This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Emmanuel Lijo
What if coding could feel natural, intuitive, and beginner-friendly—without losing the power of traditional programming? That’s exactly why I created Jam, a programming language designed to lower the barrier for new coders while keeping the fun alive for pros.
Why Jam exists
When I first started learning programming, I realized that many beginners struggle not because programming is “hard,” but because languages feel unnatural. Syntax errors, weird symbols, and abstract concepts often discourage new learners.
I wanted something that:
- Reads more like natural language
- Lets beginners focus on logic and creativity, not syntax headaches
- Can be run in a web-based IDE for instant results
What Jam can do
Jam is simple but powerful:
- Variables & control flow: if, repeat, etc.
- Functions, including anonymous functions
- Functional utilities like map for working with lists
- Randomization & math tools for interactive programs
- Interaction commands: say and ask to create text-based experiences
All of this runs in a web IDE, so you can see your programs work instantly without any setup.
Try a tiny snippet
Here’s a simple example that asks for your name and greets you:
print "Hello World"
repeat 5 {
print "This will print 5 times"
}
Easy to read, right? And it works immediately in the browser!
Check it out
You can try Jam yourself here: Try Jam IDE
For source code and contributing: Source
I’d love to hear your feedback, ideas, or even your first Jam program. Let’s make programming more human-friendly together!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Emmanuel Lijo