Thinking of doing something technical in the 21st century without the internet is indispensable. Everything we do in our day-to-day lives, one way or another is connected to internet availability. One cannot deny the fact that the internet so far has become an essential and one of the foremost ingredients to make life easy. We are dependent on the internet in such a way that we cannot even think of living without it. But here is where we come in. We are here to tell you how to code without using the internet. Coding does not require the internet but it provides the best options a developer can access while coding. Internet, however, plays a pivotal role while practicing coding but it does not necessarily mean you cannot code without it.
Before going into details about how to code without using the internet. Let’s see how the internet facilitates us while coding.
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How internet facilitates you while coding?
For a developer, internet availability is like water for someone striving to find water in a desert. The internet is one of the key facilities for software development. It helps you obtain any information you need while coding related to your program you are struggling hard to code which you might not have when trying to code without using the internet. As far as my personal experiences are concerned, we all encounter problems while coding. To get through those tough problems, the internet is what helps us the most. We can pick out the errors via the help of the internet.
This is worth noting here that most of the developers do go for Stack Overflow at least once a day and without an internet facility, it would be a herculean task to go for software development. Moreover, several front-end developers install external packages usually installed via Node to get help them confront issues while coding. According to statistics, 90 percent of front-end developers go through GOOGLE to tackle a problem while coding. practicing coding without using the internet, it would be very hard for developers to reach a successful solution to their problems. On the contrary, it must be noted that it does not mean coding without an internet facility is impossible, it is though hard but can be achieved if you prepare well. Modern IDE applications like VS Code to code and various compilers installed with the help of the internet are what most professional developers use to go through tough tasks easily. They enrich you with plugins to achieve better efficiency and in short make you feel at ease when writing code.
Concluding my points, I can only say that the internet comes with various opportunities like providing you access to well-written and authentic documentation, searching and practicing new programming skills, and interacting with other well-experienced and professional developers. After all these above-mentioned points, now I will let you know how to code without using the internet.
How to code without using the internet
The significance of the internet and the facilities it provides while coding can never be denied because it makes things a lot easier while coding tough programs. Coding, however, does not require the internet at all. By this I mean, you can learn how to code without using the internet. Moreover, I can mention a long list of professional developers who have learned to code without having internet access at all. But they did struggle hard enough to be professionals. Although it is more convenient to code when you have internet access, not every one of us has an internet facility everywhere we go. Not wanting to, but sometimes we are faced with internet issues. The question here is; how to code without using the internet?
If you are young and enthusiastic about learning how to code, I assure you non-availability of the internet cannot stop you from learning how to code. You need not stop because you don’t have a proper internet connection. Here are some of the reasons I have mentioned why you must not stop.
However, there are various ways that describe how to code without using the internet. But I have found the below-mentioned ones quite helpful;
- Going through books
- Downloaded YouTube videos
- Availing offline resources
- Join libraries
- Practicing familiar codes
- Prevent problems that require an internet connection to be tackled with
- FreeCodeCamp
Scrolling through a social media post I came across an old saying which fits best here; practice makes a man perfect. The same is the case with programming. Programming requires practice, patience, and hard work. For someone to master the art of coding, he/she must be patient enough to work with tough problems. Now let’s have a detailed explanation of the above-mentioned points one by one.
Books
One might not agree but books are an essential tool for learning how to code without using the internet. When you do not have a proper internet connection, books can take you so far in coding that no other offline source ever can. Getting books on programming can help improve the efficiency of your coding. One of the key things is to understand algorithms, and data structures and practice them as mentioned in the book. Most importantly, books are the best assets a programmer can own while offline. Some of the best books are listed below;
- Clean Code by Robert Cecil Martin
- Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding (especially for children)
- HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett
- Head First JavaScript Programming: A Brain-Friendly Guide
- Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide
These are some of the books I have observed to be useful for me in learning how to code without using the internet. These might not be as much helpful for you as these have been for me but these might provide you at least with a little help you need. Most of the developers I have seen recommend books that have been reviewed by experts or paid professionals who are not beginners in this field. I don’t want to enforce my opinion upon you but don’t go for the books that have brilliant reviews by experts or paid professionals. They don’t usually go through the whole book nor do they practice the exercises that you need to do. I highly recommend books that have been reviewed by people who have gone through the whole book to learn and practice coding. Because for me those books have been more helpful.
Downloaded YouTube Videos
Suppose you live in an area where internet issues are common, so you need to get prepared before the internet shuts down. You direly need to know how to code without using the internet. Here is where YouTube comes in. YouTube is one of the finest sources available for every beginner to learn from. Downloading videos from YouTube related to the program you want to master is reliable and easy to use.
