The other day I stumbled onto a fantastic site that teaches you coding. LearnStreet is an online computer programming school funded by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. It was Khosla who transformed a small computer project into the multi-billion dollar Sun Microsystems.

If you are preparing for an interview or interested in coding and want to learn about algorithms LearnStreet teaches you all this is in a simple, interactive way. You can learn languages such as JavaScript, Python or Ruby. In no time you will be able to create a website on your own. You can learn to use your programming skills to build a Sudoku solver or create other games. Sound engineers frequently use Ruby to create their magic.

You can also share your coding knowledge on LearnStreet. There is a form you can fill out to become a featured content contributor. They will pay you for it. Just check it out by going to www.learnstreet.com. You will be allowed to do an exercise without signing in but after that must create an account or log in with your Facebook, Twitter, or Gmail account.

I took a JavaScript course and completed a lesson comprising 13 exercises in a matter of minutes. This course is designed for people who may have no prior programming knowledge. As you proceed, you will be able to write code, and apply them in the exercises that are given to you. Once you are done with a course, you can try out more projects in their Code Garage.

There were a few bugs in the programme but considering that it is in its trial, or beta stage, it is a great platform.

Unlock your iPhone

A friend bought an iPhone from the US because it was so cheap there. But her joy vanished once she came back because she could not use her phone in India unless it was unlocked. Whenever a new iPhone is released in India people balk at the price and ask relatives to get it from the US. This is a big mistake.

Ever wondered why an iPhone from the US needs to be unlocked? In the US all iPhones are locked to a carrier, AT&T or Verizon. AT&T allows you to unlock your phone after two years when the contract gets over or if you pay an early termination fee. Otherwise, if you want to switch carriers you have to hack into your phone to unlock it. Even this is not simple because in the US, AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM and Verizon uses CDMA. So if your iPhone is only equipped to work on one you cannot take it to the other. Even if it works it may be stuck with very poor 3G speed.

The iPhones that are released in India are factory unlocked so users can switch wireless carriers at will without hacking or worrying that future Apple software updates will reduce their iPhones to a brick. AT&T allows iPhone users to unlock their handsets after the contract is over for use with other wireless carriers. You can do this through the following steps: First look up your phone’s IMEI number. Go to Settings-GeneralAbout. The IMEI number will be listed near the bottom.

Secondly, contact AT&T by phone, on the web or in person. Third, tell AT&T you want to unlock your iPhone. Provide your IMEI number and wait for the unlock process. You will also have to provide an email address where AT&T will send the unlock instructions. The email may come in a few minutes or in a few days. Fourth, when the email arrives you will be instructed to back up and restore your iPhone in iTunes. Open iTunes on a computer that is connected to the Internet.

Make sure your iPhone has an active SIM card in it. Plug it into iTunes and then right click on the phone under the ‘Devices’ column on the left of the screen and click ‘backup’. Once it is finished right click on the device and select ‘Restore from Backup’. You should now get a message in iTunes saying ‘Unlock Complete. Congratulations. Your iPhone has been unlocked. To set up and sync this iPhone, click Continue.” Now you will be able to use your phone without a hitch.

App Corner: Check out the Valentine apps for Windows phones at www.telegraphindia.com/knowhow/bitsnbytes/appcorner

Send in your computer-related problems to askdoss@abpmail.com with bits&bytes as the subject line