Download this: Google's Grasshopper aims to make coding as easy as a game
Ever wanted to learn to code, but didn't know where to start? Google's new app wants to help.
This week the company launched Grasshopper, an app that aims to help teach adults to code (javascript, specifically) with a series of bite-sized puzzle games.
Launched from Google's Area 120 incubator, which is devoted to experimental projects, Grasshopper takes a Duolingo-like approach to coding. It breaks down the basic concepts behind javascript, like functions and variables, into lessons you can complete in just a few minutes.
Like some of the coding apps aimed at kids, Grasshopper game-ifies the process a bit, turning coding lessons into mini-puzzles you need to solve. After you learn one concept, the next lesson will build on it and slowly add new elements so each one gets progressively more complicated.
And, like Duolingo, the app encourages you to return each day for another lesson in order to build your skills up.
Of course, no app can replace actually sitting down at your computer an practicing the real thing. But with Grasshopper's lessons, you might feel less intimidated to start.
The app is available on iOS and Android.
Topics Google
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
