Coding With Algoid

 

Algoid, or rather Al, is a nifty “learners” programming language much like Scratch. The field of programming is expanding and with it so are new ways of learning how to break into the field, whether it’s for hobby or for money. Before speaking in regards to Algoid I must first explain its differences with the learning language Scratch. Scratch was developed with the idea of children in mind. It is a fairly simplistic language/IDE that allows the users to “drag and drop” code in order to develop small cartoons, games, etc. Although it is a fantastic idea, it is not totally appealing to a more teen-adult audience.

Now, Algoid is a programming language developed by CyaNn. The language was developed as a learning language for those of all ages wishing to learn how to code. Learning is done so through the use of “code snippets.” The neatest thing about this language is that the IDE is available for Mac, Linux, Windows, Android, Rasberry Pi and Web Browsers. I want to draw close attention to the Android IDE because this allows users to learn on the go with a tablet or smartphone as apposed to traditionally using a laptop or home computer to learn programming. The IDE is broken into two sections allowing users to run and view their code. Anyone wishing to learn more about Algoid can visit the main site at http://www.algoid.net. Tutorials can be found at AlgoidTuts and also in the Android app store.

Coding On The Go

For those who are well versed in programming, an issue has been being away from your computer. Not saying it’s bad to be away from your computer, however if you have a deadline to meet and you find yourself having to take the train or away on vacation and need to get some work done, what are you to do?

Well, there is DroidEdit!

Certainly not the first text editor developed for tablets and smartphones, however it is, in my experience, the most stable text editor with a nicely designed UI. There are currently two version of DroidEdit: Free & Pro. The free version, of course, comes with advertisements enabled.

Combining this and a cloud based service where your code is stored, like GitHub or Dropbox, would be the perfect combination for programming on the go!

Software To Keep An Eye On

We live in a world riddled with multiple programs that allow us to create video games, phone applications and many other projects as well. However, after some time, we may get fed up with the changes to the programs we have become accustomed to or the program may not suite our needs any more. So what do we do? Well, plenty of programs sprout up every year and deserve our attention!

Enide Studio Works as an Eclipse plugin, however, it is primarily an IDE for node.js development. Node.js is a fairly new programming language to me (first time I heard of it was when I signed up for my Ghost blog). Whether the language is entirely new or just making a rise on the programming scene it is good to have an IDE aimed at developing in that language.

Polycode I’m unsure as to how old the Polycode project is but it looks as if it will be an impressive piece of software. Although Polycode can be used for multiple projects, such as: video production and interactive video displays, what is most notable is that it doubles as a 2D game engine. The only issue I have with this program is that it requires you to perform a source code install. The website has a guide to installing the program and there are also plenty of YouTube tutorials for installing the source code and getting the interface up and running.

LimeText This project is amazing, in terms of who began developing it. Originally a user of the commercial text editor Sublime Text disagreed with the constant updates to the program and started an open source text editor project called Lime Text. Now, there are a few developers working to improve Lime Text. Currently Lime Text does not have its own installer and must be installed via source code.

Atom Text Editor A long awaited software developed by GitHub, the Atom Text Editor is exactly that, a text editor. It is an Open Source text editor that allows users to customize the interface with the use of CSS and there is also the ability to add other features with the use of HTML and Javascript programming. But it doesn’t stop there. The editor also allows for the integration of node.js programming as well as C++ and C. The only available installer, currently, is for Mac OSX. Other operating systems will require you to install via source code.