- Why should I have to know anything about computer programming? Aren't there
already more than enough computer programs around?
- That's a bit like asking, "Why should anyone be taught how to write? Aren't there
more than enough books and magazines that have already been written?"
There is an old Chinese proverb:
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed
him for a lifetime."
A similar thing can be said about computer programming:
"Give a man a program and you satisfy his software needs for a day. Teach a man
how to write programs and you satisfy his software needs for a lifetime."
But perhaps the best reason for wanting to know how to write computer programs is
that it's fun! Computer programming is a "game" that
challenges your creative abilities as well as your intellect!
- But I know absolutely nothing about computer programming. So how will I
ever be able to write my own computer programs?
- We have an online SiMPLE tutorial
that teaches you, from the
ground up, the fundamentals of computer programming. (In addition, SiMPLE comes with
its own set of built-in tutorials.) As you read the tutorials,
you will actually start creating your own computer programs in a training language
called Micro-SiMPLE, a subset of SiMPLE which
requires you to know only four keywords. (Other programming languages require you
to know hundreds of them!!)
In addition, a number of FREE "SiMPLE Construction
Kits" are available for downloading. Construction kits provide you with an excellent
way of increasing your programming skills. By using them you can easily create software
that would normally be out of the range of novice programmers. [That's because
we do the "hard part" (creating the software modules) for you; and
you get to do the "fun part" (putting those modules together anyway
you want!)]
- How "smart" do I have to be if I want to be able to write my own computer
programs?
- Not very! (With SiMPLE, even we can do it!
) But we do recommend that you be at least about ten years old.
- Is SiMPLE only for creating games?
- No! SiMPLE can be used for much more than merely creating games.
For example, with SiMPLE you can create
programs that read and write data to any type of file on any
of your your disks. This means that you have the capability of creating your own
data processing software! Furthermore, SiMPLE's math library contains functions
that not only let you compute ordinary trigonometric values but hyperbolic values
as well. (And there are several other functions in the library that provide some
unique capabilities not usually found in other programming languages.)
SiMPLE is a general purpose development system that let's you do many
things. (In fact, SiMPLE itself was actually used to create most of
SiMPLE! )
- If I create a SiMPLE program and give a copy of it to my friends, will
they have to install SiMPLE on their computers before they can run
my program?
- No. Programs created with SiMPLE compile into ordinary executable (.EXE) files which
will run on any PC. (But after your friends see the kinds of cool programs you're
doing, they'll probably want to install SiMPLE on their
computers too!)
- Is my free copy of SiMPLE merely some kind of "limited time" trial version
that will expire in 30 days or so?
- No! SiMPLE is yours to keep forever!
It will never expire.
- If I download SiMPLE, am I under any obligation to buy other
products from your company?
- None whatsoever! SiMPLE is a complete development system all by
itself. There are absolutely no hidden costs or obligations. (And it does
not contain any adware or spyware.)
- Can SiMPLE be used to create programs that will run in a window?
- Yes! In fact, SiMPLE gives you a choice: You can not only create programs that run
in a window, but you can also create programs that run in "full-screen" mode
(in which you have control over every pixel on your display screen!)
- Can SiMPLE be used on an Apple Macintosh?
- At the present time SiMPLE works only on Windows-based computers. If your Macintosh
has special hardware that supports Windows (or if it has a Windows emulator), then
it will run SiMPLE. Otherwise you will have to wait until such time as we release a
Mac version.
- Can SiMPLE be used with Windows Vista?
- Yes! (Click here for more info)
- What are the minimum system requirements for running SiMPLE?
- The only system requirement for running SiMPLE is that your computer
must have almost any version of Windows [i.e., Windows 95 or later.]
If your machine
supports Windows, then it should automatically support SiMPLE too. [However, there
are a very small number of computers on which SiMPLE doesn't seem to work,
but we don't exactly know why. If SiMPLE
doesn't work on a particular machine, just install it on a different computer.]
- How much disk space does SiMPLE need?
- That depends on how many programs you intend to create! SiMPLE itself uses only
about 15 megabytes. So 20-30 megabytes of disk space should be enough
to last you for quite a while.
- If I install the current version of SiMPLE, and you make changes to it later on,
how do I update my installed version?
- Just visit our How to Update SiMPLE page.
- How can I tell if my installed copy of SiMPLE is the latest version?
- Simply type the command:
- VERSION
on the command line. Then check our website regularly to verify that your copy of
SiMPLE is the current one.
- If I install SiMPLE on my computer and I later decide that I don't want to
use SiMPLE anymore, how hard will it be to remove it from my system?
- Uninstalling SiMPLE is trivially easy -- all you have to do is delete the "SiMPLE"
folder! Because SiMPLE is completely non-intrusive, no "uninstall
wizard" is needed. (Don't you wish that all software could be like
that!)
- I've heard about something called "Object-Oriented Programming" (OOP). What exactly
is it, and will SiMPLE let me do it?
- An "Object" is a software entity that contains its own built-in data and
functionality. Strictly speaking, SiMPLE is not an "Object-oriented programming
language". But that doesn't mean that you can't do Object-oriented programming with
SiMPLE. (For further information about "Objects" and how to implement them, see:
"Doing Object-Oriented Programming In SiMPLE")
- All of this is fine and dandy. But other programming languages, such as C++, are more
"fashionable" to use. So even though it's a more difficult language, what I would really
like to have is the ability to create programs in C++.
- Well, guess what...
SiMPLE lets you write programs in C++ too!
SiMPLE contains a full C++ compiler! And you can even
intermix C++ statements along with SiMPLE statements! So, if you're already
an experienced C++ programmer, SiMPLE provides you with the best of both
environments. Or if you're just an aspiring C++ novice, you can use SiMPLE to ease yourself
into the world of C++ programming in gentle steps (instead of having to "dive" into it
"cold").
- Can I use SiMPLE to create programs for the Internet?
- It depends on what you mean by "for the Internet". You certainly can upload SiMPLE
programs (source listings and/or executable files) to your website so that anyone in
the world can download them. But if you're talking about using SiMPLE to do more
"advanced" things (such as creating software that directly sends/receives data packets
over the Internet, or creating software that runs in a web browser), then the answer is No.
SiMPLE is a development system for programming a "local" computer only. It was never
intended to be used as an "Internet language". (If you want to create software that
runs in a web browser, you'll just have to settle for using a language like JavaScript.)
- Why are you giving away SiMPLE instead of selling it?
- Now that we are living in the 21st century, we believe that
everybody should have at least an elementary knowledge of computer
programming. And they shouldn't have to pay money in order to achieve that minimum
level of computer literacy. So we are making SiMPLE available to the world, free of
charge.
- How do I download my FREE copy of SiMPLE?
- Just click the link shown below, and follow the instructions.
I Want to Download My FREE Copy of SiMPLE!
- When I try to draw anything on the graphics screen (even just a circle),
I get either a totally black screen with nothing on it, or some kind of error
message. Why?
- The 16-color graphics mode that Pro-SiMPLE uses is not supported on some computers.
If your machine has that problem, just use Ultra-SiMPLE for all your graphics
programs. (Ultra-SiMPLE has a better graphics mode anyway -- it offers higher resolution,
and millions of colors as well!)
- What's the secret password for getting into Club SiMPLE?
- The secret password is:
mouse. (But don't tell
anyone!)
- What should I do if I have other questions about SiMPLE?
- Visit our
SiMPLE CodeWorks Online Communications Center.
(Or simply e-mail us:
support@simplecodeworks.com)
