Pre-Programming- Everything you need to know before you code

Course Overview

Learn and understand computer, learn about machine code, how to use OS especially linux, 2 persons changed computers forever.
How Internet works and why it was invented. How browsers and websites works.
Understand tech stacks, what front-end and back-end entails, most common learned programming languages.
Basic Concepts of Programming
Concept of the API, tackle the great trio of confusion which are frameworks, libraries, IDE.
Tackle Content Management Systems, why WordPress is the most common used in the internet. Why shopify and weebly are not advisable.
Advanced Concepts worth knowing like OOP, Model Controller Paradigms, CI, Git commits.
Tech trends, resposive design, platform as a service like parse, Full stack, hybrid app, SWIFT.
Wrap up, Talk about for those who want to learn how to program, how to pick what to learn and where to start.

01 The Basics

Why care about computers?

Why it's useful to learn this

Although everyone uses computers, few people actually know how they work
Programmers are very well paid
If you want to learn how to program, you need to know the basics of computers first
It will help you understand how computers communicate

What is a computer?

What computers are and what they do

A computer is anything that can compute, which means it can determine an amount or number when given certain rules
Things that are technically computers: calculators, watches, wearables, cash registers, etc.
Your brain is also a kind of computer
Computers can solve problems
They take instructions, run calculations, and give you a solution
Computers are all around you

Fact: The word computer was created to d**escribe people who solved mathematically problems.

How does a computer work?

How computers do what they do

Without humans to operate the computers, they're just dumb machines that don't do anything
By giving them specific instructions and commands, humans are communicating with the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the core of the computer, where the problem gets solved
CPUs = tiny silicon boxes attached to the motherboard
There are only two companies that make CPUs for personal computers: Intel and AMD
Within these squares there are thousands of transistors that are microns in diameter
A transistor is a wire that can transfer electricity
The smallest CPU transistor is 0.05 microns
A processor is like a small calculator. It transfers electricity in circles, which we call a clock, and is measured in MIPS (Millions of Instructions Per Second)
Computers have permanent and temporary memory
Permanent memory is build in the form of a hard drive which stores your files
Temporary memory is called RAM (Random Access Memory), and here the information is stored just for the duration of the program you're running

How do computers send & receive information

How computers communicate

In the world of computing there are tons of peripherals: monitors, keyboards, mice, track pads, etc.
Peripherals are external devices that allow you to give your computer input
The computer receives the input and responds with an output on the monitor
As a programmer, the code you write is the input that the computer receives
The response will depend on your coding abilities

Machinespeak & The Matrix

The language of computers

Computers have their own language called machine code, which is really hard to understand for humans
Peripherals and other devices communicate through machine code
The simplest version of machine code consists of 0s and 1s (beeps and boops), also called a binary system
1 = Yes, 0 = No
The motherboard transfers messages to the processor by sending electricity through the wires in the board
Letting electricity go is a 1 and stopping it is a 0
In a second, it can send close to a million 0s and 1s
The original computers were giant tubes, and they were using air instead of electricity (not that efficient)
There is a spectrum of programming code, from low level to high level code
Low level code:
- used by basic system and basic pieces of hardware
- long, inefficient, hard to read or write
- infinitely customizable
- machinespeak is the ultimate low level code
Mid level code:
- used by peripherals
- slightly higher level than 0s and 1s
- peripherals might require a driver to be installed
- a driver is an interpreter that translates your input for your system
High level code:
- used by programmers
- designed to make things faster
- shorter, easier to read
- less descriptive and more restricted

What is a operating system?

