Almost anyone can learn to write their own programs. It doesn't have to be an advanced program. It can be something simple such as a program to calculate numbers or display photos.

It is not necessary for novices to purchase a development program to start learning. Microsoft offers a free version called Visual Basic Express. Just type in "Visual Basic Express" in any search engine and you will get a link to their site.

If a person has basic math and reading skills they will be able to start writing basic programs. The best way to learn is to think of a nifty feature you would like to have on your computer and use that as a basis to start your first program.

Remember to keep it simple. The newest languages use functions and statements that are very descriptive of what they do. Most of them are not in "code" anymore.

It is very satisfying to run the first program that you write and see it perform the way you intend it to. Some of the software that you buy have so many features that it makes it difficult to use.

For example, if you buy a digital camera, you may want to just display the photos without having to go through all the steps in the software that came with the camera. With Visual Basic.net you can design a program that will look at all the photos on your camera card and display them to you and then save them to a folder for you. All this with approximately 50 lines of code. Most of these other programs have so many other features that they use tens of thousands of lines. And all you wanted was to display your photos without going through wizards 10 pages long.

Also a lot of these programs will install hidden programs that keep track of your use of the Internet for marketing purposes. If you read the fine print when you click "I Agree" to the license agreement you will notice that you give them permission to do this.

It is much better to have your own software because you will know what is in the code.

Don't be scared to try your hand at programming. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to write a basic program.