Rules and Definitions

We are living in the age of the Digital Revolution, and coding is at the very heart of it. Coding is arguably one of the most sought after skillsets industries and organisations are looking out for in the current climate. With that, allow me to break down some basic rules and definitions.

Basic Definitions:

• Coding is the act of giving instructions to a computer
• Algorithms are sets of instructions for a computer to follow
• Pseudo code means 1 line of code at a time
• Machine code = Binary code = language machines understand
• Middle languages = Code e.g Python, Scratch, Java, Objective C etc.
• Machine code is the lowest level
• Code syntax and rules must be followed when writing a code
• Compiler is used to convert code into their respective machine code

Coding languages form a spectrum

Different languages are used for different purposes

Front End vs Back End vs Full Stack

Front end: How software looks and ‘feels’

Back end: Applications, Databases, Servers

Full stack: Front and back end

Stack: Languages and technologies that work well together

• Full stack developers: Works with front and backend technology

And Gate Transistor (2 inputs give you 1 output)

Or Gate Transistor (Either 1 input gives you 1 output)

Coding vs Programming

Coding and Programming often seem synonymous on the surface and mean the same thing, but programming is better for functional applications.

Coding is a subset of programming that deals with turning a language into machine-readable binary commands. Programming is the process of building a program that adheres to a set of rules and completes a certain task. A programme is a set of instructions (code) that tells a computer what to do. We usually refer to this as an application.

• Clean code: Well structured, commented, efficient
• Conventions: Common rules/ standards

Watch out for my next article on Common coding concepts!

Alexander SR Pang