Basic Computer Programming

Everyone can benefit from basic programming skills–and after you start, you just might want to go a whole lot further. Author Steven Foote taught himself to program, figuring out the best ways to overcome every obstacle. Now a professional web developer, he’ll help you follow in his footsteps. He teaches concepts you can use with any modern programming language, whether you want to program computers, smartphones, tablets, or even robots. Learning to Program will help you build a solid foundation in programming that can prepare you to achieve just about any programming goal. Whether you want to become a professional software programmer, or you want to learn how to more effectively communicate with programmers, or you are just curious about how programming works, this book is a great first step in helping to get you there. Learning to Program will help you get started even if you aren’t sure where to begin. • Learn how to simplify and automate many programming tasks • Handle different types of data in your programs • Use regular expressions to find and work with patterns • Write programs that can decide what to do, and when to do it • Use functions to write clean, well-organized code • Create programs others can easily understand and improve • Test and debug software to make it reliable • Work as part of a programming team • Learn the next steps to take to build a lifetime of programming skills

If you know basic high-school math, you can quickly learn and apply the core concepts of computer science with this concise, hands-on book. Led by a team of experts, you’ll quickly understand the difference between computer science and computer programming, and you’ll learn how algorithms help you solve computing problems. Each chapter builds on material introduced earlier in the book, so you can master one core building block before moving on to the next. You’ll explore fundamental topics such as loops, arrays, objects, and classes, using the easy-to-learn Ruby programming language. Then you’ll put everything together in the last chapter by programming a simple game of tic-tac-toe. Learn how to write algorithms to solve real-world problems Understand the basics of computer architecture Examine the basic tools of a programming language Explore sequential, conditional, and loop programming structures Understand how the array data structure organizes storage Use searching techniques and comparison-based sorting algorithms Learn about objects, including how to build your own Discover how objects can be created from other objects Manipulate files and use their data in your software

Get to grips with the building blocks of programming languages and get started on your programming journey without a computer science degree Key FeaturesUnderstand the fundamentals of a computer program and apply the concepts you learn to different programming languagesGain the confidence to write your first computer programExplore tips, techniques, and best practices to start coding like a professional programmerBook Description Learning how to code has many advantages, and gaining the right programming skills can have a massive impact on what you can do with your current skill set and the way you advance in your career. This book will be your guide to learning computer programming easily, helping you overcome the difficulties in understanding the major constructs in any mainstream programming language. Computer Programming for Absolute Beginners starts by taking you through the building blocks of any programming language with thorough explanations and relevant examples in pseudocode. You'll understand the relationship between computer programs and programming languages and how code is executed on the computer. The book then focuses on the different types of applications that you can create with your programming knowledge. You'll delve into programming constructs, learning all about statements, operators, variables, and data types. As you advance, you'll see how to control the flow of your programs using control structures and reuse your code using functions. Finally, you'll explore best practices that will help you write code like a pro. By the end of this book, you'll be prepared to learn any programming language and take control of your career by adding coding to your skill set. What you will learnGet to grips with basic programming language concepts such as variables, loops, selection and functionsUnderstand what a program is and how the computer executes itExplore different programming languages and learn about the relationship between source code and executable codeSolve problems using various paradigms such as procedural programming, object oriented programming, and functional programmingWrite high-quality code using several coding conventions and best practicesBecome well-versed with how to track and fix bugs in your programsWho this book is for This book is for beginners who have never programmed before and are looking to enter the world of programming. This includes anyone who is about to start studying programming and wants a head start, or simply wants to learn how to program on their own.

Thinking about Computer Programming as a career option? Completely revised and updated, this basic computer programming book can launch you onto a bright career. Meant for both freshers as well as advanced users, it is an authentic volume for learners to use a computer without any outside help. The guide is designed for self-help learning. Some salient features: *Historical evolution of the computer. *Computer characteristics, anatomy & architecture. *Flow charts, Getting started with BASIC, Arithmetic / Input / Control / Conditional Statement. *Putting data out of computers. *Some programming applications, Arrays, Library, user defined functions; Subroutines, Sequential files. *System commands; Programming design & problem solving.