Chris Pine explains what programming is with very simple words and metaphores, ones that everyone can understand. He doesn't overwhelm you with complex concepts or tools and dives very progressively into the programming universe, chosing concrete code samples. The choice of Ruby is simply accurate : intuitive & powerful object language, no fancy IDE, just a notepad and a command line and you'll see the first results after reading the first pages of this book. What is a program? a language? a method? a variable? Most programmers are so immersed into their art that they can't find a simple definition. Chris Pine makes it accessible and this ability gives you a fresh clean perspective on it.With this book, you can teach you kids to program in a few days (8-10 yrs-old).