Ebook Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul
Simply link to the internet to gain this book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul This is why we suggest you to make use of and also make use of the industrialized modern technology. Reviewing book doesn't imply to bring the printed Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul Developed modern technology has actually enabled you to check out just the soft data of the book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul It is exact same. You could not need to go and obtain traditionally in browsing guide Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul You may not have enough time to invest, may you? This is why we offer you the most effective means to obtain the book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul currently!
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul
Ebook Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul
Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul. It is the moment to improve and also freshen your skill, understanding as well as encounter consisted of some entertainment for you after long period of time with monotone things. Operating in the workplace, visiting research, picking up from exam and also more activities might be completed as well as you have to begin new points. If you really feel so tired, why don't you attempt brand-new thing? An extremely simple point? Checking out Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul is exactly what our company offer to you will certainly understand. As well as the book with the title Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul is the reference now.
If you get the printed book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul in online book shop, you may additionally find the exact same problem. So, you need to move store to shop Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul and also look for the readily available there. But, it will not happen here. The book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul that we will supply here is the soft file principle. This is just what make you could conveniently find as well as get this Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul by reading this website. We offer you Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul the most effective item, consistently and constantly.
Never ever question with our offer, due to the fact that we will constantly provide what you require. As similar to this upgraded book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul, you might not locate in the various other area. However right here, it's quite easy. Merely click as well as download and install, you could own the Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul When convenience will relieve your life, why should take the complicated one? You can acquire the soft documents of guide Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul right here and be member of us. Besides this book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul, you could additionally find hundreds listings of the books from many resources, compilations, authors, and also authors in worldwide.
By clicking the web link that we provide, you can take the book Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul completely. Attach to web, download, as well as conserve to your tool. What else to ask? Checking out can be so very easy when you have the soft data of this Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul in your gadget. You can additionally copy the file Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul to your workplace computer system or in your home or perhaps in your laptop computer. Merely discuss this good news to others. Suggest them to visit this page and obtain their searched for publications Think Like A Programmer: An Introduction To Creative Problem Solving, By V. Anton Spraul.
Rewire your brain
Examples in this book are written in C++, but will improve your ability to think like a programmer in any language.
The real challenge of programming isn't learning a language's syntax—it's learning to creatively solve problems so you can build something great. In this one-of-a-kind text, author V. Anton Spraul breaks down the ways that programmers solve problems and teaches you what other introductory books often ignore: how to Think Like a Programmer. Each chapter tackles a single programming concept, like classes, pointers, and recursion, and open-ended exercises throughout challenge you to apply your knowledge. You'll also learn how to:
- Split problems into discrete components to make them easier to solve
- Make the most of code reuse with functions, classes, and libraries
- Pick the perfect data structure for a particular job
- Master more advanced programming tools like recursion and dynamic memory
- Organize your thoughts and develop strategies to tackle particular types of problems
Although the book's examples are written in C++, the creative problem-solving concepts they illustrate go beyond any particular language; in fact, they often reach outside the realm of computer science. As the most skillful programmers know, writing great code is a creative art—and the first step in creating your masterpiece is learning to Think Like a Programmer.
- Sales Rank: #77743 in Books
- Brand: Brand: No Starch Press
- Published on: 2012-08-11
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x 1.10" w x 7.00" l, 1.08 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
Features
- Used Book in Good Condition
Amazon.com Review
A Message From Author V. Anton Spraul
“Over the past 15 years, I've taught programming to countless students from every sort of background. A few of them were naturals, but most struggled, even the ones who would eventually turn into excellent programmers. However, they weren't struggling with the syntax of the programming language, but rather with applying it to solve the assigned problems.
Knowing how to read a program is very different from knowing how to write one. While typical books or training courses are often effective at explaining the individual elements of programming, they tend to offer little advice on combining these elements to solve particular problems. That's where Think Like a Programmer comes in.”
