How Computer Programming Works

This book explains the “magic” of computer programming as clearly as can be done. Outstanding use of graphics to illustrate difficult concepts. Concrete analogies to “real world” objects make the virtual world of programming much easier to wrap your mind around.

Outstanding introduction for middle-school, high school, even beginning college level students. Very clearly written, not a lot of unnecessary words – just the right level of explanation to get you thinking in the right direction and to see what the graphics are illustrating. My 13-year old loved it, and finally understands a bit more of what his Dad does all day. I’ve been doing this for 15 years — and even I got a better grasp of some things.

Highly recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5

A good book does not need to be complex. This one does a great job. You could read this book during one hour and learn more than in one semester of COS111. It is so simple. Comcepts are the most important thing to learn. They give meaning to programing. Without concepts, programing becomes meaningless.
Rating: 5 / 5

this book is a fine introduction to computing. imagine a book with cogent, well-illustrated explanations of topics like (1) what a variable is (2) linked lists (3) pointers….

…that also discussed the plusses and minusses of various computer languages….

…and that was useful to a professional programmer, and entertaining for his 13-year-old kid.

that’s this book. i occasionally teach introductory programming classes, and i’ve used this book as a source of handouts and overheads (within the bounds of “fair use” and the copyright laws, of course. ) in my early days as a developer, i also pulled it off of the shelf more than once when i needed a quick graphical metaphor for something that i was trying to understand.
Rating: 5 / 5

“How Computer Programming Works” offers a useful compilation of major Computer Science topics. The artwork, spread liberally though this book, is generally quite useful and offers some unique insights into certain topics, but is at times overdone.

Daniel Appleman has done a good job of condensing many of the major topical areas and themes in the field of Computer Science in fewer than 250 pages.

For anyone with more than a peripheral knowledge of Computer Science and computing in general, but with a lack of formal Computer Science education or training, this is a book worth reading. It can serve as a launching point for more in-depth and detailed coverage of the topics addressed in the book.

I recommend this book…especially to the reader segment mentioned above.
Rating: 4 / 5

I bought this book for a newphew in high school interested in computer programming. It is a good introduction with excellent diagrams and many examples, mostly in Visual Basic. Even an experienced programmer would enjoy the book.
Rating: 4 / 5