Forem: JaylinJones0

GPUs: The Workhorse Behind Modern Computing

JaylinJones0 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 16:47:28 +0000

Foundations of GPUs

Most people use powerful computers every day without thinking much about what is happening under the hood. Phones unlock using facial recognition, movies look almost real, apps scroll smoothly, and artificial intelligence tools respond in seconds. A huge part of that experience comes from a component called the GPU, or graphics processing unit. While it started as a tool mainly for graphics, it has quietly become one of the most important pieces of modern computing.

A GPU is a processor designed to handle many calculations at the same time. It was originally built to render images, video, and animations by processing millions of pixels quickly. Over time, engineers realized that the same structure that makes GPUs great at graphics also makes them excellent at other types of heavy computation. Today, GPUs power everything from video games to machine learning models.

GPUs and CPUs Working Together

To understand why GPUs matter, it helps to compare them to CPUs. The CPU, or central processing unit, is often called the brain of the computer. It handles general tasks like running the operating system, managing files, and executing instructions that require quick decision making. CPUs are optimized for doing a few tasks very fast and very precisely.

GPUs work differently. They are built with thousands of smaller cores that can run in parallel. Instead of focusing on one task at a time, a GPU focuses on doing the same operation across large sets of data simultaneously. This makes GPUs especially good at workloads where the same calculation needs to be repeated many times.

In practical terms, CPUs handle logic and control, while GPUs handle scale. When a task involves massive amounts of similar math, the GPU usually performs far better.

GPUs in Everyday Technology

Even if you have never owned a high end graphics card, GPUs affect you constantly. Smartphones use integrated GPUs to render interfaces smoothly, play video, and support games. Streaming services rely on GPUs to encode and decode video efficiently so that content loads quickly and looks sharp.

Modern operating systems also depend on GPUs for everyday interactions. Scrolling through a web page, resizing windows, or switching between apps all rely on GPU acceleration to feel responsive. Without GPUs, many of these actions would feel laggy and unpolished.

GPUs also play a role in photography and video on personal devices. Features like image enhancement, portrait mode, and real time filters rely on fast parallel computation. This is one reason camera apps have become so advanced in just a few years.

GPUs in Industry and Professional Work

Beyond personal devices, GPUs have become essential in many professional fields. Artificial intelligence and machine learning rely heavily on GPUs for training and running models. Film and animation studios use GPUs to render complex scenes, lighting, and effects. Software engineering teams use GPUs for simulation, data processing, and performance testing.

In artificial intelligence, GPUs are especially important. Training a neural network involves performing the same mathematical operations on huge datasets. GPUs dramatically reduce training time from weeks to hours in many cases. This has made modern AI development practical and scalable.

In film and animation, GPUs allow artists to preview scenes in real time and produce realistic visuals. Lighting, shadows, textures, and physics simulations all benefit from GPU acceleration. This technology is a big reason modern movies and games look as detailed as they do.

In software engineering, GPUs are used for tasks like scientific computing, cryptography, and large scale simulations. Even web services use GPUs behind the scenes for recommendation systems and search optimization.

Performance, Efficiency, and the Future

Another important aspect of GPUs is efficiency. While they consume a lot of power under heavy workloads, they often complete tasks faster than CPUs. Finishing work quickly can reduce total energy usage for certain applications. This matters at the scale of data centers where efficiency directly impacts cost and environmental impact.

Modern GPUs are also becoming more specialized. Some include dedicated hardware for AI operations or video processing. This specialization improves performance while reducing wasted computation.

GPUs continue to evolve as computing demands grow. New applications in virtual reality, augmented reality, scientific research, and autonomous systems all depend on high performance parallel processing. As software becomes more visual and data driven, GPUs will remain central to how technology progresses.

Closing Perspective

For most users, GPUs will stay mostly invisible. They will simply make experiences smoother, smarter, and more immersive. Understanding what they do helps explain why modern technology feels so capable and why progress in computing has accelerated so quickly.

GPUs started as tools for drawing pixels on a screen, but they have become engines for modern computation. Their ability to process massive amounts of data in parallel makes them essential across industries and everyday technology. From scrolling on your phone to training AI models, GPUs shape how we interact with the digital world.

