Good tools are a prerequisite to the successful execution of a job. To write a Smart Contract we do not need to install anything on your computer, all you need is Remix.

Remix (https://remix.ethereum.org/) is a Smart Contract online editor, compiler, tester, and deployer. It is an open-source project that contributed publicly, forever free under MIT License.

To start with, let's look into the layout of Remix. 

Start with the navigation bar on the left-hand side. From top to bottom, the first one is Remix's Logo.

The icon with 2 papers is the file explorer. Then it is a compiler, deployer, solidity analysis, debugger, tester, "sourcify", and plugin manager.

File explorer stores the smart contract files (ends with .sol)

The compiler is the place you could turn your codes to ABI (for telling your program how to interact with smart contracts) and Bytecode (Machine-readable).

Deployer section allows you to put your smart contract into blockchain (public, testing or even private chain)

Solidity analysis will check whether the smart contract has any error or potential risks.

You can test the deployed contract step by step at debugger or submit your test cases to the "Solidity unit testing" section.

"SOURCIFY" is important when you want to prove to the public that the deployed contract is the same as the one you disclosed.

In the Plugin Manager, you could try new features for Remix.

That the end of lesson 1. We will introduce other important tools in the next lesson.