About the Author
V. Anton Spraul has taught introductory programming and computer science for more than 15 years. This book is a distillation of the techniques he has used and honed over many one-on-one sessions with struggling programers. He is also the author of Computer Science Made Simple (Broadway).
Most helpful customer reviews
65 of 67 people found the following review helpful.
I'd make this a required book for starting CS students
By William Springer
While I was working on my PhD in computer science, part of my job as a TA was to run the computer lab. I never cared for Java, but I learned enough of it to be able to help the undergraduates when they got stuck working on their homework assignments.
What struck me is that often the undergrads know more Java than I did; their problem was that they didn't understand how to solve problems. Once I walked them through the process of designing a solution, then they could write the program. When I interviewed at Microsoft, the interviewer said the same thing: that many of the people he had talked to were not able to even answer the first interview question (which required figuring out a solution to a problem and then coding it).
As such, it's no surprise that I was happy to see this book, with its promise of helping people understand how to solve problems rather than simply how to write code. The first chapter immediately dives in to solving some logic puzzles; while these aren't computer related (and some are classic problems that everyone knows) they get the point across that programming is about solving problems. The actual language is secondary; what's important is being able to break the problem down to the relevant information and figure out a way to solve it. Once you have an approach that allows you to tackle the problem, then you can figure out how to do each individual step.
Chapter two switches to solving problems using C++, rather than generic logic puzzles, and then we're off and running. We follow that with one chapter each on solving problems using arrays, pointers and dynamic memory, classes, recursion, and code reuse. Finally we have a chapter about working to your strengths as a programmer to find solutions efficiently.
For the most part, I enjoyed the book. There are a few places where it seems that the author made a change to a problem or assumption and then didn't fix later text that referred to the original version; for example, in chapter 5 the default constructor for a student object initializes grade to 0 and studentID to -1, but the following text refers to a possible error due to grade being initialized to zero. Except for a problem in chapter two where relevant information is introduced in the solution rather than the problem description, though, these don't detract too much from the reading.
At the end of each chapter is a list of simply-described programming problems that require you to thoroughly explore the concept covered in that chapter. Working through them all should take some time, but will probably be worth it; even as a working programmer, I'm tempted to go through all of them just to get a better handle on C++, which I rarely use.
The book assumes that the reader understands how to write a program with C++, but everything except the absolute basics has a review at the start of the relevant chapter. I think this would be a very good text to use for a freshman course on programming, assuming you can find one these days that still uses C++ rather than Java! (Although for the most part, the concepts apply to any language, so you could use it with Java anyway.) Having read this, a novice programmer should be much better equipped to break down a problem and get to work, rather than staring at the description wondering where to start.
I give this 4.5 stars due to the errors mentioned above, which rounds up to five for a highly recommended book.
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book for Vulcan Ears Book Reviews (vulcanears.com).
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful.
Getting past "blank page, what do I do?!"
By Michael Larsen
I recently read Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas' "The Pragmatic Programmer". I thought to myself that it was interesting to see this book from the perspective of 13 years later and what was still being practiced actively and where we may have moved on, as well as the suggestions they made to be effective and, yes, pragmatic programmers.
To book end this experience, I wanted to look at another title that was in a similar vein, but much more recent, as in this title was released just a few months ago. This book, V. Anton Spraul's "Think Like a Programmer", covers much of the same ground as "The Pragmatic Programmer", but does so with a much narrower scope. While "The Pragmatic Programmer" looked to focus on many different aspects of being effective, "Think Like a Programmer" puts the bulk of its energy on one issue; problem solving and the tools necessary to approach problems and develop solutions. The goal of this book is to help answer that age old challenge... I understand the syntax, I can read code, I can modify code, I can work with other people's code and understand what it's doing, but when I sit down in front of a blank editor, I'm lost!
"Think Like a Programmer" takes the reader down a number of paths to help explain some of programmings more challenging aspects and do so with generally basic coding structures. The entire book's examples are in C++, so there is a unity to the problems being presented. While the examples are in C++, all but a few of the problems could be ported to other languages like Java, Ruby, Python, etc.. The Chapter on pointers might be the sole exception, and the chapter on classes comes from the perspective of a language that can be used with both procedural and object oriented approaches.
