Essential Skills

Being comfortable with the information in this guide requires functional knowledge (not expert knowledge) of a few essential skills:

command line 🖥

The command line is an interface tool which uses text-based commands to provide instructions to the computer. There are a number of training options available. Michael Hartl's Learn Enough Command Line to Be Dangerous is an excellent example.

java ☕️

The Tag.bio computation engine is written in the Java programming language, which means you will need to install a version of the development kit. The quick and easy way to do this is to install a version of OpenJDK.

integrated development environment (IDE) 👩‍💻

Simply put, an IDE is a text editor for writing computer code. Word processors, such as Microsoft Word or Apple's Pages app, insert their own code behind the scenes to retain decorations to text, like fonts and placement. The inclusion of these types of formatting will cause computer code to be unusable. Selecting an IDE is often a matter of personal preference based on your skill level and needs. So, explore what's best for you, because there are many great options available.