Beginning Programming (Wrox Beginning Guides) by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Product Description

Programming allows developers to create a sequence of instructions that enable computers to perform certain functions and tasks
Offering the basic best practices and skills for novice programmers, this book helps readers gain new skills for writing programs and developing applications
Teaches programming using C++ and explores scripting with JavaScript and VBScript, which are all free and don't require the reader to purchase any software
Includes programming projects and real-world code examples that can be modified and expanded upon
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #411479 in Books
Published on: 2005-04-15
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
479 pages
Editorial Reviews

Review
“A welcome addition to Wrox’s Beginning series and a good all-round introduction to programming for novices.” (Publishing News, 25th March 2005)

Download Description
* Programming allows developers to create a sequence of instructions that enable computers to perform certain functions and tasks
* Offering the basic best practices and skills for novice programmers, this book helps readers gain new skills for writing programs and developing applications
* Teaches programming using C++ and explores scripting with JavaScript and VBScript, which are all free and don't require the reader to purchase any software
* Includes programming projects and real-world code examples that can be modified and expanded upon

From the Back Cover
A common misconception about programming is that it can only be done on a professional level by someone with years of experience. This book proves exactly the opposite and provides nonprogrammers with assistance in learning the programming basics that will enable them to eventually become professional developers or programming hobbyists.

Written for anyone who wants to learn to program but who doesn’t have a background in the field, this hands-on guide explains programming through numerous examples in a variety of languages, including C++, Java, VBScript, and JavaScript. All the tools and materials you need are either easily available on the Internet or already installed on your computer. By the time you finish the book, you will have a solid foundation for proficiency in programming computers to perform a diverse number of functions and tasks.

What you will learn from this book
How computers read, store, and process code
The various essential tools necessary to become an effective programmer
Key concepts in programming that are consistent from one programming language to another
How to create, modify, and delete files and folders
Best techniques for making your applications easy to use
How text editors, compilers, and other utilities make coding easier
Who this books is for

This book is for novices who want to learn to program but have little or no programming knowledge or experience.
Customer Reviews

My Opinion - "Beginning Programming"
I think this would make a good text for a beginning programming class. The authors touch on various programming languages, though I would prefer to see sample code in all languages (or at least have it available online) so an instructor could choose which to use.

Takes deciphering
I am about half-way through the book and I am frustrated with its incomplete references, errors, and ambiguities.

One of the problems I have encountered was getting the recommended C+ compiler to work. That problem is discussed both here and on the WROX website. The book fails to give a simple explanation of how to configure the computer to make it run. Thankfully, I had enough independent knowledge to prepare the required configuration files and to restate the path, but that may not be so trivial for a complete tyro.

There are ambiguities that arise from unqualified uses of "it" and "this." For example, on pages 141-42, there is a suggestion that a very basic block of code be prepared in an editor and saved. The discussion then shifts to compiling the code, but the example provided confusingly shifts to a different file (test.cpp) and then shifts back to the file that started the discussion (template.cpp). The references are imprecise.

There are careless comments such as the one appearing on page 153: "To make the others run, you put all of them in the code." That statement would be clearer if the word "code" was replaced by "in the code for the main function."

There are troubling typographical errors such as the block highlighting on page 164 which should be limited to the first four "cout" and "cin" lines and should exclude the last "cout" line.

Other matters that bug are mismatches between code and the output illustrations. Precise copying of the code on pages 176-177 does not produce the output in the accompanying illustration. The same comment can be made for the material on page 180.

My impression is that this book was not carefully proofed, and precision is essential in any book that purports to be a fundamental, introductory text.

Buggier than a porch light. Novice beware!
This book is likely to frustrate true beginners. In attempting to work through the excercises, the C++ complier the authors recommend refused to compile the sample code. Two frustrating hours later pursuing solutions on the Borland web site, I managed to create two configuration files, edit my environmental variables, and finally get the code to compile. Such geek gymnastics are certainly beyond most "beginners," and are likely to cause them to give up the whole idea of learning to code.

Shame on Borland for providing a compiler that was apparently never beta tested on XP(!), and shame on Wrox for failing to provide adequate instructions. There are a few answers of varying quality and coherance on their forum, but you shouldn't have to resort to the forum to run the very first compiled program in the book.

If you aren't familiar with how a compiler works BEFORE reading this book, you are likely to run aground sometime around Chapter 7. Save your money.