Computers can talk only symbols, not even our native numbers and alphabet characters. How to speak with the Computers then? In the language of demiGod Processor. Processor speaks only assembly, so were born, myriad languages that are used for praying to the Processor.
They are called strings for a reason. Ask me why? Strings are strings of characters, thats why. That is logical name. Computers have another import quirk. First character in the String is referred using "Index 0". We learn counting by using our fingers. When all the fingers are closed, it is 0, but computers don't have fingers... Enough lets get into Manipulating Strings.
Ever thought of taking a mail content and extracting the key information from the body? What it will take to do that? This page will build towards such an application, where the power of Regex and later the other libraries like Compromise cool using NLP to extract the information. Now, we have the Trusty Scalpel our regular expressions.
Natural language programs open up potential to analyse huge body of texts, and then extract insights which our meaning seeking brain fails when reading the words. The words in themselves are symbols, which the liguists, writers and poets have mastered. We mere programmers, have mastered numbers and that just 9 of them. How are we going to take on Texts?