The Eternal Joy of “Hello World!”

I’m starting the new year by saying “Hello, World!”, which is an activity I have engaged in many times before. Each of these greetings is joyful.

This is the time-honored exercise practiced by anyone trying to learn something new — including of course writers of all those starting programs that did nothing more than print "Hello, World!".

That program in its varying incarnations has probably brought more joy to people than any other. I am sure fans of Candy Crush or Minecraft or Fortnite or something could quibble with that assumption. But given it is a short (usually one-line) program, the joy-per-code-line for the consumer of the output is inarguably off the charts!

Why does it always bring joy? Because it is an affirmation. Creators of programs that produce “Hello World” are seeking answers, and those answers have nothing to do with the content of the message their program produces. It has to do with the process needed to get the message in the first place.

These people are in uncharted waters, looking for any kind of recognizable landmark. You don’t really care what color the lighthouse is when lost at sea, just seeing the light is enough to make you extremely happy.

For some, the reason for being lost at sea is because they are new sailors. For the first-time programmer, any…