Introduction to programming Essay Example for Free

Introduction to programme EssayAs this course is entitle Introduction to program, therefore it is most essential and appropriate to understand what programming really means. Let us world-class see a wide known definition of programming. Definition A program is a precise sequence of steps to sack a particular problem. It means that when we say that we create a program, it actually mean that we know about a complete set activities to be performed in a particular order. The purpose of these activities is to solve a given problem. Alan Perlis, a professor at Yale University, saysSee more how to write an introduction paragraph for an essayIt goes against the grain of modern education to teach children to program. What drama is there in making plans, acquiring discipline in organizing thoughts, devoting solicitude to detail and reading to be self-critical? It is a sarcastic statement about modern education, and it means that the modern education is not developing critical s kills like planning, organizing and paying(a) attention to detail. Practically, in our day to day lives we atomic number 18 constantly planning, organizing and paying attention to fine enlarge (if we want our plans to succeed). And it is also fun to do these activities. For example, for a picnic trip we plan where to go, what to wear, what to take for lunch, organize travel details and have a good date while doing so.When we talk about information processing system programming then as Mr. Steve Summit puts it At its most rudimentary level, programming a computer simply means telling it what to do, and this vapid-sounding definition is not even a joke. There are no new(prenominal) sincerely fundamental aspects of computer programming everything else we talk about will simply be the details of a particular, usually artificial, mechanism for telling a computer what to do. Sometimes these mechanisms are chosen because they have been found to be convenient for programmers (people) to use other times they have been chosen because theyre easy for the computer to understand. The first hard thing about programming is to learn, become comfortable with, and accept these artificial mechanisms, whether they make sense to you or not. Why Programming is valuableThe read/write head most of the people ask is why should we learn to program when there are so many application software and code generators available to do the task for us. Well the answer is as give by the Matthias Felleisen in the book How to design programs The answer consists of two parts. First, it is indeed true that traditional forms of programming are useful for just a few people. But, programming as we the authors understand it is useful for everyone the administrative secretary who uses spreadsheets as well as the hi-tech programmer. In other words, we have a broader notion of programming in top dog than the traditional one.We explain our notion in a moment. Second, we teach our caprice of progr amming with a technology that is based on the principle of minimal intrusion. Hence, our notion of programming teaches problem-analysis and problem-solving skills without imposing the overhead of traditional programming notations and tools. Hence learning to program is important because it develops analytical and problem solving abilities. It is a creative activity and provides us a mean to express abstract ideas. Thus programming is fun and is much more than a vocational skill. By designing programs, we learn many skills that are important for all professions. These skills can be summarized as Critical readingAnalytical thinking Creative synthesisWhat skills are neededProgramming is an important activity as people life and musical accompaniment depends on the programs one make. Hence while programming one should Paying attention to detail Think about the reusability. Think about user larboard Understand the fact the computers are stupid Comment the code liberallyPaying attention to detailIn programming, the details matter. This is a very important skill. A good programmer always analyzes the problem statement very carefully and in detail. You should pay attention to all the aspects of the problem. You money box be vague. You cant describe your program 3/4th of the way, then say, You know what I mean?, and have the compiler figure out the rest. Furthermore you should pay attention to the calculations involved in the program, its flow, and most importantly, the logic of the program. Sometimes, a grammatically correct sentence does not make any sense. For example, here is a verse from poem Through the Looking Glass written by Lewis Carol Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe The grammar is correct but there is no meaning. Similarly, the sentence, Mr. ABC sleeps thirty hours every day, is grammatically correct but it is illogical. So it may move on that a program is grammatically correct. It compiles and runs but produces incorrec t or absurd results and does not solve the problem. It is very important to pay attention to the logic of the program.Think about the reusabilityWhen ever you are writing a program, always keep in mind that it could be reused at some other time. Also, try to write in a way that it can be used to solve some other related problem. A classic example of this is Suppose we have to calculate the knowledge base of a given circle. We know the area of a circle is (Pi * r2). nowadays we have written a program which calculates the area of a circle with given radius. At some later time we are given a problem to find out the area of a ring. The area of the ring can be calculated by subtracting the area of outer circle from the area of the inner circle. Hence we can use the program that calculates the area of a circle to calculate the area of the ring.Think about Good user port wineAs programmers, we assume that computer users know a lot of things, this is a big mistake. So never assume that t he user of your program is computer literate. ceaselessly provide an easy to understand and easy to use interface that is self explanatory.Understand the fact that computers are stupidComputers are incredibly stupid. They do just what you tell them to do no more, no less unlike human beings. Computers cant think by themselves. In this sense, they differ from human beings. For example, if someone asks you, What is the time?, Time please? or just, Time? you understand anyway that he is asking the time but computer is different. Instructions to the computer should be explicitly stated. Computer will tell you the time only if you ask it in the way you have programmed it. When youre programming, it helps to be able to think as stupidly as the computer does, so that you are in the right frame of mind for specifying everything in minute detail, and not assuming that the right thing will happen by itself.Comment the code liberallyAlways comment the code liberally. The comment statements do not affect the performance of the program as these are ignored by the compiler and do not take any memory in the computer. Comments are used to explain the functioning of the programs. It helps the other programmers as well as the creator of the program to understand the code.Program design recipeIn order to design a program effectively and decent we must have a recipe to follow. In the book name How to design programs by Matthias Felleisen.and the co-worker, the idea of design recipe has been stated very elegenlty asLearning to design programs is like learning to play soccer. A player must learn to trap a ball, to dribble with a ball, to pass, and to shoot a ball. Once the player knows those basic skills, the next goals are to learn to play a position, to play certain strategies, to choose among feasible strategies, and, on occasion, to create variations of a strategy because none fits.