What operating systems are and the first operating system ever

Operating systems are interpreters that allow you to communicate with the computer
Before operating systems, only highly technical people could use computers
Operating systems were the world's first software
A software is an application or a system of instructions and logic that exists within the hardware and is used to control the hardware
The first operating system was MS-DOS (Microsoft Digital Operating System):
- it was a black screen where you typed in commands to do certain tasks
- you had to remember the commands and where the programs you want to use are stored
MS-DOS was taking your high level instructions and translating them to low level code

Operating systems in the modern era

How operating systems evolved

In the 1980s, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were fighting over how to make MS-DOS better
Steve Jobs copied the idea from Xerox, which came up with the GUI (Graphic User Interface)
Before GUI, operating systems were text based user interfaces
After seeing the GUI, Steve Jobs created Macintosh and packaged it in an attractive way for the average consumer
Computers used to be popular only among hobbyists, but after operating systems came out, everybody could easily use them
There are 3 main operating systems today: Windows, MacOS, and Linux
Windows' mission was to make an operating system that appeals to everyone
MacOS is even easier to use and more restricted
Linux is free (open source), anyone can modify it, and it's used mostly by technical people who want to have more control over the software
Other operating systems that are similar to Windows: Ubuntu and Fedora

Desktop software

What desktop software is and what it does

"Desktop" refers to your operating system. Your computer's desktop is where you keep files and folders
Desktop software = Software that you can open from your desktop
Software translates everything you do for the hardware
MacOS and Windows have different machine code, so you have to make specific software for each of them
Within the hardware of your computer runs an operating system, and the operating system runs desktop software
All these systems have to communicate between them
You can think of these like layers
Apple used to make all the apps that run on a Mac, but now they give you the option to use other versions of the same tools
They have transformed into a platform
Platform = Software environment where anyone can create something that runs on it
Nowadays, almost every device is a platform that you can install apps on (phone, watch, TV)

02 The Internet

The history of the internet

Why internet was created and how it evolved

The first version of the internet was made by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
Created in the 1960s, ARPANET was a project that aimed to connect two computers to each other, one in UCLA and the other one in Stanford
Through this connection, the world's first computer message ("LO") was sent by mistake by a clueless student who was trying to type "LOGIN"
Later on, they created the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), a system that computers use to transfer information to and from servers and other computers
Until the 1980s, the internet was only used for transferring research between research institutes
LAN = Local Area Network (local computers connected to each other)
The internet consists of many LANs connected to each other
WWW = World Wide Web (not the same thing as the internet)
WWW is a standardized system that was created so that any kind of computer can access and transfer the same information
One of the ways it does that is through the HTTP protocol, which acts as a language for coding information for any computer
When you type http://www.website.com, "http" specifies the protocol, and "www" specifies the location of what you're looking for

The anatomy of the internet

How the internet works

There are 3 concepts you need to know: client, node, server
The client is the device that requests and receives information
A node is any machine that that information crosses through to get to the client
The server is the device that's sending the information, fulfilling the client's request
These terms are relative and they can be interchangeable depending on which device sends or receives the information
The most important nodes you need to understand are: ISP (Internet Service Provider), modem, router
Any information will have to pass through these nodes to get to your computer
The ISP is any mega hub that distributes and connects computers across the country
Instead of connecting every computer in the area with each other, you connect all of them to this hub
The modem is a device that is permanently connected to your ISP and is used to send and receive information through your ISP hub
The router is a hub that allows all devices and systems in one area or room to connect to the same connection through the modem

Domain, IP, DNS

Explaining the three concepts

IP = Internet Protocol
The IP is a 9 digit string of numbers appended together with periods
Computers use IP addresses to find the location of your computer or find the server you're requesting
Every device has an IP
DNS = Domain Name System
The DNS holds the information of what IP address is associated with what domain name
ICANN = The International Corporation of Associated Names & Numbers
ICANN is the entity that decides if the domain name you want is available

How do browsers work?

What browsers are and their functions

A browser is a software that allows you to access websites
It has two basic functions:
1. It establishes a persistent connection with the server where you can access files to view a website
2. It translates web programming into something that your operating system can understand
There are several hundred browsers out there
The most commonly used are:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Internet Explorer
- Safari
- Opera
Every browser has a different way of interpreting web code
The same site might look different depending on which browser you're using to view it
Programmers have to ensure that the website they're building will look good and load correctly on all of these browsers

How does mobile internet work?

