Want to learn the basics of coding, try it...it's free!

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Latest update, August 14, 2024

There are numerous online resources accessible for free that can assist you in acquiring the fundamental coding skills. Below are suggested steps to commence your free coding education on a low-spec laptop or PC.

Where to start? Define your goals

Before you start learning what coding is about it’s important to define your goals. What do you want to achieve by learning to code? Do you want to build a website, create a mobile app, or just learn a new skill?

Choose a programming language

Some of the most popular ones for beginners are Python, JavaScript, and HTML/CSS. More difficult ones are C++, Perl, R.

Check out free online resources

There are many free online resources available for learning to code, such as freeCodeCamp, Codecademy, Khan Academy, W3schools, Microsoft Learn, Google, Cisco Networking Academy (moving to NetAcad.com august 2024). These resources offer interactive tutorials, exercises, and projects to help you learn to code. Many of them offer free introduction courses, some of them are completely free like freeCodeCamp and Khan Academy.

Sources for beginners:
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-learn-programming/
https://blog.hubspot.com/website/how-to-start-coding
https://skillcrush.com/blog/64-online-resources-to-learn-to-code-for-free/
https://www.bitdegree.org/tutorials/how-to-code-for-beginners/

Join a coding community

Joining a coding community can help you stay motivated and get support from other learners. You can join online forums, attend meetups, or participate in coding challenges.

Start with small projects and gradually work your way up to more complex ones. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, as they are a natural part of the learning process.

Ai-bots can be helpful

AI bots can assist you with coding, even if you’re a novice. You can inquire about explanations of code snippets and request examples.

Choose the free options, such as ChatGPT 3.5 Turbo, Codeium. There’s no need for paid versions like ChatGPT 4 or Copilot, as these are intended for professionals and come with a hefty price tag.The developments in chatbots are progressing rapidly, and sometimes their consultation is offered for free on various platforms such as poe.com, you.com, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, Perplexity and ChatGPT.

Chatbots are most effective when they are used as an autocomplete feature based on pre-existing code.

Open source code editors

The best open source code-editors can be found at sourceforge.

My personal favorite is Visual Studio Code, because of it’s versatility and user-friendly interface. Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a popular source code editor developed by Microsoft. It has gained widespread popularity among developers for several reasons:

  1. Extensibility: VS Code offers a vast ecosystem of extensions that enhance its functionality. These extensions cover a wide range of programming languages, frameworks, and tools, allowing developers to customize their coding environment according to their needs.
  2. Intuitive User Interface: VS Code has a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy to navigate and use. It provides a sidebar for quick access to files and folders, a powerful search feature, and a flexible layout that can be customized to suit individual preferences.
  3. Code Editing Features: VS Code comes with a rich set of features to enhance code editing. It provides syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, code formatting, and linting capabilities. It also supports Git integration, allowing developers to manage version control directly from the editor.
  4. Integrated Terminal: VS Code includes an integrated terminal, which eliminates the need to switch between the editor and a separate terminal window. This makes it convenient for running commands, executing scripts, and interacting with the development environment.
  5. Debugging Support: VS Code offers built-in debugging support for various programming languages and frameworks. Developers can set breakpoints, step through code, inspect variables, and analyze the execution flow within the editor.
  6. Cross-Platform Compatibility: VS Code is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to developers across different operating systems. It ensures a consistent experience regardless of the platform.
  7. Active Community and Updates: VS Code has a large and active community of developers who contribute to its continuous improvement. The community-driven nature of the editor ensures regular updates, bug fixes, and the development of new features.

These factors, among others, contribute to the popularity and appeal of Visual Studio Code as a versatile and user-friendly code editor.

Free industry-accepted certifications:

 

Free testing platforms

There are several free app testing platforms available to simulate code functionality on smartphones. However, it’s important to note that these platforms primarily support older iOS systems, limiting their compatibility with newer smartphone models. Additionally, the software used to run the virtual machines may not receive regular updates, necessitating periodic virtual smartphone upgrades. Despite these limitations, these platforms are still valuable for practicing app development and coding.

These testing platforms can also serve as alternatives for individuals who cannot afford a physical smartphone. This could be useful if you intend to utilize a bonus app for grocery or home depot discounts.

However, due to their compatibility restrictions, some apps may not function properly or may not be available for use on these platforms. Additionally, it’s worth noting that virtual devices may experience slowdowns or crashes caused by advertisements.

Here are two popular apps for running a virtual smartphone or tablet on your desktop or laptop computer:

  • Bluestacks: This app provides regularly updated models specifically designed for playing smartphone games on a PC. However, it’s important to be aware that advertisements can significantly slow down the performance or even cause crashes.
  • Genymotion Desktop for personal use: This option provides models that are 5 years old or older but does not feature any advertisements. However, please note that you will need to install Virtual Box in order to use it.

 

Free or open-source tools and platforms

In the realm of software development, a variety of free or open-source tools and platforms are available that enhance productivity, foster community, and support collaboration. Below is an overview of some key tools and platforms:

  • Git:
    • Description: A distributed version control system that helps developers track changes in source code during software development.
    • Usage: Enables collaborative work on projects, branching, and merging of code.
  • GitHub:
    • Description: A web-based platform that uses Git for version control. It provides a collaborative environment for developers to share code, manage projects, and contribute to open-source projects.
    • Usage: Host and review code, manage projects, and build software alongside millions of other developers.
  • Gitpod:
    • Description: An online integrated development environment (IDE) that supports GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket repositories. It provides automated, ready-to-code development environments.
    • Usage: Streamlines the setup of development environments, making it easy to start coding instantly from any device.
  • Python.org:
    • Description: The official website for the Python programming language, providing downloads, documentation, and resources for Python developers.
    • Usage: Central resource for learning Python, accessing libraries, and contributing to Python development.
  • PyLadies:
    • Description: An international mentorship group with a focus on helping more women become active participants and leaders in the Python open-source community.
    • Usage: Offers support, resources, and a community for women in Python.

 

Update on chatbots, possibly getting worse output

Free and paid chatbots have been trained since the end of November 2022 and have been open for public use since then. Recently, in June 2023, it was noticed that, for example, ChatGPT’s chatbots, both free and paid, are giving worse results compared to the months before. Be careful when using these bots. Even the output for spelling has become worse, and citations and links to sources, like web links, are often empty or incorrect.

The paper “How is ChatGPT’s behavior changing over time?” by Lingjiao Chen, Matei Zaharia, and James Zou, submitted to the Computer Science, Computation and Language category on arXiv in July 2023, evaluates the performance and behavior of GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 on four tasks over a period of time. The study shows that the behavior of these models can change substantially in a relatively short amount of time, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring of LLM quality.1


Chatbots, including ChatGPT, sometimes make up false information, which is called “hallucination.” This can be a problem when the chatbots are used for important tasks, such as providing medical advice or writing legal briefs. Developers of large language models, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, are working to improve their accuracy, but some experts believe that the technology is inherently flawed for certain uses. While some people see the “hallucination” as a creative bonus, others are concerned about the potential consequences of false information. Techno-optimists believe that the problem can be fixed over time, but for now, it’s important to be cautious and not rely solely on chatbots for accurate information.2.

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