Microsoft C# Programming for the Absolute Beginner [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Andy Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2002 | ISBN-10: 1931841160 | ISBN-13: 978-1931841160 | Edition: 1

Using game creation as a teaching tool, this book not only teaches C#, it also teaches the fundamental programming concepts you need to grasp in order to learn any computer language. You will be able to take the skills learned in this book and then apply them to your own situation. Microsoft C# Programming for the Absolute Beginner is a unique book aimed at the novice programmer. Developed by computer science instructors, this series is the ideal tool for anyone with little to no programming experience.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andy Harris began teaching computing at the university level in the late 1980s as a part-time job. Since 1995, he has been a full-time lecturer at the Computer Science Department of Indiana University - Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). He now manages the IUPUI Streaming Media Lab and teaches classes in several programming languages. Andy resides in Noblesville, Indiana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (May 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931841160
• ISBN-13: 978-1931841160
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

I am a lecturer in computer science at Indiana University / Purdue University - Indianapolis (Yes, that IS officially the longest university name on the planet... we call it IUPUI)

I was an army brat. I grew up in many parts of the Eastern United States and in Japan.

I've been interested in computing since the early eighties, when my brother and I took the money we were saving for a car and blew it on a TRS-80 model 1 with the built-in Japanese character set. (That machine is still in my garage. Don't tell my wife.)

My first career was as a special education teacher. I taught young adults with severe disabilities for several years. I really enjoyed my job and my students. I learned a lot about teaching through that experience.

While doing special ed, I kept my interest in computing, doing some freelance programming and writing about computer topics. Eventually, I became a lab instructor in the computer science program at IUPUI.

I moved to IUPUI as a full-time gig in 1995. Since then, I have been involved in creating a certificate of applied computer science. I have also worked on building a distributed education program. I especially love designing curricula using emerging and interesting technology and ideas.

I have taught many applied CS topics, but there is always more to learn.
Right now my focus tends to be on applied computing in programming languages, game programming, and mobile computing.

My favorite part about writing is hearing from readers. It's great when somebody sends me a link to a game or project they've written using one of my books. I'd love to get a line from you about one of my books, what you'd like to see me work on next, or just to say hi. I hope my writing feels like a conversation, and I'm looking forward to hearing from your side of the talk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed, September 23, 2004

By 

Carmen Carter "Interface developer" (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft C# Programming for the Absolute Beginner (Paperback)

My background is in graphics and traditional HTML/CSS web development rather than programming. Over the past few years I was able to learn ASP/VBScript programming on my own, but when my company made the transition to .NET programming, I quickly found that OOP was totally outside my experience and very confusing.

For the past few months I've been searching for a text that would explain not just the concepts of C# and object-oriented programming, but also the details of how it is implemented in the Visual Studio IDE in which I'm now working. I've tried numerous other "beginners" books on C# and OOP, but all of them assumed a level of programming knowledge that was beyond me or were so conceptual that I had no idea how to actually DO anything with the concepts.

This book was a godsend! I finally understand how a project is structured and what the various sections of the code-behind mean. I've also learned a wealth of practical details about useful tools in Visual Studio. Now I'm ready to tackle more complex texts and continue my self-directed training, but I could never have reached this point without this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OutStanding Book for Beginners to Intermediate Programmers, September 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft C# Programming for the Absolute Beginner (Paperback)

There is absolutely no reason why this book shouldn't be used for teaching a course. Especially for beginners. I've been a strict C programmer for 5 years and dabbled a little in C++ for a year and found this book to be an excellent choice for beginners to intermediate programmers. Before this book, I was totally against programming in OOP and stayed away from it as much as possible. This was due to my bad past experience with C++ OOP. But with this book, I finnally understood the benefits of OOP.

The book teaches you how to program in the C# language by making simple games while progressing to more advanced ones. It starts you from the beginning of starting a project until the end. This is how learning to program should be...not dull and boring, but fun and interesting. I think more learning books should be this way. Certain areas may seem brainless for more experienced programmers, but this book is perfect for beginners or others converting from other languages.

Each chapter is structured wonderfully, starting from the simple basics of C# and exploring the functionality of it. It will start with simple console programming, then progessing to classes and OOP programming and moving on into building forms all based on the theme of game design. It even goes on to letting you do graphic animations, XML, and ADO.NET. Keep in mind that this is NOT A REFERENCE FILLED BOOK and it will only give you the basics of the C# language - basically to get your feet wet enough to understand the language.

Also, as of this writing, there are not too many C# game programming books out there. However, if you're looking for a C# game programming book, this book is also fair enough to get you started on simple games.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginning game programmers, February 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft C# Programming for the Absolute Beginner (Paperback)

This book uses small games to teach C# programming, and it does a wonderful job. I had a little experience with C++ programming when I first read this, so I wasn't an "absolute" beginner, but the book quickly got me up to speed in C#. I really enjoyed the book and it got me to a place where I could pick up a more complex book and understand it. I recommend "Teach yourself .NET Forms in 21 days" by Chris Payne and "C# and the .NET platform" by Andrew Troelson as follow-up books.