How you get internet on your phone

Smartphones are just small computers that ring
The mobile phone is a client that receives information
There are two ways of getting data on your phone: Wi-Fi and cell service
Wi-Fi only works within a certain range
Cell service works over longer distances and is provided by the cell towers
The phone companies that own these cell towers act like the ISP, the cell tower acts like the router, and the modem in this case is called a Gateway Server
The Gateway server converts data into a language your phone can understand, called WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)

The anatomy of a website

What a website is made of

A website is just a big set of text files in a folder stored on the server
The folder usually contains these 3 files:
- index.html (main instructions about what the website should show you)
- a .css file (instructions on the style of the website)
- a backend script (instructions of what the site can do) - .php, .py, or .rb
Other potential files might include a folder called "images", where all the images that should be displayed on the website are stored
For each page of the website there will be a separate folder with the same structure

The anatomy of a mobile site

What a mobile site and a mobile app are made of

Nowadays, almost all websites have in their original index file instructions on how to display them on mobile phones
When accessed through the browser, mobile sites operate very much like the browser on your computer
Mobile sites are different from mobile apps
While you can access a mobile site by opening your browser, in order to use a mobile app you will have to download it to your phone
The structure of the folder that holds the mobile app files is similar to the mobile site folder, only it's now on your phone instead of online
The group of files you download is called a package
This package doesn't have a backend file, which is stored on the server of the company that provides the app, in order for it to run faster

Let's talk about Netscape

What Netscape was and how it change the world

Netscape was the first commercially available browser
It did 3 things that changed the internet forever:
1. They invented a new language called Livescript that allowed websites to have richer functionality (they were very basic at first)
  Livescript later became Javascript
2. They invented SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which encrypted the traffic being passed through the TCP/IP protocol
  People could buy things online without being afraid someone will steal their information
3. It launched what we call "browser wars"
Companies started fighting about who makes the best browser
As a result, Microsoft launched Internet Explorer

03 Front, back, & stacks

What is front-end vs. back-end?

Explaining the two concepts

In any web interaction you have, you're going to use a browser to access information on a server
Front-end programming is a set of instructions that tells your browser what to show (images, text, spacing, buttons, etc.)
Back-end programming is a set of instructions that does things like fetching information, saving information, and running calculations
The front-end instructions get processed on your browser, which uses your computer's RAM and processor
Too many websites open will slow your computer down
Back-end instructions run primarily on the server you accessed the information from and uses its hardware
Back-end programming = Server-side programming
In order for a website to run effectively, both front-end and back-end programming must operate together

What is a language?

Explaining programming languages

Programming is a way to write instructions for a computer to understand and work with
Computers speak machine code
A programming language is a set of rules you have to follow in order for your computer to understand you
Programming languages are similar to human languages. They are only good for software or hardware that is designed to understand them
Programming has developed over the years as more and more people contributed to it
Even though newer languages are more efficient, a lot of products (ex. operating systems) we use are still based on old languages

HTML

What HTML is and what it's used for

HTML = HyperText Markup Language
HTML was created by people who wanted to increase the efficiency of sharing research
They first created the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and with this, people could use HyperLinks in a document to embed links to other documents
Then, the researchers wanted to markup the texts with highlights, underlining, bolding, and so HTML appeared
HTML is by far the simplest web language you can learn and it's included in every website
HTML is used for formatting text, tables, images, buttons, and it assigns attributes to these objects
There are 142 tags you can use in HTML
HTML5, the latest version, lets you embed anything you want into a page, like music, videos, games

CSS

What CSS is and what it's used for

CSS = Cascading Style Sheets
CSS allows you to have more control over the page than HTML does
With CSS, you can create a variety of new attributes and apply them to HTML elements on the page, by using what's called a "class"
For example, you can arrange elements on the page wherever you want them by describing the location
Any attribute you give to a class will be given to whatever you wrap in that class tag
Class rules can be created in the same document as your text, separated at the top, or in a separate .css file that will be referenced in the original document
Every developer has to have a basic understanding of CSS

