Whilst this is not strictly perl, its related because I'm teaching perl to a small group of people at one of the companies I do work for. None of them have ever done programming of any sort, so I'm working with a clean slate -- no prejudices -- which is nice.

I'd like to start off with a basic introduction to what programming is. In fact, that's the name of my first slide. I've never stopped to examine it in this way before, so I had to ponder for a little while.

I'm posting here because I'd like some feedback -- does this seem like an accurate representation? Did I miss something major? Or am I giving people the wrong idea? Remember, this isn't meant to be all inclusive, just the generic idea. The first slide text is below:

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In a nutshell, that's it. Take any given problem, and break it down into small tasks you (as the programmer) can tell the computer to perform.

There are 5 key components to programming -- at least in the begining. They are

• Input/Output
• Variables
• Flow Control
• Decision Making
• Reusing Code (Subroutines)

Once you've learned these five basics, you can write complete programs on your own! Sounds simple, doesn't it? Lets talk about each of the five in a bit more (shallow) depth.

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Thanks for any, and all input. Unless, of course, its just purely insulting with no redeeming quality. And even then, thanks, cause it will likely be good for a laugh.