Beginning Programming All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies

by Wallace Wang

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: 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.

Genres: Programming, Computer Science, Nonfiction, Computers, College, Software, Reference

696 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2007

About the author

See also Wally Wang

Reviews

[Ahmed Hatem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for the following:
- beginners
- people who want a summarizing overview on programming and related fields
- People such as myself, confused and badly educated in programming and in need of a start over with simple words and answering the 5-whys questions.

However, near the end of the book, it feels that the writer started to rap up. In Book VI: Programming Syntax, it felt confusing as it felt many parts were in a copy/paste form. However this helped with memorizing but with some confusion.

Another draw back, that it does exist numerous typos including misplaced words. Apparently this book was not well revised before sending out. (at least to the PDF version)
The typos added some confusion when it looked as happening within code lines when "strange" characters were emerged. You don't know whether if this is actually a typo or weird programming syntax. (this is mainly why I gave it a 4-starts rating)

Overall, I consider the book Perfect. It talks to you as a human recognizing its audience, unlike most of other programming & development books which practically think of you as a yet another machine they program into.

I loved the book. I learned a GREAT deal out of it. It removed so much of my confusion regarding programming (mapping o about 10 subjects in my university days).

[Kernel Panic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive bird's eye overview of the programming universe for those who are just starting out -or considering whether that's worth their time and effort or not. Every section provides easy to follow examples in a variety of programming and scripting languages, such as BASIC, C, Java and Python, without focusing too much on a specific one. What the book is really aiming at is putting you in the programmer mindset so you know how it feels, while making sure you also understand how basic syntax, algorithms and data structures work. If you always wondered what object-oriented programming is, what are regular expressions used for, what are encapsulation, arrays and functions or how does the heap sort algorithm work, this book is guaranteed to fulfill your thirst for knowledge. Be warned: don't expect to be able to write functional code after going through this, the book is only meant as a theoretical, straight-to-the-point and truly enjoyable introduction. Look no further if you don't know where to start.

[Sherman Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is made up of seven mini books. It aims to provide an overview of programming by telling you about its purpose, history, evoloution and fundamentals. For the most part, it does this quite effectively. It does a good job of explaining things in a simple and direct way but sometimes the explanations can be confusing. The book starts to lose its purpose in mini books V and VI where it gets into alot of detail about specific languages. The type of detail it discusses, like the different ways you can create branching and looping statements in different languages, are things that should be reserved for a book about the language itself. By doing this, it becomes confusing and repetitive and it strays from giving you a broader understanding about the topic. It is a good book for beginners and it's woth reading the entire book. However, I would not worry too much if the technical detail discussed in mini books V and VI go over your head. If you plan on learning a programming language, you will learn those things more comprehensively when you read a book or do a course about the specific language.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection gave me quite a bit of insight into the various programming languages. I studied PASCAL and BASIC years ago, and was surprised by how much this brought back. At the same time, it helped me understand the overall picture and redirect my plans to learn modern programming skills. Some sections were repetitive, but as this is a reference work, I would not consider that to be as much of a negative.

[Jachin Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hopefully the new version is better

This is a decent introduction to programming. There are a few misstatements and copy paste error. Any errors in this volume can be fixed with live code. The version I read was older and a little out of date, but it does the job I needed. It introduced me to many key vocabulary terms and concepts. It does not teach how to program, but introduces you to the topic.

[Hmz Turki · Rating 3 out of 5]

its good to show u the way , i recommend it for a new programmers zero knowledge

[Genoveva P.]

Eager to see what the book is all about and hope that's a good starting point for me.

[Skye Collacott Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

might be the easiest guide compared to the internet. it will be glued to my side during my summer dissertation.

[Tihomir Saulic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this a while ago, but I still remember it was pretty good for a beginner. Although I was not exactly a complete newbie to programming, I still picked it up and decided to go through it to make sure I grasp all the basics.

It was a valuable experience and easy to go through, but at times I felt like it was just a bit too repetitive. Maybe that's not bad for everyone, but I was a little annoyed by it. Still, I would recommend it to anyone willing to learn how to program as one of their first books.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview, but for beginner beginners it's still a bit dense.

[Ginny Pennekamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for getting an overview of programming in theory, but only in theory, and only if you're coming at it with really no knowledge, which is pretty much me.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice review of data structures, search and sort.

[Ben Kellermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

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
Programming basics
Data structures
Algorithms
Web programming
Programming language syntax
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.

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