JavaScript

What JavaScript is and what it's used for

JavaScript is not the same thing as Java, which is a backend language
JavaScript was created by Marc Andreesen and it was originally called Mocha
It's the hardest language to learn
JavaScript is in charge with the website interactivity
It was originally created for facilitating the process of filling out forms; before JavaScript, you couldn't know if the username you're trying to use was already taken
JavaScript allows websites to run faster, it makes the site experience more interesting and enjoyable

Python

The pros and cons of Python

Python is a versatile programming language and it's easy to learn
It's considered a general purpose programming language
Python is an expressive language because it resembles very closely the English language
Other languages make you learn various signs that if you forget to include, the code fails
Python looks like this:
if a is not 5:
Who uses Python: Google, YouTube, Dropbox, NASA
Python is a high level programming language, which means it's the farthest away from machine code, so it's less precise
This makes it harder to have full control over what you're trying to do
The downside to being a general purpose language is that every time you use it, you have to install other technologies to help interpret the code for you

PHP

What you need to know about PHP

PHP = PHP Hypertext PreProcessor
PHP is one of the most well-known back-end languages and it has the largest community of developers
It's fairly easy to learn but it has a few inefficiencies because it's so old
PHP looks like this:
Display "if (a!=5) {..."
PHP is open source, anyone can use it and set it up very quickly
PHP is the easiest to find and recruit developers for, because of its large community
It has a negative reputation because it's free
Although it has some drawbacks, PHP is flexible, well supported, and easy to use
Who uses PHP: Facebook, WordPress

Ruby

What you need to know about Ruby

Ruby is the newest programming language, it's popular and a bit controversial
It was designed to increase speed
It includes a lot of automation and intuitive changes that save time
Ruby has a small community and therefore the prices are very high for a Ruby developer
It has a lot of inexperienced people because it's so new
It has poor performance when used for larger and larger systems
Who uses Ruby: AirBNB, Shopify, Etsy, Groupon

What's a tech stack?

The definition of tech stacks and examples

The operating system acts as a giant interpreter for your computer, and as a result any software or program works within the space that it's created
We usually think of this like a "stack"
Any set of technology of programming languages that works together and enables each other will and can be referred to as a stack
Web stack = The combination of technologies a website uses
Tech stack = Web & mobile apps
For example, a website can be built using the LAMP stack:
Linux (operating system), Apache (server system), MySQL (database), PHP (back-end language)
Facebook uses LAMP
If you change one of the pieces, you can get WAMP (Windows), or MAMP (MacOS)

Common stacks for web

More examples of stacks

Any web stack has 4 components: operating system, server system, database, back-end language
LAMP is the oldest and most popular stack
When you have different needs for your technology, you can use other stacks
WINS = Windows Server, IIS Server, .NET, Microsoft SQL Server
WINS is great for big enterprises, because it focuses on security and IP protection
It's also very slow to use, expensive, and you have to train people on how to use it
MEAN = MongoDB, Express.js, Angular.js, Node.js
MEAN is great for small startups that need cutting edge technology, speed, and a polished user interface

04 Core concepts of coding

Syntax

Explaining the concept of syntax

All programming languages have the same core concepts, they are just expressed / written in a different way
Every language has its own rules and its own vocabulary
One of the first things you do when you learn programming is learn these rules
Syntax can be strict or expressive
Older languages have strict syntax, which means if you forget to put one sign or you capitalize the wrong letter, the code will fail
Python, for example, will still work even if you get a few things wrong

Variables

Explaining the concept of a variable

Variables are stored information that you can then manipulate and use
They are used in order to make the sites dynamic
If you want to change something on the website that shows up on multiple pages, you just have to modify the variable and the change will happen in all the places

