal, Ada, Modula.
• Object-oriented programming: Used by those languages ​​implemented for the execution of a program code to each object within the programming.
• Logic or natural language programming: It is known like this, because the user can give him orders with a natural language (eg Prolog) so that the machine can execute it, designed with interfaces to make it possible.
• Artificial intelligence programming: This is such a complex program that it can approach human intelligence, capable of developing any knowledge. This type of language is the one that has been replacing some programs that require manual execution.

List of the most important concepts you should know about the science of programming

To be able to program we need to handle many concepts, which is known as the scientific language.

Today we will explain some of the most important terms when programming:

Programming language

Programming language is the system of symbols and rules used to build software for one or more computers. operate and can provide an effective solution to the need or problems raised. These languages ​​are actually one line of instructions that dictate input/output, calculation, text manipulation, logic/comparison, and store/retrieve operations.

The language of communication can be classified into:

• Machine Language: It is a type of language oriented to instructions that are assimilated directly by the computer, where it is not necessary to establish any translation so that the CPU can understand it and trigger the program. These instructions are expressed to a memory size smaller than the bit.
• Low Level Language: also known as Assembler, is the language written in alphabetic codes known as mnemonics, used in symbolic operations and addresses.
• high level language: This is a language very similar to natural language (human), is the one that directly dictates the instructions to the computer. Being this, written mostly in English, which facilitates writing and understanding of what happens in the program.

Algorithms

When we talk about algorithm, we refer to a set of numbersthis name comes from the Latin of the Arabic word alkhowarizmi (this being the name of a mathematician and astronomer).

The Algorithm shows us a set of procedures that must be executed to prompt actions in the specific order. In other words, it is in charge of executing the actions of a program ordered by an operator or user.

We can have an algorithm of life, for example:

• Get out of bed.
• take off clothes
• Get a shower.
• Dress.
• Have breakfast.

The same thing happens on a computer, being this the main actor of the orders, which must be completed within a specific time. Programs are a set of algorithms already developed and ready to use. be used by the computer.
Source program

It is a notion used synonymous with source codethat is, it is the one that works together with the algorithms to dictate instructions to a computer to be executed. Such are lines of texts written with a programming language capable of imparting all the instructions of a certain base.

In a source program, or software is the one that details all the functions that must be executed, and a programmer is the one who develops these instructions. They both walk respecting the chosen programming languages.

It should be noted that despite the source program executes the instructions, it is not the one that is interpreted by the hardware, these are previously translated into a different language. The translation is performed by interpretersassemblers and compilers, which in addition to translating, also convert the source program in a binary code.

programming languages they are quite limitedbut the way it is structured are quite different, because vary by programmer. These take the identity of who created it.
object program

It is named like this that program that is in machine language, where it is automatically executed by it. Being the result of translating a source program, turning it into a language understandable enough for the machine.

Bill with object-oriented programming (UNRWA). It is the programming technique used for those objects in the form of essential building blocks, many consider that this type of programming is the closest to human reasoning, emerging as an excellent solution to the programming of large software.
Assembler

East is the term given to the type of computer program capable of translating a source file written in a programmatic language, to an object file. East, is executed directly by a microprocessor that gives you all the resources so you can do your job.

In other words, this program takes care of completely disassembling a file and assembling it again, but substituting each of the mnemonic codes that appear in the corresponding operation code in a binary system. This is done with respect to the platform that was chosen as the destination with the determined parameters.

assembler types

Assemblers are divided into two types:

• Basic Assemblers: Named like this because they are low level and consist only of offering symbolic names to instructions, parameters or other things such as modes.
• 32-bit modular assemblers: These are high-level assemblers, serving as a response to 32-bit processor architecture. Although it has the same abilities as the previous one, their compatibility is much higherand can be used in quite complex programming structures.

Compiler

compilers are a type of translator, used to transform a (complete) program from a programming language to another, known as source code. Although the target language is usually machine code, machine code can translate it into intermediate code or bytecode. You can also transform it into some needed text on the spot.