Don't let the code intimidate you, especially if you are not a programmer by trade. I did enough C++ programming in college to recognize the structures and the methods used for the solutions, so there was nothing in the code itself that was terribly frightening or all that advanced. Beginners, or those who have never seen any C++ code, may feel a little lost in spots, but Anton takes the time to explain every line. The goal of the book is not to focus specifically on coding syntax, but on the problem solving domain. Getting good and usable code, that's a definite bonus, and he makes the case for doing all of the things that Andy and Dave talk about in "Practical Programmer".
The problems all use standard elements of the C++ programming language. Arrays, pointer, classes and recursion all get a chapter dedicated to their own issues. Problems are presented and a detailed breakdown as to how to go about solving them is shown. Each chapter has a variety of exercises to work through.
The last chapter focuses on allowing the programmer to devise their own game plan to solve problems, and each game plan will be unique to that particular programmer. Strengths and weaknesses are rarely the same, so making a "best practices" list for everyone would be pointless. Instead, Anton works the reader through methods and aspects that can help them create their own unique problem solving methodology, using all the tips and techniques practiced in the book, and leveraging their own individual strength, weaknesses, and areas of focus and interest. One thing to be aware of... there are no answers to the exercises provided. That's by design. the point to the exercises is to see what you would come up with, and help break the cycle of "blank page, I'm lost!"
Bottom Line:
Seasoned developers may find this a bit basic for their tastes. Rank beginners might find the examples intimidating. Those in between, even those who are not C++ programmers, will likely learn a good deal and help de-mystify a few areas by working through the examples and problems. As a tester, rather than a programmer, I think that these titles are helpful to look at the issues that programmers face, as well as the issues and methods used to solve problems. Since we have to test those solutions, understanding how programmers get there and the tools they use to get there is helpful. "Think Like a Programmer" is a solid step in helping both programmers and testers look at these situations in interesting ways.
38 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
Ask Felgall - Book Review
By Stephen Chapman
One thing I have noticed over the years is that at least 95% of programmers spend a long time writing what ought to be relatively simple code and that they usually end up with a lot more code than they really needed. The problem is that these programmers have only learnt half of what they really need to know in order to be able to write programs - the programming language itself. The other half of programming is a creative process that is not taught in most programming classes and which in part is a talent that can't be taught.
This book sets out to teach the part of the creative part of programming that can be taught to those who don't have the talent of visualising solutions to complex problems. Anyone who uses the techniques taught in this book will eventually find their way into that top 5% of programmers who can write good solutions to complex programming problems. As they use creative problem solving to produce more effective code their programming ability will improve even though they may have no greater understanding of the particular programming language syntax than they did at the start.
While just about everything in this book seemed trivial and obvious to me (but then I'm not part of the target audience for the book), experience has shown me that such things are seldom either trivial or obvious to most other programmers and I have not previously seen any resource that explains these processes as clearly as this book does. This is definitely a book that I would use in teaching programming to others,
The author has chosen C++ as the language used for the solutions to the various problems the book uses to demonstrate the problem solving process. This is a good choice because many modern languages use a similar syntax so that those who don't know C++ should still be able to understand what the code does well enough to be able to implement an equivalent in a language that they do know. The book also has several chapters that deal with the types of problems that are those most likely to cause problems for those programmers who don't really understand creative problem solving. Those are the ones where there are many solutions that will sort of work but which are either require many times as much code or will be extremely inefficient of both.
Those teaching computer programming no longer have an excuse for only teaching the students half of what they need to know to be good programmers. They should all now be adding an extra subject to their course to teach the other half using this book as the class text.
See all 30 customer reviews...
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul PDF
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul EPub
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul Doc
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul iBooks
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul rtf
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul Mobipocket
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul Kindle
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul PDF
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul PDF
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul PDF
Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Creative Problem Solving, by V. Anton Spraul PDF
