Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 Hours (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As many other people in this world want to do, I want to program video games in the future. The only problem was that I had no idea how to start or where to turn to for advice. I had tried to learn over the summer of this year on how to create video games, but the books that I had borrowed from my local library said that I needed to have an understanding of C/C++. And when I borrowed a C/C++ book, I didn't really read it. So I decided to give programming up... for a while at least.

About a month ago, that itch to create video games came back to me when I was grounded. So I went back to my library and looked for a programming book that fit my needs. During my search, I stumbled upon "Sams Teach Yourself Beginning Porgramming in 24 Hours". And so I decided to read the introduction if I met the books requirements. When I learned that I did, I borrowed the book and began to read the book.

The book mainly covers a language called Liberty BASIC (which is probably is as easy a programming language as it gets). Right out of the gate, the book lets you program your first BASIC program, a rocket launch countdown. I was suprised how easy it was to program in Liberty Basic. To me, it felt like dumbed down English. When you are finished with the Liberty BASIC training (11 hours worth), you should have a good understanding of Liberty BASIC.

The book also gives you a detailed introduction to Java, but the first two chapters are only text and no examples. Those two chapters do help with the basics of Java and C/C++ (C is Java's "mother" language). When you do get to the programming part of the Java in the book (four chapters of Java in the book), you use Forte for Java (it already gives you the main code for your project). Unfortunately, I found Forte a bit intimidating at first, but when I played around with Forte a bit and got an understanding, I went through the chapters with ease.

The book also gives you a taste of other languages out there (Visual Basic, C/C++, HTML, Pascal, Javascript, and .NET) I say taste because it goes over the fundamentals of each of the languages entered there. You will find C/C++ easier to understand because of your work in Java.

There were some problems with the book that I found. First, there were some coding errors that I found. I found the most errors in Chapter 10, "Having Fun with Liberty BASIC". Most of the code I found put down on BASIC and ran could not run. How can you have fun with the program if you cannot run the code? More like "Getting Frustrated with Liberty BASIC". Also in Chapter 11, there is a sample code that seems to be bugged but isn't. When you get to the code that seems bugged (I forget which sample it was in the chapter) just expand the width of the window to get the result you want.

There were also many dry spells in the sample code for you to write down and practice. The ones that have little or no examples in them are Chapters 2-4, 12 & 13, and 16-24.

In my opinion, I would reccommend this book to anyone who is considering to explore the world of programming (either regular programming or video game programming) or anyone who wants to program but doesn't know where to begin. This book will not mold you into a good programmer, but it will lay down the necessary building blocks to becoming a regular or video game programmer.

I reccomend this book for video game programmers because it will give you a basic understanding of C/C++, the typical language of game programming (this information will be useful for other books that you have your sights on and if you get another C/C++ book, you will understand some of the subjects being talked about (arrays, literals, operators, basic C/C++ procedures, etc.)

Now I just need some help on what to do next...

I decided that I wanted to program...and I wanted to program in C++ no less!I wanted a specific program designed and produced and was going to write it myself. Colleagues of mine had done the same using visual Basic, why not I?
My wife is an MCSE and a programmer in C++ among other languages.. She suggested this book after looking through it at a bookshop. She said that there was more to programming than just writing a program...it was necessary to understand certain basic concepts first..concepts like program design, coding, maintenance etc. I was enthused with all the Programming in " 24hrs, 21 days..etc" books that I had bought. They just jumped right in and I followed,did as I was told and there it was ...My first program in C++..it didn't do much but "Hello World" did look good on the Win 2000 screen. My wife smiled...do you understand what you did, how you got there she asked? Can you write a proper program?
[Proper? It works]I thought but I admitted that I didn't and couldn't. I had copied code, run it on a compiler and the program appeared. Hmm...maybe there was more to it than this..
I decided to give this book a go even though I wanted to write programs NOW! SO I reluctantly took it up...WHAT no CD? Didn't look good...
I stated reading.I couldn't stop..there WAS more to programming than copying and pasting code in from a book or CD..
The author discussed code design, coding, logic , program design, maintenace, distribution, managemnet, company functions different languages, BASIC, QBASIC< VISUAL BASIC< FORTRAN<C<C++<JAVA hmm....three days later I was esctatic! YES!! I understood what I needed to do and why I was doing it. The need for clarity of thought and design. Logic errors and syntax errors...
I approched my C++ books differently now. What I know is that this book is a MUST for every beginner Programmer. Temper your enthusiasm and learn good practices and a basic foundation here first THEN go learn what ever language that you want.
An excellent book, easy to read, logically set out. I went to the computer once to try out the qbasic compiler . It worked as expected. Rest assured you need to understand basic general concepts first..then your programming will be logical, clean, well documented and without 'spaghetti code'.

