Can you learn programming without a computer?
In theory, you can learn programming without a computer, but it is a terrible idea to learn programming without a computer. You should not learn programming like that. Programming is a highly practical field; most programming principles are well understood if they are practiced.
Trying to learn programming without a computer is like trying to learn to drive without a car, you will learn how driving works, but you will not know how to drive until you get in the car and drive it on a real road.
Equally, learning programming without a computer will not get you anywhere, you need to practice what you have learned and make sure the program you working on does what it is supposed to do.
When you are programming, you need to understand the errors your Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is giving you and where they are in your code.
If you learning programming without a computer, you may think you have understood the concepts, but when you try to build a program, you will realize how much you don’t know.
The board, pen, and paper are simply not enough to help you learn programming; you need to write the actual code on a computer to help you understand the true software behavior.
In this insight, we are going to look at:
WHAT KIND OF COMPUTER DO I NEED FOR PROGRAMMING
CAN I LEARN CODING ON MY PHONE
BEST APPS TO LEARN CODING
Learning coding is an amazing journey that can help you in many areas of your life, you can earn a side income from writing code, work for big tech companies and build amazing products that solve real life problems. So, make sure to understand programming, not just knowing about it.
WHAT KIND OF COMPUTER DO I NEED FOR PROGRAMMING?
The kind of computer you need to learn programming depends on the path of programming you want to take, that is whether you want to be a Web developer, Mobile app developer, Commercial software developer, Desktop app developer, low level programmer etc.
For the majority of these programming fields, you need a good laptop with good processor and RAM. Software development tools and platform are quite demanding in terms of computer processing power and RAM.
WEB DEVELOPMENT: Web development is one of the least demanding field in terms of computer specs. All you need is a computer that can reliably run the browser without problems. A laptop such as THIS ACER will suffice.
MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT: Mobile app development is quite demanding when it comes to computer specs. For example, Android Studio which you can use to develop Android apps requires the following:
WINDOWS
- 64-bit Microsoft Windows 8/10
- x86_64 CPU architecture; 2nd generation Intel Core or newer, or AMD CPU with support for a Windows Hypervisor
- 8 GB RAM or more
- 8 GB of available disk space minimum (IDE + Android SDK + Android Emulator)
- 1280 x 800 minimum screen resolution
MAC
- MacOS 10.14 (Mojave) or higher
- ARM-based chips, or 2nd generation Intel Core or newer with support for Hypervisor.Framework
- 8 GB RAM or more
- 8 GB of available disk space minimum (IDE + Android SDK + Android Emulator)
- 1280 x 800 minimum screen resolution
LINUX
- Any 64-bit Linux distribution that supports Gnome, KDE, or Unity DE; GNU C Library (glibc) 2.31 or later.
- x86_64 CPU architecture; 2nd generation Intel Core or newer, or AMD processor with support for AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) and SSSE3
- 8 GB RAM or more
- 8 GB of available disk space minimum (IDE + Android SDK + Android Emulator)
- 1280 x 800 minimum screen resolution
Furthermore, if you want to develop IOS mobile apps, you will need a Mac, Windows or Linux are not supported.
You can check out these laptops for mobile app development.
Generally, you will need a computer with good system specs to learn programming. Aim for a computer with 8GB RAM or more, Intel Core i5 or better, 2.8 GHz or above, AMD Ryzen 5 or better.
Aim for a computer with the above specs as a minimum then you will have no problem in your development process.
CAN I LEARN CODING ON MY PHONE?
It is possible to learn coding from your phone, but you will be limited in what you can do. A phone is not design or engineered to develop or build software. There is little you can do when you are programming from your mobile phone.
There are apps that are developed to run some code on your phone but these are highly limited and they were developed using computers, showing that a computer is what is intended for coding.
There are apps like C4Droid, CppDroid, Solo Learn, ArduinoDroid, etc. that can be used to compile your code, allowing you to code on your phone, but they are limited in what they can do, you don’t get the full features that IDEs installed on your computer can give you.
You can use your phone to learn programming, but you cannot use it to build highly useful applications. If you want to develop mobile applications, websites, desktop apps, and more, your phone will not do these things. you will need a computer.
If learning without practice is all you are interested in, a phone will work, but this approach will not teach you what programming truly is. The best is to learn, practice, and build applications.
BEST APPS TO LEARN CODING
These apps are going to help you learn the fundamentals of programming, you can use them for reference, notes, concepts, syntax etc. They are meant to educate you and they will not help you to efficiently run code and fix errors.
GRASSHOPPER: Grasshopper is the best way to start your coding adventure with fun, quick games on your phone that teach you to write real JavaScript. The app is developed by Google and has features such as:
* Visual puzzles to develop your problem-solving skills and solidify coding concepts
* Use industry standard JavaScript with just a few taps on your phone
* Real-time feedback guides you like a teacher
* Collect achievements as you learn new skills
KHAN ACADEMY: Khan Academy has a lot of courses available for free in many fields including computer science. With Khan Academy, you will learn using expert-created videos, interactive exercises, and in-depth articles in different fields.
SOLOLEARN: Sololearn teaches you to code in a fun, free, bite-sized format. You will find more than 20 coding languages, including Python, JavaScript, HTML, SQL and C++. Each course is designed by expert programmers and tailored to your level.
CODECADEMY GO: Codecademy Go helps you review and practice what you learn on the web, anywhere, anytime.
Codecademy helps you to:
* Discover a new way to practice coding syntax.
* Remember more with daily flashcards that you can quickly skim.
* Review whenever, wherever. Leave the desktop.
* Learn how to apply your skills in your day-to-day with advice from industry leaders.
* Maintain streaks and track your progress.
MIMO: Mimo is just about the most accessible and effective way to learn to code in Python, JavaScript, HTML, SQL, CSS. Their programming lessons and practice coding exercises are suitable for everyone, even with no prior coding knowledge and experience.
With the Mimo programming app, you’ll be able to:
* Learn the most popular programming languages like Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and SQL
* Solve bite-size coding challenges
* Run code and build real-world projects on the go thanks to our mobile IDE
* Practice with coding challenges
* Build a portfolio of projects like websites or apps
* Get a certificate to showcase your coding skills
There are many other apps such as Programming Hub, Enki, Programming Hero, etc. that can help you to learn coding.
In conclusion, if you deeply want to learn programming and build projects, you will need a computer. If, however, you just want to learn about programming to have an idea of how it works, you can do without a computer.
Happy coding.