Unlike the other translators or the interpreters, compilers can put together several elements or fragments is a single unit, forming a library of them, to be reused later. Due to these processes, it is known as compilation.

Compilers are structured with various series or phases, which vary according to their complexity. They can mostly be grouped into two:

• Analysis of the source program.
• Summary of the object program.

The analysis takes care of check the correctness of the source program, depending on the language and its definition of each of the terms. This process includes lexical analysis, syntactic analysis and semantic analysis.

The second group, known as synthesis, mentions all the object languages ​​that are formed by one or several combinations of code generation phases, also formed by a function that allows code optimization.
pseudocode

It is the algorithmic description language, Being a high level informal compact of the operating principle of computer programs or some other algorithm.

pseudocodes use different structural conventionsdesigned for human reading, while other codes are machine interpretedfor this reason the pseudocodes are independent of any other communication language.

Mainly the pseudocodes omit details that they consider to be negligible, and useless to human understanding of the algorithm, system-specific codes may be variable. this language complete from whereverassuming a natural description, using mathematical numbers in a compact way.

A pseudocode is much easier to understand than a conventional programming language, because it is an efficient description, maintaining a totally independent environment of the fundamental principles of an algorithm.
Flowcharts

flow charts they have different uses depending on your approach. In programming, these represent a scheme of the steps that a program must have or must follow, where they represent the algorithms in a simpler way than pseudocodes.

This is a method that helps us to form the complete operation and the creation of a structure of a program, without having to be in front of a computer. But this is not its only advantage, we can also quickly understand what you want to convey, because it expresses a clear and precise message.

Most programmers use this method before programs, thanks to its potential way of structuring. It has graphics level less dry than pseudocode.
Coding

Coding is a phase that is carried out once the programming has been completed. of the software. In this stage, some algorithms are translated into a specific programming language. These are predefined before converting.

When we are going to code an algorithm, we must first know the type of language to which we are going to translate. The algorithm of the program is in charge of determining its logic, regardless of the programming language in which it is written.

In programming, the programming language, its assemblers and the orders that must be followed are important, but the type of symbol used or the extension of the language is known as encoding, and in the programming area it can vary a lot depending on what you want to program.

Software design

It is the global process that is carried out when it is being programmed, where the objectives that must be met and their functions are specified. We can say that software design is in charge of conceptualize, frame, implement, put into operation and finally, modify complex systems, or activities that meet the determined parameters. Mostly used in the area of ​​software engineering.

The most basic job a programmer has to do is software design where they are specified, colors, sizes and others… so that the program can be to the liking of people. It includes different low-level and high-level components to make up the architecture.

List of the main programming software that you should know

If you are interested in programming you will have to evaluate the different programs that you can use to do it.

Next, We will show you a small list of programs that will help you to program:

Zend.com

ZendEstudio is a program that promotes the PHP server technology, oriented to the development of web applications. This program serves as a text editor and provides a help line, which allows us to create and manage all the projects until the code is debugged.

(Activestate.com) Komodo IDE

Komodo is a programming software used for the development of new technologies, through different languages. This application focuses more on the progress of online applications and websites, but if we specify and go deeper we will find that it can be used for different types of programming.

PSPad.com

PSPad code editor is an editor allows us to work with different projects or documents at the same time. Allowing us designs through their templates created in different programming languages, such as PHP, HTML, Pascal, etc.

Within the application you will find functions such as hexadecimal editor, CSS TopStyle Lite, spell checker and others, which are quite useful at the time of encode.

Arachnoid.com/Arachnophilia

It is one of the most basic editors for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, ASP, Perl… It is a tool quite useful for those new programmerswith a font bar, Forms, Frames, Graphics, Link Struct, Styles, Tables.

It also has an excellent internal page viewer, allowing us to select up to six browsers. It allows us to create Macros, program shortcuts. And since it is a very explicit program, it provides us with code dictionaries so that we can understand them.

editplus.com

Finally we leave one of the editors most used by new programming professionals, more than all those who program websites. This valuable tool has several functions that make your job easier.

Among its most relevant functions can be named, hexadecimal colors, labels, and autocomplete, which saves us a lot of time when writing long programming.