Even if you never open a computer case or install a graphics card, the GPU is working for you constantly. It is one of the clearest examples of how specialized hardware can quietly transform daily life.

Serverless: Magic or Someone else's Computer?

JaylinJones0 — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 07:32:21 +0000

What does it mean to be serverless?

When you first encounter the term serverless, it can be confusing. Software has to run somewhere, so how can servers not be involved? The key point is that serverless doesn’t mean there are no servers. It means that, as a developer, you are no longer responsible for managing them directly.

In a serverless model, your code runs in response to events. An event might be a user making a request to an API, a file being uploaded to cloud storage, a message arriving in a queue, or a scheduled task running every hour. When that event occurs, the cloud provider runs your code, allocates CPU and memory, and then shuts everything down once the work is complete. You do not choose a machine, install software on it, or keep it running over time.

This leads to a different way of thinking about building applications. Instead of focusing on a server that is always on and waiting for requests, you think about small pieces of code that run only when needed. These pieces are often called functions, and they usually have one specific job. Because they can start and stop at any time, they are typically stateless. Any data that needs to persist is stored in external systems like databases, caches, or object storage.

From a developer’s perspective, this can feel liberating. You spend most of your time writing business logic and connecting services rather than setting up machines or worrying about their upkeep. For those early in their careers, this approach makes it easier to build and deploy real systems without first becoming experts in infrastructure.

Serverless vs the traditional way

To understand why serverless exists, it helps to compare it to the more traditional approach. In a classic setup, you provision servers in advance. You decide how many you need, how powerful they should be, and how traffic is distributed among them. Those servers usually run all the time, even if your app is barely used.

Scaling in this model requires planning. If you anticipate more traffic, you add servers. If traffic drops, you might remove them, but that often happens slowly or not at all. You also have to handle operating system updates, security patches, runtime versions, and monitoring the machines’ health.

Serverless platforms transfer most of that responsibility to the cloud provider, which offers clear advantages.

Advantages of serverless

One major benefit is reduced operational effort. You do not manage servers, patch operating systems, or configure load balancers. This is especially helpful for students, solo developers, or small teams who want to focus on building features rather than maintaining infrastructure.

Another advantage is automatic scaling. Serverless functions scale based on demand without much configuration. If one user accesses your endpoint, one instance runs. If ten thousand users access it at the same time, the platform runs many instances in parallel. When traffic drops, those instances disappear.

The pricing model is also different. Instead of paying for servers that are always on, you usually pay only for the time your code is executing. This can make serverless very cost-effective for applications with unpredictable traffic or low overall usage, such as student projects, internal tools, or early-stage products.

Downsides of serverless

However, serverless has its downsides.

One common issue is latency due to cold starts. Because serverless functions are not always running, the platform may need to set up an execution environment before your code starts. This can introduce a noticeable delay for the first request after a period of inactivity. For many applications, this is acceptable, but for latency-sensitive systems, it can be a problem.

Another downside is architectural complexity. Serverless applications often turn into collections of many small functions connected by events, queues, and managed services. This can be powerful and scalable, but it might also make debugging more challenging. Tracing a request across multiple services needs good tools and careful logging.

You also give up some control. Serverless platforms impose limits on execution time, memory usage, and supported runtimes. You are also more closely tied to your cloud provider’s ecosystem, which can make switching providers later more difficult.

Conclusion

So what does it actually mean for something to be serverless? It means that managing infrastructure is mostly hidden from view. Your code still runs on real machines, but you interact with them through a much simpler interface. You define what should happen in response to events, and the platform manages how and where it runs.

For new software engineers, serverless can be an excellent way to build real, production-style systems without being overwhelmed by infrastructure details too early. It promotes thinking in terms of stateless code, events, and managed services, which are common patterns in modern software development.

At the same time, it’s important to understand what is behind the abstraction. Knowing that there are real servers underneath helps you consider performance, reliability, and cost when things do not work as expected.

Serverless is not the right solution for every problem, and it does not completely replace traditional architectures. It is one option among many. Understanding what it means, what it excels at, and where it faces challenges gives you a solid foundation as you continue to learn how large-scale systems are built.

Serverless: Magic or Someone else's Computer?