There are numerous YouTube channels related to programming and coding. If I try to mention all of the channels, this article gets very lengthy. To cut it very short, YouTube videos that you download help you when you are stuck in the middle of a program.
Availing Offline Resources
Learning how to code without using the internet takes you to several online platforms which are available offline. Online resources like Udemy and Codeacademy are also available offline. They are enriched with materials you require while coding a program. Before your internet shuts down, get yourself prepared and download the necessary materials you need when coding.
Once you get prepared and download the required materials, you can easily practice coding whether you have a proper internet connection or struggling to get one. Availing of offline resources will not always be useful unless you come prepared and download the required materials for coding beforehand.
Libraries
One might think why there is a need to keep books as a separate source from libraries when learning how to code without using the internet. The first and foremost difference between them is that a library might have an internet connection or a digital section especially for research while books do not. If you are residing in an area that is enriched libraries and research centers, then you are lucky enough to code offline. When you do not have a proper internet connection, you can go and join libraries that contain different books on programming and coding. Searching for libraries from where I could download documents on programming that fulfill my coding needs, I came across Lodash library which is a library loaded with informative and authentic sources. The library is enriched with;
- The HTML documentation is simple
- Each documentation can be downloaded and viewed offline
- One can look inside the source code when stuck
- It is enriched with programming languages of your choice
- The library has no dependencies
- You can download several multiple functions you need to use
Practice Familiar Codes
Improving your techniques of coding and mastering the art of programming while you don’t have a proper internet connection, practicing and working on familiar codes can be a source of improving your skills a little further. While you do not have internet, try not to go for something which might further lead you to stuck in between it. Not having the internet and yet learning how to code without using the internet to improve your skills, working on familiar codes, and practicing them more and more will take you to new heights of software development and make you a professional programmer.
Trying to create something new which is too difficult for you will lead you to quit coding. Therefore, I would like to emphasize the point that instead of creating something new and getting stuck in between it is far better to practice some brilliant codes you are already familiar with, provided that you are not availing any other above-mentioned resources like reading books, downloaded YouTube videos and accessing other offline resources. If you go for books or download YouTube videos or avail of any other offline resources, then it is best. Otherwise, knowing that you will get stuck in the middle of a code while creating something new, I would highly suggest working on familiar codes.
Prevent the tough and complex problems
As previously mentioned learning how to code without using the internet, avoid creating something new and getting stuck, you can encounter difficult problems while coding a familiar code. The question here is; what is to be done when stuck? The answer to the question depends upon the complexity of the problem you are stuck in. Sometimes we are stuck in problems while coding or creating a website that is easy to be dealt with. In such an aforementioned case, the answer is you shall not prevent the problem. You should go searching in the program you have coded again and again to root out the problem that you think is keeping your program away to be run. That is the best thing about working on a code while offline that it provides your mind enough time to think of a solution and then get back to restore the changes. This indirectly enlarges the frontiers of the mind and helps you in your life as a professional developer or programmer.
While in the second case, when you encounter a problem when your internet connection is shut down, you know it is complex enough and to solve it you need to research, then it is better you avoid the problem as soon as the internet connection is restored.
FreeCodeCamp
Last but not the least resource learning how to code without using the internet is FreeCodeCamp which is an excellent platform for beginners learning how to code. FreeCodeCamp is a non-profit company giving everyone access to learning coding and related skills completely free. In this article, I will show you how to run FreeCodeCamp offline. Before running FreeCodeCamp offline, you do need a temporary internet connection to get installed on your laptop or PC. The steps are as follows;
- Install MongoDB on your windows
- Install NPM and Node.js on windows
- Clone FreeCodeCamp
- Install FreeCodeCamp
- Initiate the database
- Seed the database
- Start FreeCodeCamp
- Go and open FreeCodeCamp in your browser
- Once FreeCodeCamp opens in the browser, click “Get started now, it’s free!”
Now you are signed as a developer and you can access FreeCodeCamp offline anytime you want to just by following steps 5 and step 8.
Conclusion
In this blogpost, I have discussed in detail how one can learn how to code without using the internet. The importance of the internet, however, cannot be denied because it helps you troubleshoot the problems you face while coding. You research and fix the errors in the program with the help of the internet. On the contrary, I have listed several ways one can practice coding and improve programming skills. Among all the resources to learn coding offline, I prefer books because books provide you with the best information even though sometimes the internet cannot. If you are faced with internet issues on daily basis, grab yourself a programming book and learn from it until the internet connection is restored. All of the resources mentioned above are reliable, I prefer reading books and strengthening my programming techniques. Let us know yours in the comment section.