Do you want to know the basics of programming? Do you want to get a broad general overview of some of the languages available and how they work? To use this book you DO NOT need to have ANY prior programming knowledge at all. The editor QBasic is used for your working environment and can be found on your 95 or 98 CD in the folder called tools/oldmsdos - explained on pg.146

Perry does a great job of giving enough background information to explain why the programming languages look and act the way they do, and explains the concept of object-oriented programming well. He tells you how to program (a structured approach) as well as some of the fundamentals and differences of other programming languages such as: C, C++, Visual Basic, Java, RPG, FORTRAN and others not so popular today.

All the commands and concepts are followed by examples that you can type in your editor and run (and they do run). In comparison to the many errors found in so many of today's IT instructional books, this book has very few. As a side note: There is one drawback for those who like to just copy the programming code from a disk into their editors and then run it to see how it works. It is not provided free. You have to purchase the code from the author or just type it in by hand. But, he also sends you a set of Tutorial Example Programs with the books code. I did not purchase them so I can't comment on them. But why would you want to do that when you are just starting out in programming and need the Hands - On experience?

All in all, I received a good understanding of the many concepts taught in a very clearly explained manner.

I have reviewed many books and recommend that you Buy this book!! Enjoy it. I know you will. Then move on to your Language of choice. Wishing you the best in your future of programming.

I tried to learn programming through books like "Beginning Java 2", but found the concepts too advanced and intimidating. This book provides the perfect amount of information for anyone interested in learning their first programming language. The author first explains how computers work, how programs interact with hardware, how to design a program, and gives an overview of programming languages. The author then teaches you how to program using QBasic - an ancestor of Visual Basic. Through QBasic, all of the mysteries of programming are explained, providing the reader with a great start to learning any other programming language, especially Visual Basic. The final chapters explain object oriented programming, and explain the differences between Visual Basic, C, C++, and Java. This is a great book.

Reads like an extended course description. Very few examples. Code examples are often incomplete so they cant be run. No real 'projects' to test any skills.

Comes with Liberty Basic (shareware) (you can download this seperately and learn more from its own help/tutorials). For the most part, you dont even need a computer to read this book. The code examples are only excerpts so you have to study them from the text in the book anyway.

What gets me more than anything is I found about 5 errors in code and text that are important! Things like mislabeled variables that would confuse anyone trying to learn. Although I guess finding the mistakes is a lesson in itself.

OK, that was the bad part, but I didnt give it a score of 1 because it is easy to read (fast). It does mention a wide range of topics, and it comes with a useable version of Basic (but only limited shareware, also there is a later version online). For a real beginner, this is one way to start off slow. It is disappointing because it could have been much better with only a little more effort. A few larger examples, and a few more actual coding projects instead of just saying 'if you want to create a text box in your program, type the following line....',

and then moving on to the next lesson.

This review relates to the 2nd edition.

I needed to start somewhere and this book sure has helped. From the beginnings of programming to actually creating your own this book covers it all. It also helps you decided which avenue you may what to take in regards to a language of choice. The only programming I remember was back in High School with BASIC. It was really neat to relive those days with this book. I recommended this book highly, though it does have a few typos. (These are easily spotted, though). Well worth the money. If you don't know where to start, this is the book to start with.

If you've been "dabbling" in programming, even reading a few books on various languages, this book is still pretty informative. Although the book starts VERY rudimentary (the first chapter seems to labor on the point that computers can't possibly take over the world) it quickly steps the reader through the history of programming and key programming concepts. The chapters on program design, program process, and program algorithms are invaluable and not found books that focus on programming languages (instead of programming style). Perry does a great job of giving enough background information to explain why the programming languages look and act the way they do, and explains the concept of object-oriented programming better than anything else I've read. On the down side, there is a definite bias toward microsoft, and the internet chapter could be expanded and updated to be truly useful. If you're new to programming or looking to fill in a few basic gaps, this book is an excellent resource.

I'd been banging my head against the wall for a while just trying to figure out where to start in learning to program. There are so many languages it's difficult for the beginner to decide which one to start with and to understand what the difference is between them.

Sure, I wanted to dive right in and start programming from page 1 but I'm grateful that he teaches about planning first. All of the programming details make so much more sense when you know what you're wanting to accomplish.

This is the best ( if not only !) book that teachs you the methods of programming . It tells you how to program as well as the basics of other programming languages ( QBASIC , VISUAL-BASIC , C , C++ and JAVA ). I recommend it to anyone who whats to write programs !!!

This book is written and presented in quite a simplistic fashion but the format works quite well. I have found my retention of the information has been great and with that, I am able to progress quite comfortably through to the next chapter and through the book, certainly in less than the 24 hours it proposes it will take. If you want to learn and really understand the fundamentals of programming, this is definitely the book to read first.