JaylinJones0 — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 07:32:21 +0000

What does it mean to be serverless?

Serverless vs the traditional way

Serverless platforms transfer most of that responsibility to the cloud provider, which offers clear advantages.

Advantages of serverless

Downsides of serverless

However, serverless has its downsides.

Conclusion

The Importance of Pixel Art for Developers

JaylinJones0 — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 10:32:20 +0000

Pixel art has been around since the early days of computers and video games, and even though technology has advanced a lot, it is still important today. Modern hardware can create very realistic and detailed graphics, but many developers still choose pixel art because it works well for their projects. For students, indie developers, and small teams, pixel art is often a practical and manageable way to create visuals without making development overly complicated.

Pixel art first became common in the 1970s and 1980s when computers and game consoles had major limitations. Screens had low resolution, memory was limited, and processors could only handle simple graphics. Because of this, developers had to build everything on screen one pixel at a time. Characters and environments were made using small grids and very few colors. Early arcade games and consoles like the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System relied completely on this style, which helped define what early video games looked like.

These limitations forced developers to think carefully about how visuals were designed. Even though characters were very small, they still needed to be recognizable and expressive. Environments had to communicate important information to players without a lot of detail. Over time, developers learned how to use shapes, colors, and contrast to make their ideas clear. Many classic games are still remembered because of their visual style, not just because of how they played. Pixel art slowly became more than a limitation and started to feel like a creative style of its own.

As technology improved over the years, developers gained access to better graphics and more advanced tools. Pixel art was no longer necessary, but it continued to be used, especially by independent developers. For smaller teams without large budgets, pixel art made it possible to create complete games without needing expensive software or large art teams. This allowed more people to experiment with game development and bring their ideas to life. One reason pixel art is helpful for developers is that it is efficient. Creating pixel art usually takes less time than making detailed 3D models or high-resolution artwork. Developers can often make their own assets using simple tools, which saves time and money. This makes development less stressful and helps projects stay manageable, especially for people working on their own or in small groups.

Benefits of Pixel Art in Development
Pixel art also works well during the development process. Because assets are made on a grid, they are easier to edit and change when needed. Small mistakes can be fixed quickly, and visuals can stay consistent throughout a project. Animations are also simpler to handle since they usually use fewer frames. This makes it easier for developers to test ideas and make improvements without spending too much time on minor details.

Another benefit of pixel art is performance. Pixel-based graphics are lightweight and do not require as much processing power as more complex visuals. This helps games and applications run smoothly, even on older or less powerful devices. Faster load times and stable performance make development easier and improve the overall user experience.

Pixel art also adapts well to different screen sizes. Since the visuals are simple and predictable, they can be scaled to fit various devices without losing clarity. This is helpful for developers releasing projects on multiple platforms, such as computers and mobile devices.

Benefits of Pixel Art as a medium
Beyond the technical side, pixel art encourages developers to focus on strong design. With limited detail available, every visual choice matters. Developers have to think about how players read the screen and understand what is happening. This often leads to clearer layouts and better visual communication. These skills are useful even when working with other art styles later on.

Pixel art is also easy for players to understand. In many games, players need to quickly recognize characters, items, and obstacles. Pixel art makes this easier by keeping visuals simple and clear. This helps improve gameplay and reduces confusion, especially in fast-paced situations.

There is also a sense of nostalgia connected to pixel art. Many players associate it with older games they played growing up. While nostalgia alone is not enough to make a game successful, it can help players feel more connected to a project and more interested in exploring it.

In conclusion, pixel art is still important for developers because it is practical, efficient, and effective. It helps simplify development, improves performance, and encourages thoughtful design. Even with modern graphics technology, pixel art continues to show that simple visuals can still create engaging and meaningful experiences.

What is MongoDB? Why use it?

JaylinJones0 — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 03:55:29 +0000

What is MongoDB?

So, what is MongoDB? MongoDB is a Database Management System (DBMS) that allows you to manage document-oriented NoSQL databases, that term is usually used to refer to any non-relational databases. For a bit of clarity, the term "NoSQL" stands for "non-SQL" or "not only SQL." The difference being, NoSQL as opposed to SQL, is considered an approach to database management. SQL is just a query language. However it is very similar to the query languages used by NoSQL databases.

