| Microsoft's Visual Basic has become the standard language of programming. In addition to teaching Visual Basic, this unique programming guide will teach readers the fundamental programming concepts they need to grasp in order to learn any computer language. This non-intimidating reference enables readers to take the skills they learn and apply them to their own situations. A truly one-of-a-kind book, this guide assumes the reader has no programming experience and offers the fun approach of game creation as a teaching tool.
Microsoft Visual Basic is a leader among high-level languages in supporting the event-driven paradigm and Rapid Application Development (RAD). More specifically, Visual Basic’s acceptance and popularity can be seen in many facets of application development such as database access, Graphical User Interface (GUI) prototyping, building distributable components, Internet scripting, desktop and client/server design, and even game development.
Because of its common commercial uses and ease of learning, Visual Basic has also become popular with higher education institutions all over the world for teaching people how to program.
While this book’s primary objective is to teach you the Visual Basic language, I will also cover some relevant computer science principals in a palatable form suitable for beginning programmers.
What makes this book unique from other programming texts is its ability to replace the sometimes-boring scientific, business, and financial programming examples with games. It is this approach that should make your learning experience engaging and enjoyable.
About the Author Michael Vine spent six years working as a network administrator for various companies in and around Florida, New Mexico, California, Indiana, and Tennessee, implementing and supporting enterprise networks and data centers.
Although networks were his bread and butter, he enjoyed programming as a hobbyist and enthusiast for about six years. It wasn’t until he wrote a few successful desktop and client/server-based applications that he discovered his passion for programming and software development.
Realizing his new calling, Vine quickly made the transition from hardware to software, and he has been working as a software engineer for the past two years. As a software engineer, he designs, develops, and supports client/server-based systems sing technologies such as Visual Basic, C/C++, PowerBuilder, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, and Seagate Crystal Reports.
After returning to school to complete a few degrees, he found another passion in teaching, and he currently teaches as a part-time instructor of computer science at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). |