Printing

Explaining the concept of printing

Printing is a command that you can put into your code in order to tell it to output the result of the code you're running
If you want the website to make a calculation, it's not enough to write the code for it, you have to "print" it on the screen if you want the user to see the actual result
There is a specific syntax for printing in each programming language

Commenting

Explaining the concept of commenting

When developers are working on an application that someone else built, they need to know some more details about the code in order to be able to modify it
Comments are a way of adding notes to explain what you're doing
In order for the computer to know that what you're writing is not code, you have to "comment it out" by using specific symbols for each language
This way, it will ignore that part and the program will run properly

Strings

Explaining the concept of strings

If you want to save a variable as text, you have to store it as a string
There are different rules for each language, but usually you would use quotations to delimitate text
The computer will consider whatever is between the quotations as human language and won't run it as code
Escape commands allow you to modify the text within your quotations, like put in on two separate lines
Example: "This is /n a text"

Arrays

Explaining the concept of arrays

Array = Series of pieces of information that are all formatted the same
Arrays can include numbers, strings, or variables (but not combined)
Using arrays saves time and it allows you to show more information more easily
If you need to use only one item from the array, you use a pointer
Pointers show what position each item of the array is in

05 Frameworks & APIs

What is a framework?

What frameworks are good for

A programming framework is a predefined structure that programmers can use to build upon, by changing existing code or adding code of their own to create a product
Most of the time, what you're trying to create has already been done before
There is no point starting from scratch every time you build something
Frameworks help speed up the process of creating your product
They help you set up the basic folder structure and link everything together for you so that you can spend time working on the parts that are unique
It's like using a template and changing only the parts you need to be different

Front-end frameworks

The use of front-end frameworks

Front-end frameworks are template websites that are set up in the most convenient way possible
It's easy to modify these templates and it saves time
Front-end frameworks might provide UI packs (UI = User Interface)
UI packs include pre-made button designs, forms, fonts, headers, everything you see on the site
Front-end frameworks usually provide 3 things:
- Layouts
- UI kits (graphic design bits)
- Interaction snippets

Back-end frameworks

The use of back-end frameworks

Back-end frameworks do the following things:
1. They help you set up the file and folder structure on the server
2. They give you pre-made code for functions that you're going to use
3. They help you download filed
4. They help you optimize images, save, and recall them
5. They help you set up APIs for pulling information from other websites
6. They help you set up a payment terminal
Back-end frameworks force you to program your app in a specific way that fits with their structure
It can be complicated to learn full frameworks, that's why you can also use micro-frameworks
Micro-frameworks focus on core functions

What's an IDE?

What IDEs are and what they do

IDE = Integrated Development Environment
IDEs are programs that programmers use to make their applications inside of
They provide tools that make coding a lot easier, like spellcheck or auto-complete features
IDEs help the developer organize and structure the files before they upload them to a web server
IDEs also help with version control, keeping track of code updates
Inside an IDE, you can write code, test it, and automatically see how it runs for real as if it were uploaded to a live website

Libraries

What a library is and what it's used for

Libraries are packages of pre-made commands that help you save time
JQuery is one of the most popular and famous libraries for JavaScript
Other JS libraries: Handlebars, Mustache
There are tons of libraries out there for everything you might need
There are libraries for front-end, as well as back-end languages

What is an API?

What APIs are and what they do

API = Application Programming Interface
APIs are mini applications that run on top of a larger application, and are used to facilitate the transfer of information to external apps that ask for them
APIs can automatically handle the transfer and fulfil the information requests
They help save time and they can limit what other apps can ask for
Example of using an API: Login to a website using Facebook

06 Content management systems

What they are and why we use them

CMS = Content Management System
A CMS is an application that helps you as a website owner or website developer manage your content
Content is a very broad term, and it includes everything you create and put online (blogs, posts, images, graphs, PDFs, guides, videos)
Without CMS, you would have to build everything from scratch in order to put your content online
Using a CMS makes this whole process easier and it makes the site look better
CMS handles your content, it lets you manage commenting, share information, quickly change how the site works, etc.
You don't have to be a programmer to use a CMS

