https://jeltsch.org/en/tags/programming/Recent content in Programming on Michael’s DomainHugoen-usCopyright © 2002 - 2026 Michael Jeltsch.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:18:18 +0300https://jeltsch.org/en/python_for_kids_and_bioinformaticians/Sat, 12 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000https://jeltsch.org/en/python_for_kids_and_bioinformaticians/<p>I started to teach my son programming and we both are enjoying it. First we did a bit of html/php since he wanted to make an online quiz on his website, but now we started to work through the (German) book &ldquo;Python für Kids&rdquo; ( <a href="http://python4kids.net" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">http://python4kids.net&nbsp; <svg class="svg-inline--fa fas fa-up-right-from-square fa-2xs" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 512 512" overflow="visible"><use href="#fas-up-right-from-square"></use></svg></a> ). I chosen Python because it&rsquo;s a modern, easy-to-read language, and nowadays probably the most popular first choice for starting programmers. It&rsquo;s open source, easy to install on any system and you can get write powerful programs after a short learning period. Python for Kids uses the <a href="http://pythonturtle.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Turtle&nbsp; <svg class="svg-inline--fa fas fa-up-right-from-square fa-2xs" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 512 512" overflow="visible"><use href="#fas-up-right-from-square"></use></svg></a> module, which enables a graphics-oriented introduction into programming. The graphics on the left is one of the results. Another very useful Python teaching resource for kids is <a href="https://www.codeclubworld.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Code Club&nbsp; <svg class="svg-inline--fa fas fa-up-right-from-square fa-2xs" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 512 512" overflow="visible"><use href="#fas-up-right-from-square"></use></svg></a> .Python is also a very good choice for biologists and bioinformaticians, but since it is a multi-purpose language, you don&rsquo;t limit yourself to certain tasks. There is <a href="http://biopython.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Biopython&nbsp; <svg class="svg-inline--fa fas fa-up-right-from-square fa-2xs" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" role="img" viewBox="0 0 512 512" overflow="visible"><use href="#fas-up-right-from-square"></use></svg></a> , which is a very good toolset for the handling of DNA and protein sequences and even 3D structures.</p>