Non-relational Databases VS Relational Databases

So what's the difference? For those familiar with SQL, you may have heard of a RDBMS (Relational Database Management System). They use a tabular data structure, with data that is represented as a set of rows and columns, which makes the model great for structured data. Now looking at Non-relational databases, depending on the type of NoSQL database used, the data models may vary. For example, you will see key-value, document, graph, and wide-column depending on the service you use. This detail alone makes this model optimal for semi-structured and unstructured data.

Data Model? Document-oriented!

As mentioned in the previous section, the type of data model can vary depending on the type of database used. Luckily today we will be able to zero in on the document-oriented side of NoSQL databases since we are talking about MongoDB. A document-oriented database stores data in documents that are similar to JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) objects. Each one of these documents hold pairs of fields and values. The values that the documents hold can be a wide variety of types, which include strings, numbers, arrays, booleans, and even other objects.

What about Organization?

Up to this point we know that NoSQL databases are the go to for semi-structured and non-structured data, MongoDB stores it's data in documents similar to JSON, and these documents can hold a variety of values and fields. While all of this sounds great, we still need to know one thing, how is this data organized, what's the structure?

Organization Explained
Let's hunker down on the organization structure. We know about documents in general. They store information about one object and any of it's related metadata in field-value pairs. The value can be a variety of data types. And some additional information, documents can be stored in formats like JSON, BSON (Binary JSON), and XML.

Here's an example of a JSON document so that you can get a visual (Provided by MongoDB.com):

Organization Continued - Collections
Now that we've seen and know what a document is, let's talk about collections. To put it simply, collections are just a group of documents. A collection in MongoDB is similar to a table in relational-databases. They're made specifically to hold documents, and provide structure to data. So to lay out everything, databases contain collections, collections contain documents, and documents contain field-value pairs where the field is the description of the value, and the value being a data type, which again can be strings, numbers, arrays, booleans, and even other objects.

Structure visual (Provided by GeeksforGeeks):

Key Features of MongoDB?

Reasons why you may use it in your next project:

Document Model: Data is stored in documents, and documents map directly to objects used in most popular programming languages, making them much more natural to work with. And in this model the data that is accessed together, is stored together. Making it so developers have less code to write, and users get higher performance.
Flexible schema: Document-oriented databases have flexible schema. MongoDB is often referred to as schema-less. What this means is not all documents in a collection need to have the same field. Collections can store documents with different structures, fields are not predefined, which allows for dynamics updates, and is most suitable for applications where data is expected to change frequently.
Ease of Use: Developers report that working with data in documents is easier and more straightforward than working with data in tables, but why is this? Documents map directly to data structures used in most popular programming languages, there's no need to split related data across many tables when storing information or join it back together when it's time to retrieve the data, and developers don't need a separate ORM to handle data manipulation for them. All data can be worked with directly in their applications.

Use Cases/Success Stories

Now that we know so much about MongoDB, the very popular NoSQL database, what can or should you use it for in your upcoming projects?

Popular Use Cases

Cloud Data Strategy: Check out this article on how MongoDB was utilized to enhance application development on Google Cloud Platform's Compute Engine.
Generative AI: As companies hurry to adopt their own version of generative AI, they risk potentially opening up their users to security risk if best practices aren't followed. Learn how Cisco used MongoDB to create a secure data environment that enable their customers to innovate faster with generative AI here.
Content Management: Whether you're solo developer needing a way to manage content on their site, or a journalism giant like Forbes, MongoDB is the solution. Learn how Forbes realized they needed to ditch their primary server for all published content (CMS) for a more modern solution like MongoDB here.

SOURCES
https://www.mongodb.com/resources/basics/databases/nosql-explained#what-is-a-nosql-database

https://www.mongodb.com/resources/basics/databases/nosql-explained

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/mongodb/mongodb-database-collection-and-document/

https://www.mongodb.com/resources/basics/databases/document-databases

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/mongodb/what-is-mongodb-working-and-features/

Job Search - A Look Into Twitch Interactive Inc.

JaylinJones0 — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 04:12:47 +0000

What is Twitch?

