On a phone you can read the lesson vertically. For code and interactive tasks, it is more comfortable to rotate the screen horizontally.
Introduction
0. Introduction. Why we start with Python
A soft entry into programming: first we run simple commands right on the site, then we transfer the knowledge to the computer and make the first real utility.
First step into programming
Python basics-basics is the first step into programming.
Not into a scary terminal. Not into endless settings. Not into dry theory.
First we will calmly understand how a program thinks: how it receives a command, stores data, makes a choice, repeats actions and shows a result.
Python is good because it does not force you to fight unnecessary complexity from the first day. It lets you quickly see the main thing:
I wrote a command → the computer executed it → a result appeared.
This is where programming begins.
Why Python
There are many programming languages.
There are C and C++ - powerful, fast and serious. They are used to make engines, systems, complex programs and parts of operating systems.
But for the first step they are often too heavy. There you need to think too early about memory, types, builds, compilation and many details that prevent a beginner from seeing the main idea.
Python is easier for the start.
It reads almost like ordinary text. It starts quickly and is suitable for a huge number of tasks: small utilities, working with files, automation, data processing, learning, prototypes and developer tools.
Python does not solve every task in the world. But it solves many tasks that are convenient to start with.
Most importantly, it teaches basic programmer thinking. After Python, it is easier to understand JavaScript, GDScript, C# and other languages.
Because the ideas repeat: variables, conditions, loops, functions, lists, errors and program structure.
What happens under the hood
Programming is not magic.
When you write code, a chain of actions happens.
You write a command in a language that is comfortable for a person to read. Python reads this command. Then it turns into actions that the computer understands. The operating system helps the program work with files, the screen, memory and devices. The processor executes instructions. Memory stores data.
It sounds complicated, but we will not jump there immediately.
First you will see the top level:
command → result.
Then you will gradually begin to understand what is below: how code starts, why a program remembers values, where errors come from, how a file is created on disk and why the computer does exactly what it was told.
You do not need to solder hardware. You do not need to disassemble a processor. You do not need to know how all of Windows works right away.
You will communicate with the computer at a high level - through understandable commands. And this is much calmer than it looks from the outside.
The main thing is thinking, not syntax
Many people are afraid of syntax.
Brackets. Quotes. Colons. Indentation. Strange words.
But syntax is not the scariest thing.
Syntax is like writing rules. At first it feels unusual, then your hands remember it.
It is much more important to learn to think in steps:
- What do I have?
- What do I want to get?
- What data do I need?
- What should the program check?
- What should it repeat?
- What should it show to the user?
- What should it save?
When this kind of thinking appears, the language becomes a tool.
Today Python. Tomorrow GDScript. Then JavaScript. Then anything else.
The foundation is the same: you learn to explain a task to a machine in understandable steps.
How we will learn
We do not start by installing Python on the computer.
At first, code can be tried right on the site.
You will see a small example, press “Run”, look at the result, change one line and run it again.
This creates the feeling:
“Okay, I understand what happened.”
Then the difficulty will grow.
First text. Then numbers. Then variables. Then conditions. Then loops. Then lists. Then functions. Then errors.
Only after that we will calmly move to the computer: install Python, create a .py file, run the program, save the result and make the first useful utility.
Training playground and workshop
On the site we train.
Here it is convenient to make the first steps: write a command, change text, count a number, check a condition, repeat an action and understand an error.
This is a learning playground.
The computer is already the workshop.
There programs begin to do real things: read files, create folders, save documents, rename pictures, collect reports, make small utilities and later turn into EXE files.
First we learn to control the thought. Then we transfer it into real work.
What you will have at the end
At the end of this path, you will not just get acquainted with Python.
You will understand the basic logic of programming.
You will know:
- how to show text;
- how to count numbers;
- how to store values;
- how a program makes a choice;
- how to repeat actions;
- how to store several objects;
- how to create your own commands;
- how to read simple errors;
- how to run a file on a computer;
- how to save the result into a file.
And most importantly - you will make your first useful program.
Not an abstract example for the sake of an example. A small utility that works with real files.
Where to go after Python
Python is a starting door.
After it, you can go in different directions.
If you want to make games, it will be easier to understand GDScript, Godot and game logic.
If you want to make websites, it will be easier to understand JavaScript and the logic of web applications.
If you want to make tools, you can write utilities for yourself.
If you want to automate boring actions, Python is great for that.
If you want to understand the computer more deeply, that path is also open.
The course does not promise that you will become a programmer in one evening.
But it gives the main thing: a clear road, first wins, structure and calm movement from simple to complex.
Details
What is a program?
A program is a set of commands.
The computer does not guess what you want by itself. You need to explain it.
For example: show text, calculate a sum, remember a name, check whether there are enough coins, repeat an action five times, save the result into a file.
When commands stand in the right order, you get a program.
What does it mean that a computer executes code?
You write code in a language that is comfortable for a person to read.
Then Python helps turn this code into actions for the computer.
At the very top you see a simple command:
print("Hello")Deeper down, a lot of work happens: Python reads the line, understands that text needs to be shown, passes the task to the system, and the system displays the result on the screen.
We will not immediately examine all the internals. But gradually you will begin to understand where a command goes after launch.
Why is Python easier for the start than C++?
C++ is a very powerful language.
But in it, a beginner quickly meets many technical details: data types, compilation, header files, memory, pointers and project builds.
This is important, but not on the first day.
Python lets you first see the essence: command, data, condition, loop, function, result.
When this base is clear, other languages become less scary.
What if I later want JavaScript, Godot or C#?
That is normal.
Python does not lock you into one direction.
It helps you understand ideas that appear almost everywhere.
JavaScript also has variables, conditions, loops and functions.
GDScript also has variables, conditions, loops and functions.
C# also has variables, conditions, loops and functions.
The syntax changes. The thinking stays.
Do I need to understand hardware?
Not right away.
To start programming, you do not need to disassemble a processor or solder a board.
At the start, it is enough to understand one simple thought:
you write a command; the program reads it; the computer performs an action.
Later you can go deeper: memory, processor, files, operating system, network and other topics.
But it will happen gradually.
Are errors normal?
Yes.
An error does not mean that you are not a programmer.
An error means: the program reached a place that it did not understand.
Most often the problem is small: a forgotten quote, an unclosed bracket, a misspelled name, an extra space, a mixed-up order.
We will learn to read errors calmly. Not panic, but understand.