Tech Talk #11 – Oct 24, 2015
Google is just one of millions of places on the Internet. Think of the Internet as being a big huge giant place and are lots of other places to go once you get there.
To get to the Internet on your computer/phone/tablet you have to use a Browser. If you have a PC then your PC came with Internet Explorer as your Browser. If you have a Mac then it came with Safari as your browser. You don’t have to use the browser they put on your PC or Mac. Some of the other browsers you can get are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera. The browser is just the way you get TO the Internet and once you’re there, you go someplace ON the Internet.
Imagine the Internet is Costco. You can drive a truck to Costco or you could drive a car. Either way, you’re going to Costco. Once you’re there, you have to go to the part of the store that has what you need; 1,000 AA batteries, a 55-gallon drum of laundry detergent, or whatever.
It’s the same with the Internet. You can get there using Safari or Google Chrome. Once you’re there, you can go to Yahoo to get your email or go shopping on Amazon to order those batteries and laundry detergent.
Learning to code
Maybe you have a great idea for an app, maybe you could get a better job, and maybe you fell and hit your head – for whatever reason you suddenly want to learn how to write code for apps and websites.
The good news is there are online, free, and not very expensive places to learn. From learning very basic programming concepts to a semi-pro understanding of languages it’s all available to you if you have an Internet connection, a web-browser, and some free time.
The best place to start learning is Codecademy . The Codecademy site is pretty intuitive, and covers the current major languages; HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, Python, Ruby and PHP. Each course is built in sections and has estimated time commitments required to complete each one.
Codecademy is a great way to find out if writing code is something you want to keep doing.
Once you’ve mastered Codecademy, try Treehouse. Treehouse will give you some advanced coding skills by using interactive exercises, videos, quizzes, forums, expert speakers and other resources. You can sign up and try it for free for 14 days. After that, they have two plans with varying access to workshops and tutorials, $25 or $49/mo.
If you just want to create a nice website for your family or your business, give Dash a try. Dash focuses on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to get you started building a website right away. The site is free to use and friendly for beginners. Dash uses step-by-step guidance to carefully guide you through site-building fundamentals.
Of course, none of these free or low-cost schools alone will make you a master of coding or websites. But you’ll get your feet wet and see if you want to continue with more formal courses. Google Codecademy, Treehouse, or Dash for more info.
Quote
“If you’re not failing 90% of the time, then you’re probably not working on sufficiently challenging problems.” — Alan Kay, American Computer Scientist. Amazing guy, look him up on Wikipedia.
Do you have a computer or technology question? Greg Cunningham has been providing Tehachapi with on-site PC and network services since 2007. Email Greg at greg@tech-hachapi.com.