Twitch, a subsidiary of Amazon, is an American video live-streaming service with a focus on video games, including broadcasts of esports competitions. Twitch also offers various other content categories such as music broadcasts, creative content, and IRL (in real life) streams.

Why work for Twitch?

Workplace Development
Twitch offers a wide range of opportunities for employee development on the job. This includes coaching and mentoring, live workshops, or if those aren't your style, they have variety of e-learning material as well.

Flexible Work
Twitch is a remote-friendly workplace, with global no-meeting days and company holidays. On top of that they have modified work arrangements, so you aren't tied to a specific schedule.

Mental Health
Everyone knows that you cannot do your best work without being in a good mental space. Twitch says they offers wellness programs for their employees, paid parental leave, and boast a healthy work-life balance.

Equity and Inclusion
Twitch boasts a rich company culture for inclusion and equity in the form of "guilds." These guilds are employee communities meant to foster belonging and allyship. Their current guilds includes the following: Access Ability Guild, Asian Guild, Black Guild, Somos LATAM Guild, Parents Guild, Rainbow Road Guild, Veterans Guild, and Women+ Guild. Twitch states that they are committed to supporting these guilds through executive sponsorship, leadership development, and quarterly inclusion and equity updates.

Twitch Tech Stack

Twitch has a wide variety of stacks they use per role you assume. Since this blog is centered around software development, let's focus on their Software Developer I role. The tech stack that they would prefer a candidate has includes Golang (Go), TypeScript, and React.

Here's a quick introduction to what this stack entails.

Golang
"Go is a high-level general purpose programming language that is statically typed and compiled. It is known for the simplicity of its syntax and the efficiency of development that it enables by the inclusion of a large standard library supplying many needs for common projects." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(programming_language)

TypeScript
"TypeScript may be used to develop JavaScript applications for both client-side and server-side execution (as with React.js, Node.js, Deno or Bun). Multiple options are available for transpiling. The default TypeScript Compiler can be used, or the Babel compiler can be invoked to convert TypeScript to JavaScript." -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TypeScript

React
"React (also known as React.js or ReactJS) is a free and open-source front-end JavaScript library that aims to make building user interfaces based on components more "seamless".[5] It is maintained by Meta (formerly Facebook) and a community of individual developers and companies. According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey, React is one of the most commonly used web technologies. React can be used to develop single-page, mobile, or server-rendered applications with frameworks like Next.js and React Router. Because React is only concerned with the user interface and rendering components to the DOM, React applications often rely on libraries for routing and other client-side functionality.[11][12] A key advantage of React is that it only re-renders those parts of the page that have changed, avoiding unnecessary re-rendering of unchanged DOM elements. React is used by an estimated 6% of all websites." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/React_(software)

Interview Process

On Twitch's career website, they refer to their interview process as "Levels."

Level 1 - The Recruiter Chat
After you've been referred, recruited, or applied to your job of choice you should expect a 15-30 minute recruiter call. This is their chance to get to know you beyond your resume, and your chance to get to know a bit about the company so it's the perfect chance to ask questions!

Level 2 - Meeting the Hiring Manager
Twitch refers to this level as your first "boss fight." This level is only achieved if you're assumed to be a good fit for the role, so if you've made it this far, great job! This "boss fight" entails a 30-60 minute chat with your potential future manager. The hiring manager will be the person understanding the role you're applying for better than anyone in this process, so role specific questions are non-negotiable at this stage. Ask away!

Side Quest - Skills Assessment
Since we'd be applying for a software developer role, a skill assessment is necessary to test your coding proficiency. This process is done asynchronously over 1-2 weeks.

Level 3 - Sharpening Your Skills
Level 3 is described as a level where you take some time with your recruiter and prepare for the onsite interview. Study study study!

Final Boss - Onsite Interview
And finally the moment we've been waiting for, the "Final Boss" aka the interview! At this stage you'll meet with 4-5 employees from the Twitch team, each interview lasting 45 minutes to 1 hour. The question you'll be asked will range from technical to behavioral so the team can get a good understanding of your current experience, potential, and values. These meetings can be done remotely as well!

Conclusion

Twitch definitely seems to be a great place to work as a person studying software development. Once you overcome all the hurdles or "levels" you will come out on top as a new person, with a shiny new employee badge!