The big three CMS

WordPress, Drupal, Magento

WordPress
- The world's largest and most popular CMS
- 22% of the entire internet is built on it
- It has tons of templates, plugins, and extensions
- It can handle mostly everything (payments, email lists, post scheduling, etc.)
- It's pretty hard to use
Drupal
- It has modules, plugins, and extensions for everything you might want to build
- Very similar to WordPress
- It's less popular or mainstream
- Only 2.2% of the internet is built on it
- It has a more enthusiastic but smaller core of developers supporting it

WordPress and Drupal are considered multi-purpose CMS

Magento
- It's a CMS that handles e-commerce / online stores
- It helps with inventory management, SKUs, and product imagery
- It's huge and popular

All these CMS are built in PHP, they're easy to set up, and they're mostly free to use

The new guard CMS

SquareSpace, Weebly, Shopify

Even if the big three CMS are convenient to use, they still need some extra time and effort to set them up
This is why WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) platforms emerged

SquareSpace
- It lets you create a site within a given set of templates
- You are limited in what you can edit
Weebly
- It lets you have more customization control than SquareSpace
- You can install integrations, third party themes, and move things around
- They are less popular
Shopify
- It handles e-commerce
- You can set up a store and add all sorts of cool advanced features and integrations
- Easier to use than Magento
- They take a percentage of your store's sales, as well as a weekly subscription
- Built in Ruby

Picking one over the other

How to choose your CMS

There are some questions you need to ask yourself before choosing the right CMS

Are you going to sell things online?
- If yes, use Magento or Shopify
- If not, use the other ones
Is selling things online the primary purpose of your site?
- If you also want to have a blog, Magento will make it easier for you
- You can use two separate CMS, one for selling, and another one for blogging
- If selling is only one thing you do among a lot of other stuff, choose one of the multi-purpose CMS
How particular are you about details?
- If you want your site to be unique, use a traditional CMS because you can customize more
- If you're satisfied with a template design, use the new ones

07 Advanced concepts

GITs and GIThub

What GITs are and why they're useful

GIT = Online repository for saving versions of code
The old solution was to save them on local hard drives, but it was inefficient
This system is easy to set up and access in the cloud
GIT helps you keep track of what other team members are working on and what's the latest version of the code
GIThub = A company that took the GIT process and made their own large service for saving code
"Forking" = modifying a version of code to make your own version
A lot of people fork using GITs

OOP

What OOP is and what it does

OOP = Object Oriented Programming
The standard way of developing something is called a procedural paradigm
OOP is a new paradigm that allows you to think of programming like real objects instead of instructions
OOP is a collection of functions and data that can be grouped into what's called an object
When you need to access an object, you instantiate a class that contains it
OOP helps you save time by grouping bunches of data and functions together
You can then apply attributes broadly across one or several objects
OOP is more scalable than procedural

Continuous integration

What continuous integration means

Integration means combining two parts of code together
Continuous integration is part of a system protocol that includes:
- Continuous delivery
- Continuous deployment
- Continuous integration
Continuous integration is making an elaborate server setup that can automatically do the integrations for you
It makes everyone check in more often to see if what they're making fits with what others are making, of if there are other issues
This system makes solving problems easier and makes the development process faster
It's usually used by larger teams

08 Tech trends

Full stack JS

What full stack JavaScript is

Node.js is a system that allows you create an environment on your browser to test your JavaScript
JavaScript is now used as a front-end and back-end language
Using it for both could save time and eliminate the effort of learning other back-end languages
Full stack JS has a lot of potential but it's still under development
It might be inefficient and might actually take longer to write everything in it

Pair programming

How pair programming works

Instead of having one person program alone, you have two people standing one behind the other
Two people will write one piece of code
When two people work on it, you have less problems
The process is slower
Advantages:
- The code quality improves
- Developers learn from each other
It's used mostly with big applications that have a long timeline
It's better to do it slower but have a higher quality

