Programming Resources

Programming Resources

This website provides programming resources recommended by Gideon Tong for creating a software project of any type. It aims to help new programmers as experienced programmers are expected to understand software design and API docs.

Check out some books here.

Learn how to set up a Raspbery Pi on UCSD’s network here.

Mobile App

Mobile apps are apps that run on mobile platforms, typically ARM-based processors with touchscreens like iOS-based iPhones and iPads or Android-based smartphones and tablets.

Cross-Platform

Cross-platform apps are apps that use one code base but can run on multiple types of devices at the same time, like iOS and Android.

C#

C# is a multipurpose programming language based on C that supports objects and functions. You can build apps in C# using Xamarin. It uses native UI elements and hardware, so you can easily interface with hardware-based APIs or even platform-specific APIs. You can use Xamarin on Windows, macOS, or Linux, but to build apps for iOS you’ll need to install Xamarin on a macOS computer.

JavaScript

JavaScript is a high-level programming language that is considered dynamic and runs in a web browser like Google Chrome. You can build cross-platform mobile apps using a framework like React Native. It still supports native code for platform-specific functions, but runs dynamically and is super easy to quickly build.

To get started, you’ll need a computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux with Node.js installed (simply download either the LTS or current version, with the current version being more bleeding edge). You can run apps instantaneously with instant debugging if you install the Expo app on your phone (iOS & Android). To build apps for iOS, you’ll need to install React Native on a macOS computer.

iOS

iOS apps require you to build using a macOS computer. However, there are ways to test your app without a macOS computer if you are using JavaScript, for example. To publish your app on the Apple App Store, you’ll need to pay $99 per year as well as own a macOS computer with a development certificate (note that this is not per person, but there are additional steps required if you are going to share the same developer account within a group).

Objective-C

Objective-C is another multipurpose object-oriented programming language based on C. It is older than Swift and tends to be used for older iOS libraries and iOS app projects. It is supported by Xcode, although many of the newer code projects now default to using Swift.

If you’d like to get started with Objective-C anyways, the Apple documentation begins with this link.

Swift

Swift is another multipurpose object-oriented programming language designed to be easy to learn and powerful enough to prevent against mistakes from inexperienced programmers.

If you’d like to get started, CodeWithChris on YouTube has a lot of great videos, and beginners should start with this playlist.

Android

Android apps can be built using a multitude of tools, and can even be created using an iOS or Android device. They are super powerful and offer more flexibility and hardware APIs than iOS apps do. To publish an app on the Google Play Store, you’ll need to pay a one-time fee of $25 as well as have access to a web browser to upload your app.

Java

Java is the traditional method of running apps on Android. Android apps typically run in the JVM (Java Virtual Machine) as a layer of code.

thenewboston on YouTube has many good tutorials. Although this series of YouTube tutorials is quite old and is outdated by now, you should look into it anyways for good programming practices. However, I would not follow this tutorial exactly because Android has since moved on to using Android Studio and other software tools that streamline Android development.

Kotlin

Kotlin is a newer language that is designed to be inherently better than Java and more efficient, similar in principle to Apple’s initiative of creating Swift for iOS.

Website

Websites are easy to update and allow dynamic updating, and are also easy to build and do not take long to create a basic version (like an MVP!) of a website. They need to be hosted on a server somewhere, and a website builder like Google Sites or GitHub Pages does the hosting automatically for you. However, if you are not serving static content, it is not recommended to use a web host that does not allow you access to the server.

Dynamic Content

Dynamic content is data that changes based on who sees it or what is entered into it. This might include things like a login system, forums, user profiles, or other platforms that changes who is looking at it or what people want to see.

Building a Forum

You don’t necessarily have to do any of your programming in order to create a forum. There’s a open-source software called phpBB that you can use in order to easily and quickly create a forum.

Static Content

Static content is information that is defined and doesn’t change on a day-to-day basis. It might be good for webstores, informational websites, blogs, and other platforms (however, a blog would be better hosted on an existing hosting service).

There isn’t a lot of programming in creating a static content, instead, you should instead just download a template and create a website with a drag-and-drop WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor.

Desktop App

Desktop apps are computer programs that run on desktop and laptop computers. They are typically designed to run on bigger screens and support input from a mouse and a keyboard. This can include video games or utilities that run on computers.

Cross-Platform

Cross-platform desktop apps tend to run on at least Windows and macOS, with sometimes Linux support. Typically, they are compatible with at least AMD and Intel processors, with occasional support for ARM processors. In most instances, a software project is easy to build for all platforms, but adds additional build time to the development process.

Windows

Windows apps are typically compatible with Intel and AMD processors, but with the recent surge in ARM processors on Windows, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon series processors being included on some newer laptops it is not uncommon to see apps built for ARM.

macOS

macOS uses Intel-based processors, but there typically is not any configuration needed because Xcode will do it for you.

Linux/UNIX

“Linux users can figure it out.”

Browser Extension

Browser extensions are small JavaScript-based applets that within your web browser in order to run scripts or modify the website data.

Cross-Platform

Basically all browser extensions are cross-platform, but there are some minor differences and API differences that may cause them to not be entirely cross-platform. However, it is usually quite easy to port extensions between browsers.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome runs on the Chromium browser, which also powers Opera, Maxthon, and many other “alternative” browsers. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see extensions that work on Google Chrome to automatically work on other Chromium-based browsers.

To get started with building an extension for Google Chrome, you’ll want to start with the docs here.

Other Browsers

Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari have their own set of docs for building extensions, but they are usually similar enough that it can be ported from Google Chrome extensions. You shouldn’t build an extension exclusively for Microsoft Edge. It is being phased out of development by Microsoft and will not be supported by them in the near future.

To get started with building an extension for Mozilla Firefox, you’ll want to start with the docs here.