You Can Do It!: A Beginners Introduction to Computer Programming (Paperback)

by Francis Glassborow (Author) "In this chapter I will introduce you to the essential programming tools and show you how to use them to write your first program..." (more)
Key Phrases: Standard Library, Paint Shop, Francis Glassborow (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“…’Good ‘rating: …like getting your brain to run a half-marathon…” (Focus, April 04)

"…Editors Choice…a great read and an excellent resource for would-be programmers…"(PC Utilities, May 2004)

“…highly recommended for beginners and intermediate C++ programmers…” (CVu October 04)

Product Description
You’ll be Programming with C++ within the hour

Find out just how easy it is to write computer programs!

Want to start programming but don't know where to start? Don't worry! With a radically different approach to programming, author Francis Glassborow demystifies programming concepts, and shows you how to create real applications with C++. Working with computing novice Roberta Allen he teaches you the basic elements of programming and will have you writing programs from the first chapter.

Discover how to:

• send secret messages
• create a Lottery Number Generator
• program Dr Conway’s Game of Life
• write memory games
• create electronic works of art
• produce animated and moving objects

Ideal for any computer enthusiast who wants to try their hand at programming

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470863986
• ISBN-13: 978-0470863985
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #344,174 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book for novice...., March 1, 2005

By	J. L. Y. Bing (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for my niece. Guide her through it and she is having lots of fun.

This book assume nothing from its user. As long as you are comfortable in using the keyboard and mouse, sufting the net and emailing, you have more than sufficient technical computer skills to learn from this book :)

This book avoid the the pitfall of so many other introductory books for novice. It avoid the nitty bitty parts of programming at the beginning. Instead Glassborow concentrate on letting you learn and use the more advanced and actually easier feature of C++ on the word go.

The book first guide you through the installation of the contents in the cd, which basically provide the novice with a nice and easy IDE and customised class and templates. From then he introduce the basic of C++, incorporating features and function of standard C++ library without referring to arcane topic such as pointers, etc. Novice also will learn the use of template and class, without first having to learn how to create one, which to me is a more natural way of learning. If you want to teach someone how to drive, teach them how to engage gear and step on the accelarator, not explaining the working of the engine and transmission.

The examples used are interesting. If you work through all the examples, at the end of the book you could actually do some simple computer graphic using C++. My niece stay motivated throughout the whole book, and she have a good learning experience. And I think that is the most important part. Programming is a hard enough endeavour, and having a book that you can enjoy is really a big help.

Overall, a great book for total novice. You learn the basic of programming and C++, and have fun along the way. Glassborow also use good and up to date coding style that comply with standard (well, as far as I can see, since I'm at best intermediate level at the time of writing this :)

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It is ok but it makes you lost sometimes......, February 7, 2006

By	Elisha W. Nyberg - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is a fairly good book however in some parts i got lost in.Especially chapter 3, for example page 43... "create another C++ source code file and call it test_drawing_functions.cpp. Type in the source code that I porvided above for main(). What main()code? There is no code right above with that code and not even in the previous page... This made the entire chapter a blure to me and i still did not get a single code right in that chapter. This author really wants you to remeber everything in the first 2 chapters (i.e - The beginning part of each source code and definitions.)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners, August 11, 2005

By	joecoolaug - See all my reviews

I thought the autor was good at being informative and not overlooking anything for absolute beginners.

Although it was informative, I don't think it was informative enough. The author could have written a good bit more detail into the book and given the reader a wider view of the C++ language. If you are considering buying this book, you should probably look somewhere else unless you have extremely little free time on your hands and want to take "smaller than normal" steps to becoming an advanced computer programmer.

Other than that, the author wrote this book well and didn't make any noticeable errors(he had one or two "small" errors in some of the examples that could throw you off a little bit if you copy them and dont't look through them to see if everything is correct and how it makes sense).