Books

Text Book

There is no set text for Programming Environment, so you aren't required to buy a book for this subject. However some books that you may find useful in this subject and later in the course are listed under Suggested References below.

Suggested References

Some useful references are:

Introductory Book on Problem Solving and Program Design

The following is an excellent book on problem solving and program design. I believe that you will find it useful in the introductory programming subjects. It is about program design, it doesn't cover programming in a particular language.

• Robertson, L. A. (2003) Simple Program Design: A Step-by-Step Approach. 4th ed. Melbourne: Thomson. (ISBN: 0-17-010704-3; Cost: approximately $50; Format: Paperback; Pages: 347).

Introductory Books on Visual Basic

Books on Visual Basic for Access take a different approach than is used in this subject or are at an inappropriate level, consequently I don't recommend a book in this subject. Notes and examples will be provided in class.

Introductory/Intermediate Books on Windows XP

• Bott, E. & Siechert, C. (2001) Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Press. (ISBN: 0-7356-1382-6 ; Cost: approximately $100; Format: Paperback; Pages: 1292) or (Deluxe Edition: Year: 2002:  ISBN: 0-7356-1805-4; Pages 1504).
• Pogue, D., Zacker, C and Zacker L. (2003) Windows XP Professional Edition: The Missing Manual. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly.

Introductory Books on UNIX

You will be using UNIX in a number of IT subjects, so a good introductory book should be useful throughout the course. Some that I can recommend for beginners are:

• Taylor, D. (2001) Sams Teach Yourself UNIX in 24 Hours. 3rd ed. Indianapolis, Indiana: Sams. (ISBN: 0-672-32127-0; Cost: approximately $45; Format: Paperback; Pages: 536; Comments: an excellent introduction to UNIX, with greater coverage than Learning the UNIX Operating System).
• Peek, J., Todino, G. and Strang, J.  (2002) Learning the UNIX Operating System. 5th ed. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. (ISBN: 0-596-00261-0; Cost: approximately $50; Format: Paperback; Pages: 157; Comments: This is an excellent introduction to UNIX, however it lacks the depth of information in Sams Teach Yourself UNIX in 24 Hours).

Introductory Books on Java

• Malik, D. S. & Nair P. S. (2005) Java Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Course Technology. Chp 2 & 3 {ISBN: 0-619-21608-5; Cost approximately $90; Format: Paperback; Pages: approx 1000; Comments: Better introduction to Java and programming than Deitel, but does not have as broad a coverage as Deitel. This (or the previous edition) is the text book for Programming Concepts.}
• Deitel, H. M., & Deitel, P. J. (2003) Java: How to Program. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.. Chp 2. {ISBN: 0-13-101621-0; Cost approximately $90; Format: Paperback; Pages: 1447; Comments: Comprehensive coverage of Java - a good reference book.}