It is a common misconception that quantum computers are not yet ready for applications and the technology still has many years before becoming useful. In this article we will take a look at some of the basic principles of programming a quantum computer and address this misconception. We will look at free, open-source software such as QISKit from IBM, as well as the Quantum Machine Learning software PennyLane. We will also explain how you can run your programs on actual quantum computers in the cloud at IBM. In a follow-up article we will talk about some applications in machine learning that are ready for use currently to anyone with a bit of curiosity.