A Gentle Introduction to Computer Programming Fundamentals

UPDATED & REVISED April 2020Programming is fast becoming a basic literacy. Software is pervasive in society and therefore it is needed in virtually every occupation. But for some people, programming feels very unnatural; that's where this book comes in! This book is written in a step-by-step, tutorial style that makes programming available to pretty much anyone who cares to take the time to learn. It's the result of the author's years of experience and research into teaching introductory programming. Versions of this book have been used in online learning classes for years, and so it has the advantage of being optimized for independent learning.You can start using this book right away, without buying anything else and without having to install anything on your computer! Within a few days, you will understand the basics of how computer programs work.C++ is used in this textbook because the syntax is almost exactly the same as C, Java, Javascript, PHP and many other popular programming languages. If you master the concepts in this book, they will transfer to many other languages. In addition, C++ does not require a lot of "scaffolding" to set up. For example, Java requires understanding classes right from the beginning, and PHP requires understanding html. With C++, you start with four standard lines at the top of your program, and you're into the program. When you're finished with this book, the world of programming will be opened up for you; from here, you can go in any direction you wish.