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Learning Computer Programming (With CD-ROM; CyberRookies Series) | 
| Author: Mary E. Farrell
Publisher: Charles River Media
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy Used: $7.54
You Save: $27.41 (78%)
Used (9) from $7.54
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 763589
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 374
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 7.4 x 1
ISBN: 1584500611
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.1
EAN: 9781584500612
ASIN: 1584500611
Publication Date: April 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
As part of the CyberRookies series this book is written for aspiring programmers, and teaches basic programming skills that can be easily applied to any language including the key concepts of Loops, Strings, Array, Pointers, and more. Written by a high school programming teacher, Learning Computer Programming emphasizes the most relevant topics for beginners and pinpoints the essentials of programming success. There are so many programming languages in use today that its difficult to decide which one to learn, especially for beginning programmers. With this in mind, Learning Computer Programming: Its Not About Languages focuses on "programming" skills instead of specific languages. Languages will always change so to become an effective programmer, its important to understand the fundamentals before tackling a specific language. The book is language independent and uses examples from a variety of languages including the most popular C++, JAVA, and HTML, which each have a chapter devoted to them. Using helpful hints, activities, and watchouts, the book gently guides the student through the maze of programming techniques, concepts, and pitfalls. KEY FEATURES - Primarily language independent except for the last three chapters, which are devoted to languages of most interest to the reader: C++, JAVA, and HTML
- Introduces key programming concepts while avoiding denser topics of language syntax
- Discusses concepts such as Loops, Strings, Arrays, Pointers, Boolean Types, and more
- Taught by a programming teacher who knows the topics that are relevant for beginners
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| Customer Reviews:
 Good resource but quite dry going down... March 27, 2007
Jennifer L. Berger (Fort Lauderdale, FL USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm about halfway through this book and I have to agree with the other reviewers -- it's a very good primer on programming concepts. The only fault I can find with it is that it reads like a college textbook...and not in a good way. Granted, I doubt many people read computer books for fun, but even so, the palpable academic flavor of this book does not do the subject of programming any favors.
I won't say the book is boring to read -- the author is clearly knowledgeable and taking great pains as it is to present these concepts as clearly and simply as possible. But you know, there's something to be said for authors who can engage readers, especially with regard to technical matters. It makes the learning process all the more enjoyable and readers are far more likely to retain the info they read. Once I've finished this book, I will probably feel grateful that I've finished in the same way one feels grateful for having survived an interminable (though informative) Powerpoint presentation.
 Read this one first! April 11, 2004
dean_from_sa (Plano,TX)
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
After reading programming for dummies and learning an arcane language I was left wishing for a better book to expose me to the basics of programming. The subtitle of this book is "Its not about languages" and that is the approach of this book. Farrell focuses on the logic of programming and mentions the actual syntax in passing. This makes this book valuable and a helpful tool for all programmers no matter what their language destination is. I wish that I had read this book first!
Good overview for beginners July 29, 2003
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
I bought this book as a refresher, since I had taken a programming class several years ago and wanted to re-learn the basic concepts. This book is good for doing just that. It will help a beginner get familiar with the concepts, and it goes easy on the more complex stuff. Anyone who is interested in programing but gets scared off by books that are hard to read should read this book first. It will lay a good foundation and make other books easier to read.PROS: easy to read, use simple language.
CONS: author sometimes tries too hard to simplify explanations, some typos (a couple that will stop the code from compiling) Overall, a good book. The cons, even the typos, are not that bad, you just need to be paying attention when you read.
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