Programming for the Absolute Beginner (No Experience Required (Course Technology)) [Paperback]

Jerry Lee Ford Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1598633740 | ISBN-13: 978-1598633740 | Edition: 1

Want to learn computer programming but aren't sure where to start? Programming for the Absolute Beginner provides a gentle learning curve in programming for anyone who wants to develop fundamental programming skills and create computer programs. The primary focus is on teaching the reader how to program using a free implementation of BASIC called Just BASIC. As such, the book focuses on developing programs that run on Microsoft Windows, but also presents programming principles that apply to different environments, including other operating systems and the Internet. Additionally, the book provides a solid foundation for advancing to different programming languages as you gain confidence in your newly acquired programming abilities. As part of the for the absolute beginner series, Programming for the Absolute Beginner teaches all the concepts through the creation of simple computer games, making the learning process much more fun and enjoyable.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry Lee Ford, Jr. is an author, educator, and an IT professional with more than 18 years of experience in information technology, including roles as an automation analyst, technical manager, technical support analyst, automation engineer, and security analyst. Jerry has a master's degree in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He is the author of 22 other books and co-author of 2 additional books. His published works include AppleScript Studio Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Microsoft Windows Shell Scripting for the Absolute Beginner, Perl Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Beginning REALbasic, Microsoft Windows Shell Scripting and WSH Administrator's Guide, VBScript Professional Projects, and Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition Programming for the Absolute Beginner. He has more than five years of experience as an adjunct instructor teaching networking courses in information technology. Jerry lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, Mary, and their children, William, Alexander,and Molly.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR; 1 edition (April 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598633740
• ISBN-13: 978-1598633740
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.3 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Introductory & Beginning

More About the Author

Jerry Lee Ford, Jr. is an author, educator, and an IT professional with over 18 years of experience in information technology, including roles as an automation analyst, technical manager, technical support analyst, automation engineer, and security analyst. He is the author of 23 other books and co-author of two additional books. His published works include AppleScript Studio Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Microsoft Windows PowerShell Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Visual Basic 2005 Express Programming for the Absolute Beginner, VBScript Professional Projects, Microsoft Windows Shell Scripting and WSH Administrator's Guide, Microsoft Windows Shell Scripting for the Absolute Beginner, Learn JavaScript in a Weekend, and Microsoft Windows XP Professional Administrator's Guide.

Ford has a master's degree in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and has over five years of experience as an adjunct instructor teaching networking courses in information technology.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth EVERY penny!! December 14, 2007

By comic guru

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Some will be quick to tell you that it's worthless to learn JustBASIC because you can't do much with it and you should instead learn Visual Basic. I started learning BASIC when I was about 5 or 6 (my dad is a programmer and taught me a lot!), but then never used it for a long time. 20 years later, I find myself with the desire to learn Visual Basic. I had told my dad that I wanted to learn Visual Basic to create some software for a non-profit organization that I run. I had said that I felt the best way to learn to program is to go through what I call "bootcamp" which is basically having to code EVERYTHING at first. You'll get a better grip on what's going on behind the scenes and the ability to better appreciate Visual Basic's IDE. He told me that when we went from Quick Basic (or qbasic) to Visual Basic, it was a relatively quick and easy, painless experience because so much of the code he'd been using still applied.

One of the things I wish that this book would do is give quizzes at the end. I can't even tell you how helpful those can be in making sure you understand the information. How else are you to know just how much you learned? Some of the games are a little (lot) goofy in this book, but they do what they're supposed to do: demonstrate the use of the code covered in that chapter as well as previous chapters. You also end up with a few programs that with a little modification could be quite fun to play! I'm working on a slot machine program that will pull up all of the pictures in the folder that the program is found in and display them as you win rather than basing it solely on how much money you have. That way I could cycle through family vacations, weddings, etc. in a more interactive way. While it might not be something I will use often, it's definitely one more Problem for me to try to figure out. Isn't that, after all, what programming is all about? Problem-Solving?

In the end, I'd have to say that this book is very good. Pick it up, learn it, master it and move on. You'll be a stronger programmer in five years if you keep to the simple basics of breaking down programs, using subroutines/functions to streamline your programs and using liberal use of comments all throughout the code. Definitely worth the money!

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Beginner Book December 3, 2008

By J. O'Connor

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought the book for my 6th grade grandson, who was trying to learn scripting using a book he had purchased that employed a language other than BASIC. He was having trouble with the book and the software from the start. He couldn't get anything to work and found the book confusing. I've been doing programming for years, first using FoxPro then Visual Basic, so I thought I could help. Well I too found the book confusing starting with Chapter One and couldn't get the software to run.

I suggested that if he's interested in learning scripting that he try another book and perhaps consider starting with BASIC. He agreed, so I did some research of available books on Amazon.com, reading comments and passages that were available, and that led me to select this book. From all indications it was a good selections. My grandson told me that the book is very clear in it's explanations and that so far all the software and scripting programs he has tried work. He is happy with the book and believes it to be a very good learning tool.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ain't Nothin' Small About SmallTalk and Just Basic April 29, 2007

By William E. Lopez

Format:Paperback

I've happily been a member of the Just Basic community for nearly three years. I've been programming in several versions of BASIC for thirty years. Just Basic allows you to create Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) with the look and feel of commercial programs written for Windows... but it's much easier.

All the programming techniques like IF/THEN/ELSE..., SELECT CASE, string and numerical arrays, DATA, FILE INPUT/OUTPUT, and Graphics are there, in very familiar syntax.

The best feature is (aside from the fact Just Basic is FREE!) the online support community of more than 2,000 members at all levels of experience. Share your programs or seek help developing them.