The Art and Science of programming (Moore’s Law)

Computing is changing; prices of computers are going lower and lower every single year. This is due to Moore’s law, which says:

Over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years. src

Which has allowed programmers like your self to develop applications that expand millions of lines of code, with teams created all across the world. In fact some programs are so large that not one single person can comprehend everything that is going on.

So what, exactly, is programming? Programming is the process of giving the computer detailed instructions to perform a specific task. What type of tasks? Anything from computing a natural number to creating the next great game. Who, exactly, gives these commands? Those are called programmers. They are responsible for creating instructions that the computer can understand. What type of instructions? This can vary from an implementation of an algorithm to custom definitions that the programmer decides to create. What are algorithms? Algorithms are a sequence of instructions that you follow for a certain outcome. The outcome can be figuring out a problem or just carrying out a procedure. Algorithms can be simple or complex.

That’s great, but what do transistors have to do with software and JavaScript? Everything! JavaScript was once a small language that was only used in browsers to provide interactivity for web pages. This was one of the main reasons programmers did not consider JavaScript to be a complete programming language. All of this has since changed. You see, JavaScript can be found in Robotics, Real Time Systems, Banking, Internet of Things, Web Browsers, Mobile Applications, Server Applications, Custom Command Line Tools, and even Text Editors. JavaScript is no longer just a web browser language; it’s actually “THE” language to know.

When exploring a new programming language such as JavaScript, it’s always a good idea to take a look around and see what others are doing with the same language. Githut provides a visual of the complexity of programming languages across 2 million active repositories hosted on GitHub. The number one most active language is JavaScript with Java not falling far behind; making programmers with a background in JavaScript in high demand. This is great news for you!

Where is the art and science? In this chapter, we will be exploring how programmers have to be creative, intuitive, and most importantly persistent in order to solve a problem. What type of problems? We will explore how problems are translated from a verbal conversation to a formal document, and then to actual code. I will provide you with a framework that you can follow to solve any type of problem. The science of programming will help you narrow down your options for a solution, and the art of programming will help you to choose a beautiful solution.