I'm more than twice your age, and I can say that Windows is the worst coding environment there is. If you just want to learn to do software, but don't want to

I'm more than twice your age, and I can say that Windows is the worst coding environment there is. If you just want to learn to do software, but don't want to dig into computers per se, then a cheap Mac is a good choice. If you do want to learn software and computers, then use Linux. You can install it on most any old PC or laptop you have or can scrounge. Learn how to admin the box. It's an important skill for experimental physics and engineering physics these days. And try Julia: julialang.org Use the Pluto interface. https://computationalthinking.mit.edu/Spring21/ https://computationalthinking.mit.edu/Spring21/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/mit-were-building-on-julia-programming-language-to-open-up-ai-coding-to-novices/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/mit-were-building-on-julia-pro... https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3314221.3314642 https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3314221.3314642 (the paper is rather hairy, if you are new to this stuff.) With your background in physics and humanities (he can write!) plus Linux and Julia, many doors should open.