Learn to code by finishing something.
You have done the tutorials and you still stare at an empty editor. Burnish is a written guide that takes you through one real project, start to finish, and teaches the habits that get you unstuck on your own.
average.js
function average(numbers) {
let total = 0;
for (let i = 0; i <= numbers.length; i++) {
total += numbers[i];
}
return total / numbers.length;
}What is in the guide
Ten chapters. Each one ends with an exercise. The examples use JavaScript, Python, Java and C#, with one language carrying the main exercise in each chapter. You pick the one you want to learn.
- How programming actually gets learnedWhy watching stalls and typing works, and the loop you will repeat: read, type, break, fix.
- Set up your workshopAn editor, a terminal, git and one language installed, with a check for each piece.
- Read code before you write itReading a short program line by line and predicting what it prints.
- Small exercises that stickShort drills you type from memory, and how to tell when to move on.
- Choose and scope your projectThree project briefs, and how to cut an idea down until it fits in a weekend.
- Build it in slicesSomething running in the first hour, then one working piece at a time.
- Debugging as a methodReproduce the problem, narrow it, make a guess, test the guess. This is the free sample.
- Getting unstuckSearching, reading documentation, asking questions people can answer, and using AI without handing over the thinking.
- Finish and shipTests, a README, and putting the project where someone else can run it.
- What nextHow to choose a language track and what to build second.
The project you finish
Chapter 5 gives you three briefs of different sizes. Each can be built in any of the four languages. You choose the one you care about, because people finish projects they want to use.
- A command-line expense logger
- The default. Small enough to finish in a weekend, with every feature you need to practice the method.
- A flashcard quiz that saves your scores
- Adds files and a little state.
- A small web app with a database
- The largest brief, for when the first one feels easy.
Every example is run
A script runs every code example in the guide, in all four languages, before each release. A release is blocked if one fails. The examples and the script will be public, so you can run them yourself. This is the output for the sample chapter:
$ ./run-examples.sh javascript chapter-07 3 of 3 fixed examples pass, 3 of 3 buggy examples fail as expected python chapter-07 3 of 3 fixed examples pass, 3 of 3 buggy examples fail as expected java chapter-07 3 of 3 fixed examples pass, 3 of 3 buggy examples fail as expected csharp chapter-07 3 of 3 fixed examples pass, 3 of 3 buggy examples fail as expected 24 of 24 checks passed
Price and terms
The guide is not on sale yet. Join the list for the sample chapter and the launch notice.
- Launch price
- 15 USD for early readers. The price rises to about 25 USD once the first reviews are in.
- Updates
- Free for as long as this edition is current.
- Refunds
- Ask within 14 days and you get your money back, for any reason. Payment and tax are handled by Lemon Squeezy. How refunds work
- Format
- PDF and EPUB, plus the public code repository.
Questions
Who is this for?
People who taught themselves a bit, finished a few tutorials, and cannot start a project alone. If you have never written a line of code, you can still follow it, but the guide assumes you have already tried.
Do I need to know a language first?
No. You choose one of JavaScript, Python, Java or C# and learn it through the exercises.
What do I get in the free chapter?
Chapter 7, on debugging, as a PDF by email, with the examples for all four languages. You can use it on code you already have.
Will AI write my code for me?
Chapter 8 covers how to use AI tools as a helper while you keep doing the thinking.
What happens to my email address?
It is used to send the chapter and the launch notice, and for occasional notes. It is not sold. The privacy policy has the details.