Full stack design

What a full stack designer does

Full stack designer = Graphic designer who can also program
There is a trend towards designers learning more about development
The final product will have a better quality because they also understand what's happening behind the scenes, not just on the surface

Hybrid apps

Pros and cons of hybrid apps

There are three types of mobile apps:
1. Native app
  - written in the code of a specific operating system
2. Web app
  - a website that is redesigned to work on a smaller
3. Hybrid app
  - designed to work on all the operating systems
Advantage:
- Hybrid apps help save time and money
Downsides:
- Loss of interactivity
- Loss of core functions and harder to control
Native apps: Facebook, Twitter
Hybrid apps: Netflix

Responsive design

What it is and why we use it

Nowadays, phones and computers come in a lot of different sizes
You have to make sited that looks good on all resolutions
Responsive design is a design that detects the size of the screen and adapts all the elements on the app to that resolution
You have to decide what gets displayed on lower resolutions
Usually, responsive design has a lot of white space on the sides that allows it to contract without losing elements
The elements of the site have a relative position (floating)
You need to run a lot of bug testing on different resolutions and browsers

SaaS, PaaS, & IaaS

What they are and how they work

"In the cloud" = Stored and accessed on a different device or server than the device you're using
People use cloud storage in order to have access to their files at all times

SaaS = Software as a Service
Products become services by providing a web version
You pay per month and you login to use the online app
Advantages:
- You charge less, but more often, and for longer
- People can access files everywhere
- Continuous updating
PaaS = Platform as a Service A platform is a set of tools, resources, and software that come together to let you build software on top of it
- Example: creating games on Facebook
IaaS = Infrastructure as a Service IaaS is what holds up and contains whatever you're building
Web storage is an IaaS
Iaas systems offer:
- Security and firewalling
- Routing and network services
- Maintenance and load balancing

Saas runs on Paas, which runs on an Iaas - like a stack

SWIFT

What Swift is

Swift is a new programming language designed by Apple specifically for their operating systems
In the past, you would build iOS apps in Objective C, which is harder to learn and more strict
Currently you can make an app in either of them
Swift is safer to use, fun, and faster
Swift is not just for iOS, it also works for Apple Watch, TVOS, Mac OS
Apple wanted to accelerate the developer community for their system by creating Swift
Swift is not that easy to learn

09 Choose your path

Web developer vs. software engineer vs. full stack developer vs. hacker

The difference between the four concepts

Web developer
- Someone who has a strong competency in front-end design, with basic competency in back-end programming
- They can make a blog or a website
- They focus on how it looks
- They can be specialized in one of the platforms, like WordPress
Software engineer
- Someone who has a strong competency in back-end development and basic competency in front-end development
- They focus on complex apps
- They solve really hard problems and are paid a lot of money
Full stack developer
- Someone who is good at both front-end and back-end development
- They are very rare
- Usually, they are just ok at both
Hacker
- Someone who has basic competency in both front-end and back-end programming
- They can hack together something pretty quickly
- They try to get something done and they are not focused on usability

How do you choose?

Questions to ask yourself

What are you orientated towards?
- Front-end developers will work a lot with design and will have to be creative
- Back-end developers will solve problems and use logic
Where do you see yourself using this programming?
- Where do you want to work?
- Big companies need back-end developers
- If you want to work on your own projects, focus on the things that get it done the fastest (ex. Python, Ruby)
- You can hire someone to do the front-end
- If you like mobile, learn how to do mobile apps

How to learn front-end

Where to start

Start with HTML because it's the easiest
w3schools.com, Youtube tutorials
Then move on to CSS
Use online courses
Download websites and try to edit and change the CSS
Get an introduction to JavaScript
Codecademy, Tutsplus, Lynda, Treehouse, OneMonth, Bento
Learn JQuery
Start looking at front-end development bootcamps (mostly online)

How to learn back-end