Beginning Programming All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies
Beginning Programming All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies book cover

Beginning Programming All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies

1st Edition

by
Price
$27.98
Format
Paperback
Pages
720
Publisher
For Dummies
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0470108543
Dimensions
7.3 x 1.7 x 9 inches
Weight
2.13 pounds

Description

From the Inside Flap 7 books in 1 — your key to programming success! Your one-stop guide to programming concepts in a variety of languages If you've been curious about what it takes to program a computer and make it do your bidding, here's the place to start! Each of these handy minibooks covers an important element of programming. You'll find out about compiling, algorithms, best practices, debugging your programs, and more, illustrated in several programming languages. Discover how to: Decide what you want your program to do Decide what you want your program to do Program in different languages Program in different languages Turn your instructions into machine language Turn your instructions into machine language Use programming best practices Use programming best practices Understand data structures, algorithms, and syntax Understand data structures, algorithms, and syntax 7 books in 1 — your key to programming success! Your one-stop guide to programming concepts in a variety of languages If you've been curious about what it takes to program a computer and make it do your bidding, here's the place to start! Each of these handy minibooks covers an important element of programming. You'll find out about compiling, algorithms, best practices, debugging your programs, and more, illustrated in several programming languages. Discover how to: Decide what you want your program to do Decide what you want your program to do Program in different languages Program in different languages Turn your instructions into machine language Turn your instructions into machine language Use programming best practices Use programming best practices Understand data structures, algorithms, and syntax Understand data structures, algorithms, and syntax Wallace Wang is a bestselling author with more than 2.3 million For Dummies books in print. He wrote Beginning Programming For Dummies and moonlights as a stand-up comic. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • So you want to be a programmer? Or maybe you just want to be able to make your computer do what YOU want for a change? Maybe you enjoy the challenge of identifying a problem and solving it. If programming intrigues you for whatever reason,
  • Beginning Programming All In One Desk Reference For Dummies
  • is like having a starter programming library all in one handy, if beefy, book.
  • In this practical guide, you’ll find out about compiling, algorithms, best practices, debugging your programs, and much more. The concepts are illustrated in several different programming languages, so you’ll get a feel for the variety of languages and the needs they fill. Seven minibooks cover:
  • Getting started
  • Getting started
  • Programming basics
  • Programming basics
  • Data structures
  • Data structures
  • Algorithms
  • Algorithms
  • Web programming
  • Web programming
  • Programming language syntax
  • Programming language syntax
  • Applications
  • Applications
  • Beginning Programming All In One Desk Reference For Dummies
  • shows you how to decide what you want your program to do, turn your instructions into “machine language” that the computer understands, use programming best practices, explore the “how” and “why” of data structuring, and more. You’ll even get a look into various applications like database management, bioinformatics, computer security, and artificial intelligence. Soon you’ll realize that — wow! You’re a programmer!
  • Note:
  • CD ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(345)
★★★★
25%
(144)
★★★
15%
(86)
★★
7%
(40)
★
-7%
(-40)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

A Book on Programming-That Makes Sense!!!!!!

I am not a big fan of the Dummies Books or any "how to " book in which the author injects so called "humor" This book-however-written by a part time comedian no less- is outstanding! Why??? Because he can tell you in a few short sentences of plain concise English just what object oriented programming is.

This is no small easy feat! And I am dead serious. 99% of programming books are total incomprehensible gibberish for the non-programmer, for they are never written through the eyes of the reader for whom they are intended. One so called reviewer gave this fine volume two stars! He would rather have you read a book on the "Psychology of Programming"!!! The Silver Edition I should mention.

Beginning Programming is a very fine book for anyone wanting an overview of programming written in a clear concise style. This one previous sentence is high praise indeed for it is a rare occurrence.
13 people found this helpful
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Avoid Kindle ebook, it is confusing.

There are a tone of beginner programming books out there, most of them are focusing on one specific programming language and written by programming veterans. But most of them aren't really for true beginners who have absolute no idea how computer programming works. Since those books were written by veteran programmers who tend to forget to explain certain terms in plain English.

Wallace Wang solves that problem by explaining the principles of computer programming language (which apples to all modern programming language) and how programming works in plain English. He also explain and explore the differences between different programming languages, so one can make a informed decision on which programming language to learn first.

Beyond the explanations of programming principles, the references sections are less cleared. There are a few typos in a few programming examples and diagrams, which makes it really confusing for the beginners. Kindle version makes it impossible to read the example codes and table chart because the way Kindle handles text in ebook. So avoid Kindle ebook.

Overall, this is an excellent book for get to know the fundamentals of computer programming. Even though the other sections are bit confusing, they are still good as a references .
9 people found this helpful
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Good for noobs...

I have no programming background and picked up this book to see if I could learn a few things. In my opinion, the author does a good job of explaining concepts and is easy to follow. If you're looking for a high level overview of programming, this is a good read. Just don't buy this book with the expectation that you will be writing any programs by the time you're done reading it. It's an introductory book to programming, not a 300 level college course in any particular language.

My only beef is that this book was terribly proof read.
9 people found this helpful
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I believe this is a great book if you want to know the ins and ...

I purchased this for my 11yr old daughter who is into computer technology and always wants to know more about computers. She kinda grumbled when she received it, but I am already seeing results that she is reading and understanding it. I believe this is a great book if you want to know the ins and outs of computer programming.
4 people found this helpful
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Great book, I recommend it for any budding programmer.

This book is very informative and very well written. It's a great tool for anyone just starting out in programming who needs help understanding the basic concepts. It's easy to read and very thorough. The book ends with a crash course on quite a handful of today's relevant languages, so you can even use it to decide which language you want to learn first.
My only complaint is that the editing was pretty sloppy, but it wasn't enough to detract from the book as a whole.
4 people found this helpful
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I felt like I just completed a college level introductory course.

After reading this book, I knew that I had learned a lot, but I didn't realize how much I learned until I was ready to start learning a specific computer language. When I was done, I understood the basics of lists, sorting, and data structures. I understood what computer languages are out there, what development tools are, what factors to consider as I'm designing a computer program idea, and how encryption works. I could go on and on, but I will end this section by saying that I felt like I had completed a college level course in "Introductory to Programming."

This book gave me a solid foundation of all things computer related. There were several chapters that seemed to be redundant, but it may be because I was learning the information so well that I could easily recognize it again when I saw it. Because this is a reference book and not necessarily meant to be read cover-to-cover, I guess it had to have the repetitive information for those who pick it up and start reading in the middle.
3 people found this helpful
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Five Stars

I found this book really easy to understand, and I thought it was very well organized.
2 people found this helpful
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Hands down the first book of choice a person should ...

Hands down the first book of choice a person should choose if they are someone taking their first steps into programming. It gives a general scope of programming basics in all languages, instead of the beginning basics of just one language (the way a beginner should start learning).
2 people found this helpful
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GReat book.

Must have for new programmers. VEry informative and explains things precisely. HAve fun and enjoy the introductions to programming my fellows.
1 people found this helpful
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Good companion book

This has been a great companion book to an intro to programming class that I'm currently taking. It has given background in areas we don't necessarily cover, and it shows concepts in other languages we don't cover, which helps with understanding the breadth of certain topics.
1 people found this helpful

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