✓ Accepted Answer
To set up a VPN properly, first decide between a free and paid service. Free VPNs often sell your data, which defeats the whole purpose. Reputable paid options include NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and ProtonVPN. ProtonVPN has a genuinely good free tier.
Once you've chosen a provider, download their app for your device. Most services support Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. Open the app, log in, and connect to a server. For best speeds pick a server geographically close to you. For bypassing regional restrictions pick a server in the target country.
For privacy, make sure the VPN has a kill switch feature — this cuts your internet if the VPN drops, preventing your real IP from leaking. Also check that they have a no-logs policy verified by independent audit.
On mobile, be aware VPNs can drain your battery. Only enable it when you need it, particularly on public wifi where it's most important.
by alexishall
· 64 upvotes
For beginners, I recommend starting with Python. It has clear, readable syntax that resembles plain English, which makes the learning curve much gentler than languages like C++ or Java. You'll be writing real code within hours.
For web development specifically, you'll need to learn HTML and CSS first (these aren't really programming languages but are essential), then JavaScript. JavaScript is the only language that runs natively in browsers, so it's unavoidable for frontend web work.
If your goal is data science or machine learning, Python is the standard. R is also used but Python's ecosystem is much larger.
For mobile apps, Swift is for iOS development and Kotlin is for Android. Both are excellent. If you want one codebase for both platforms, learn React Native (JavaScript) or Flutter (Dart).
My actual recommendation: pick Python if you're undecided. It's versatile, in demand, and the community is enormous.
by edwardevans6763
· 13 upvotes