Stephen Wolfram has written a book to help you learn how to write in the Wolfram Language: An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language.
The Wolfram Language is both a way of expressing complex ideas simply and a way of thinking about how to solve a problem. One of the goals of the development of the Wolfram Language is to bring programming to everyone, to make programming like reading: something most people learn how to do.
Stephen Wolfram has done this by making programming both simpler and more complicated. It is simpler because complicated ideas can be expressed in a single line of code. It is more complicated because there are so many interesting functions that can be combined: working with the Wolfram Language is like having a really good collection of LEGO bricks and having all the rare parts from special sets. Except you never run out of pieces.
With Wolfram|Alpha, knowledge-based computation became accessible to the average person. With the Wolfram Language, you can take the computation out of the black box. In the Wolfram Language, you can still ask natural language questions of Wolfram|Alpha, but you can also build things yourself. As Wolfram explains, "The Wolfram Language provides a unique opportunity not only to introduce anyone to programming, but to get them quickly to the very frontiers of what can be done with computation today."
Though the Wolfram Language is very easy to learn and easy to use, it is still a programming language, and as such, it does need to be learned. In writing this book, Wolfram has tried to make learning it as simple as possible because he wants everyone to do it.
The Wolfram Language is beautiful, useful, and powerful. Wolfram concludes his introduction to the book with, "I hope that the power and beauty of the language that I have nurtured for more than half my life will shine through, and that many students and other people, with many diverse backgrounds, can use this book to get started with the Wolfram Language and get involved with the kind of computational thinking that is quickly becoming a defining feature of our times."
The book is organized into 47 numbered sections plus some appendices, starting with how to add in the Wolfram Language. (A colloquial 2+2 works, but in the Wolfram Language addition is a defined function. The more formal way of expressing it is Plus[2,2].) In section 15, Wolfram explains that in the book so far, "We've discussed around 85 built-in functionsbut altogether the language has more than 5000." He encourages you to explore the documentation to get a sense of the possibilities. Sections 46 and 47 are on how to write good code and how to debug.
In general, the sections are organized by increasing difficulty and are intended to be read sequentially. Each section has a set of exercises for you to try that allows you to make sure you understand before moving on. It would be a good idea to read this book with a computer or tablet close at hand so you can try things as you read.
The Wolfram Language is full of good toys to unpack over the holidays. The very best way to learn the Wolfram Language is by playing with it. Merry programming and a Happy New Year!
