programming-for-dummies

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Bioinformatics Programming
Biologists have written subprograms in various programming languages to
make writing bioinformatics programs easier:
✦ Perl: BioPerl (www.bioperl.org)
✦ Python: BioPython (http://biopython.org/wiki/Main_Page)
✦ Java: BioJava (http://biojava.org/wiki/Main_Page)
✦ C++: BioC++ (http://biocpp.sourceforge.net)
For true hard-core computer users, there’s even a BioLinux
(http://envgen.nox.ac.uk/biolinux.html), which is a version of the
Linux operating system that comes loaded with various bioinformatics tools
installed and ready to use right away for bioinformatics work.
Because bioinformatics involves performing the same type of tasks, these
libraries of bioinformatics subprograms offer code for
✦ Accessing databases
✦ Transforming database information from one file format to another
✦ Manipulating sequences
✦ Searching and comparing sequences
✦ Displaying results as graphs or 3-D structures
The field of bioinformatics is still growing and changing — the tools and
techniques used today may become obsolete tomorrow. (If you’ve spent any
time in the computer industry, you probably already know that applies to
every aspect of computers by now.)
In most other fields of computer science, programmers spend more time
maintaining and updating existing programs than writing new ones. In bioinformatics,
every biologist has different needs, so you could actually spend
more time writing custom programs and less time getting stuck patching up
someone else’s program.
With its curious mix of computer science and biology, bioinformatics is a
unique field that’s wide open for anyone interested in life science and computer
science. If the idea of working in the growing field of biotechnology
appeals to you, bioinformatics might be for you.