Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming by Greg M. Perry

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming by Greg M. Perry is a terrific book for everybody who is considering becoming a computer programmer. This book should be given to every teenager who likes to tinker around with software. Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming by Greg M. Perry will given them a realistic look at the profession as a profession and also get them started on the basic concepts they need to understand.

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming by Greg M. Perry is also perfect for everyone who is simply curious about how the profession works and how programmers and developers create the software that is now such an intrinsic and increasingly important part of everybody's life. This includes the possibly millions of adults who are fascinating with computer programming and are considering taking up the challenge of learning a programming language in their part time, whether strictly as a hobby, as a possible second vocation or to increase their income by creating valuable software they can sell or distribute as shareware.

I read Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming by Greg M. Perry the first edition several years ago when I was researching Secrets of Changing to a Computer Career and found it an invaluable source of information regarding programming. It now has another publisher, more pictures, some slight changes (now you learn some Visual Basic instead of BASIC) and updates explaining Microsoft's .NET Framework.

This book starts off with a history of software and computer languages, relating the story of how languages have become increasingly easier for humans to understand and work with. The original computer programmers had to weld computer switches open and shut. It also clearly explains the evolution of software as a discipline and practice, from "spaghetti" code to aspect oriented programming (AOP).

Along the way, you learn the various concepts common to all programming:

• Handling input and output
• Variables
• Data types
• Loops
• Algorithms
• Accumulators
• Temporary variables
• Bubble sorts
• Arrays
• Nested loops
• Data structures

It also covers the more minor ways of programming: macros, batch programs and scripting.

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming by Greg M. Perry covers programming for the Internet, including HTML and XHTML -- and XML.

Along the way, you learn by doing -- he provides small sample programs in Visual Basic that illustrate the concepts taught in that particular chapter.

Come to think of it, every student planning to get a Computer Science degree should buy and study this book the summer before their freshman year in college. Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming by Greg M. Perry will explain most of what their basic textbooks cover, only much more clearly.

Next: Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll