Hardcoding is when a programmer "hardwires" values directly into the program code. For example, imagine you are creating a program to calculate the ticket price, and instead of using a variable for the price, you just write the number "100" directly in the code. That is hardcoding.
On one hand, hardcoding is a blessing. It can be convenient when you need to quickly test something or just create a program for one-time use. You know that the value won't change accidentally, and the program runs reliably.
But on the other hand, hardcoding is a curse. If you need to change the ticket price to 150, you will have to dive into the code, find all the "100" values, and change them. And if there are many such places in the program, it can become a real nightmare. Moreover, other programmers may not understand why such a value was chosen, making teamwork more complicated.
So, hardcoding is like a quick fix, but if you overdo it, you can get into big trouble. It's better to use variables and configuration files to make the program more flexible and understandable for everyone.