What Is Programming? Reflections, History, and Personal Growth

Programming is defined as the continuous process of thinking and execution, where the characters "编" (to compile or organize) and "程" (process or distance) emphasize both planning and implementation.

The piece highlights Linus Torvalds as a seminal figure, describing how his creation of the Linux kernel in 1991, built on Minix and released under the GPL, spawned numerous distributions and demonstrated the power of collaborative growth.

It then advises readers to set small, achievable goals—such as learning a few words, a language's basic types, or understanding an article—and outlines a three‑step method for budgeting, breaking down, and detailing these objectives.

The author shares a personal career timeline, from a novice using VS2008 to mastering QT, C++, Linux drivers, Android system customization, and leading a team, illustrating how incremental learning and hands‑on projects build expertise.

Emphasis is placed on strengthening "absolute power"—the programming fundamentals—through diligent study of books, notes, and analysis of STL containers, data structures, and custom memory pools, acknowledging both successes and failures.

Finally, the article stresses the importance of analyzing each execution, debugging methodically, learning from failures, and continuously improving, concluding that those who consistently apply these principles enter the "genius" realm of software development.