Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming

No prior programming experience necessary!

Absolute Beginner¿s Guide to Programming helps readers understand what programming really is. Readers not only get an overview of the job of programming, but also learn which specific skills are needed for certain jobs. Coverage includes how a computer interprets a program¿s instructions with insight into what goes on "under the hood" when a computer runs a program, how programming can and does relate to the Internet and the skills required for adding security to programs, and compiled versus interpreted languages like JavaScript and HTML. Absolute Beginner¿s Guide to Programming offers "hands on" programming for the "absolute beginner". Though there are hundreds of books for beginners about specific languages, this is the only book that takes today's programming environments and explains why each is important and where each works best.

Greg Perry has personally taught thousands of people how to program in the classroom and lectures, as well as impacted the computer world through the sale of more than two million computer books internationally.

He has been a programmer and trainer for the past 20 years. He received an undergraduate degree in computer science, followed by a master's degree in corporate finance. After working as a supervisor of financial systems for a Fortune 500 company, he turned to teaching at the college level, where he remained until he began to write full-time and lecture at programming conferences.

Some of his other book titles include Sams Teach Yourself Visual Basic 6 in 21 Days, C by Example, and several books in the 24 Hours series, including Sams Teach Yourself PCs in 24 Hours, Sams Teach Yourself Office in 24 Hours, and Sams Teach Yourself Windows Millennium in 24 Hours. He has also written articles for several magazines, including PC World and Data Training. He is fluent in several computer languages and speaks a little Italian as well.