Programming is one of the fundamental aspects of our day to day. Programming can help us automate and simplify the way we use the computer, and even today is one of the most interesting work opportunities. Of course, even if we study programming , having knowledge about a specific language does not help us much. In addition to controlling the language, we must also know what programs we should use to program according to the type of software we are thinking of creating.
It is not the same to program an app for Android (where we have Android Studio, and many platforms to create apps without knowing how to program), as to program a video game (where we will need an engine) or create a complex program for Windows . Each platform uses its own language, which must be introduced in specific programs that help us both when programming and when compiling and shaping it.
If we are thinking of starting to program and create programs for Windows, this is all we will need to achieve our goal.
Knowledge to create programs in Windows
There is no magic programming language to create programs for Windows. From the Microsoft operating system we can execute practically any type of programming language, as long as we have the corresponding compiler and interpreter.
However, there are several programming languages that predominate in this operating system, and they are generally those of Microsoft. For example, most graphical environment programs developed for Windows use the Visual languages , such as Visual C ++, Visual C #, Visual J #, and Visual Basic .NET.
If we are going to create a simpler program that does not need an interface, C is a great option. Even C ++ if we want to use any of the graphic libraries that are available for this language. The difference between C and C ++ is that the former is not object oriented, as well as being rather more limited than C ++. Today there are great projects written in this second language (Chrome, Firefox, many games, etc.), so, without going into Visual languages, it is very comfortable to program in it.
If we want to create a program for Windows, but that also works in other operating systems, then we must use other cross-platform programming languages. Java, for example, is one of the most popular since everything we do in this language can work without problems in any operating system. Python, on the other hand, is a very popular similar language lately for creating multi-platform programs.
It is also easy to find developments in other languages, such as Object Pascal, Ruby or Objective-C.
Software needed to create a program
Actually, we could program without needing any special software, just with a text editor such as Notepad. However, nowadays there are very complete programs (IDEs) that, in addition to helping us to program, allow us to compile the code to turn our lines into something functional.
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a text editor that has many programming functions. This program has a large number of plugins that allow us to adapt it to practically any programming language that we want. Thanks to its IntelliSense features, this program can highlight syntax, help us auto-complete code, and even find errors.
It integrates with Git, it is fully customizable and also open source. We can download Visual Studio Code for Windows, Linux and macOS from the following link .
Microsoft Visual Studio
Visual Studio is a much more advanced IDE than Visual Studio Code developed by Microsoft. This IDE is specially developed for creating Windows programs, and it is compatible with the main Visual languages, such as ASP.NET, Visual C ++, Visual C #, Visual J #, and Visual Basic .NET.
This IDE allows us to easily create server applications and desktop software for all versions of Windows. With the right knowledge, you can even create 3D applications (and games) with it.
We can download Visual Studio from the following link .
Windows Template Studio
Windows Template Studio is an extension for Visual Studio specially designed to facilitate the creation of universal applications (UWP) for Windows 10. This plugin is integrated within the Microsoft IDE and, with a few clicks, allows us to shape the program that we want.
We can download the free Windows Template Studio extension for Visual Studio from the following link .
NetBeans
NetBeans is another programming IDE, this time focused mainly on Java program development. This IDE is open source and is mainly characterized by being modular, since each user can adapt it to their needs through “modules”. We need to have installed the Java SDK to be able to program and compile code written in this language. The advantage is that everything we program in it will work equally in other operating systems
In addition to programming in java, with the appropriate modules we can also program in JavaScript, HTML5, PHP or C / C ++, among others.
We can download NetBeans from the following link .
Delphi
Another very popular programming IDE among programmers is Delphi. This IDE helps us create natively compiled cross-platform applications (without having to resort to other programs or additional compilers) so that the end result is as pure as possible.
This IDE can be used to program in several programming languages, although the most common is to use it for programming in Object Pascal. Everything we write and compile with it will be compatible with Windows and Linux. It is also widely used for web development, allowing to create client-server databases and web applications and services, such as CGI, ISAPI, NSAPI, COM and DCOM.
We can download Delphi from the following link.
Notepad ++
Finally, we couldn’t forget about Notepad ++. This free and open source text editor is one of the best alternatives to Windows Notepad, but it also has plugins that allow us to turn it into a complete programming IDE. If we want something simple to use to program the old way (in text mode, without IDE), this is our editor.
We can download Notepad ++ from the following link .