EXTRA RESOURCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitch_(service)

https://careers.twitch.com/en/interviewing

What's Python? Why is it so popular?

JaylinJones0 — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 17:27:30 +0000

What is Python?

Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic semantics. The language remains popular to this day due to its design philosophy of emphasizing code readability and reusability. The programming language was created in the late 1980s by Guido van Rossum to be the successor to the ABC programming language.

Why it's Important

So with that introduction, we know that Python is a popular programming language, it focuses on code readability, and code reusability. However, what are we using this code for? Why is Python important in today's world? Well Python is most commonly used for developing websites and software, task automation, data analysis, and data visualization. It's known to be relatively easy to learn, so Python has even been adopted by many non-programmers, such as scientists and accountants, for a multitude of everyday tasks, such as organizing finances.

Examples Of Use Cases

Web Development
Focusing on the more on the programmer oriented side of things, how is Python specifically utilized? First let's start with the role it plays in web development. Python is often used to develop the back end of a website or application, meaning it's used to develop parts that a user doesn't see. It's specific role includes sending data to and from servers, processing data and communicating with databases, URL routing, and ensuring security.

Automation or Scripting
Do you ever find yourself performing a task repeatedly? Like there must be some way that you can make being productive more efficient? Well Python addresses that issue as well, with automation! So if you ever find yourself doing something over and over, you can work more efficiently by automating your process with Python. Writing code to automate these processes is called scripting. In the world of coding and software development, you can use these scripts to check errors across many files, execute simple math, convert files, and remove duplicates in data. The best part about this part of Python is that scripting is beginner/non-coder friendly! You can utilize Python to automate simple computer tasks- such as finding & downloading online content, sending emails or texts at specific intervals, or even just renaming files.

Regular Everyday Tasks
Let's continue to speak about how Python is used by every folks, I want to drive the point home that Python is NOT only for programmers, data scientists, or even IT professionals. How would your regular everyday person use Python? Well you could utilize it in the following ways: keep track of stock market or crypto prices, send yourself a text reminder to bring an umbrella when rain is forecasted, update your grocery shopping list, randomly assign chores to family members, or even filling out tedious online forms automatically.

So Should I Learn Python?

Depends! Are you a programmer looking to quickly learn a new popular language to add to your tech stack? Maybe use it on your personal projects and to enhance your resume? Then Absolutely! Are you a regular everyday Joe looking to show off your new found coding skills to your friends? Maybe even show off your automated crypto tracker to your buddies? Go ahead! That is the beauty of Python, it is very simple to learn, very easy to read, and a great way to start your journey in the tech space.

SOURCES

https://www.python.org/doc/essays/blurb/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(programming_language)

https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_intro.asp

https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-python-used-for-a-beginners-guide-to-using-python

Controlling The Flow

JaylinJones0 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:19:25 +0000

Control Flow in Programming

When we talk about control flow in programming, we're referring to the order in which individual instructions, statements, or functions are executed in. I'm currently learning JavaScript, so I'll mainly be referring to the way control flow works in that particular language. In JavaScript code is usually executed from top to bottom, however you can change/manage the order using control flow statements. I will list some great options below.

if statements

Probably one of the most well known/used statements is the if statement. An if statement allows your program to make decisions by executing a code block ONLY if a specified condition returns true.

else if statements

After an if statement there may be an else if statement. An else if statement is used to check multiple conditions. So if the first if statement returns false, it moves on to else if statement and so on until the conditional statement returns true.

else statements

Nearly after all if/else if statements comes the else statement, it is used in tandem with an if statement to execute a different block of code when the original if statement returns false.

switch statements

A similar conditional statement you can use in place of if/else if/else statements is the switch statement. The switch statement is usually used over the if/else if/else chain when you're checking the same variable or expression against multiple discrete values. So if you have many if/else if conditions all comparing the same variable to different constant values, switch would be a better choice.

In conclusion

Control flow is an essential concept for programmers to understand if they wish to write clear and efficient code in JavaScript. Whether you decide to use an if, else if, else, or switch statement, each one of these tools assists you with controlling the way your program responds to different conditions. As one continues building their skills as a developer, knowing when and how to use these statements will make your code more powerful and easier to maintain.