The computer is one of the greatest inventions in the world (At least I think so). In layman’s terms, the operation of the computer is inseparable from the program, and the program is like an instruction to the computer. The computer will follow your instructions (i.e. the program runs). Coding is nothing more than the process of writing various instructions.

  • If you found my website, you are presumably someone who likes learning and thinking. If you are such a person, and you don’t know how to code, here is my advice for you: sit down and learn it.
  • Seriously, learn to code. Learn. To. Code. Learn to code god-damn it!

File systems: Concepts for beginners

Introduction (can be skipped)

This explains at a high level the most basic types of objects1 that any computer system will have. It is meant to be a short briefing before you follow the instructions in the learning path page.

Topics covered

In the last 10 years, the ways users access files have changed dramatically. For many students, even the concept of a “file” could be challenging now, let alone an editor or compiler.

The goal for this post is to try and sort out some common conceptions. It’s attempting to write out what are some common confusions about different types of objects in computing world, and draw analogies to the real world.

Specifically, I want to talk about five kinds of things:

  • Folders and files
  • Editors
  • Compilers/interpreter
  • Terminal emulators
  • Executing programs

Python

Python reads like English, simple to learn. This is my personally recommended first language. It has efficient high-level data structures and a simple but effective approach to object-oriented programming.

LaTeX

LaTeX is markup language, and not programming languages in practice.