Best Computer Programming Books on Amazon

This is a continuation in the book series that I’m sure many of you have come to love. This list focuses on computer programming guide books in a few of the more popular programming languages. I’ve chosen to focus on Basic, C, Php & MySQL and a few others as these are by far the most popular languages for programming this day in age and the most used. Each programming language has its advantages and disadvantages.

It is always best to have a plan before you start programming (or learning to program for that matter) and head in the direction that is going to be suitable for the type of programs you are going to want to write.

* Basic – For starters, simple program structure can be achieved with Basic. This is the perfect beginner language to pick up and will really get you on the fast track to understanding the more complex computer programming languages.

* C – Most computer programs are written these days in C and is a language you are going to want to learn if you want to be a professional programmer.

* PHP & MySQL – Then there is PHP & MySQL which is needed to design online programs and databases for the web.

Pick which language is right for you and go from there. It is no easy task to teach ones self how to program, but with these references it will make it that much easier for you to make you next million selling your new programs on the internet.

Basic

“Learn to Program with Visual Basic 6″ – Presents Visual Basic programming to those with no prior experience or knowledge of programming. Provides the background knowledge on what programming is , & guides you through the steps that professional programmers take when they’re tackling a programming job from start to finish. Paper.

“Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step” – Michael Halvorson is the author or coauthor of more than 30 books, including Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Step by Step, Microsoft Office XP Inside Out, Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional Step by Step, and Learn Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Now. In addition, Michael is an assistant professor at Pacific Lutheran University.

“Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0″ – Create professional-quality applications, components, and user interfaces faster and more efficiently than ever with the powerful object-oriented programming capabilities in the Visual Basic 6.0 development system.

“Visual Basic 6 Complete” – This book contains the essentials you need to know about programming with Visual Basic and VBA, for use in building Windows applications, scripting, and extending and integrating Office applications.

C

“C Programming Language (2nd Edition)” – Presents a complete guide to ANSI standard C language programming. Written by the developers of C, this new version helps readers keep up with the finalized ANSI standard for C while showing how to take advantage of C’s rich set of operators, economy of expression, improved control flow, and data structures.

“Programming in Objective-C 2.0″ – Provides the new programmer a complete, step-by-step introduction to the Objective-C language. The book does not assume previous experience with either C or object-oriented programming languages, and it includes many detailed, practical examples of how to put Objective-C to use in your everyday programming needs.

“C# 4.0 in a Nutshell: The Definitive Reference” – Includes in-depth coverage of new C# topics such as parallel programming, code contracts, dynamic programming, security, and COM interoperability.

PHP & MySQL

“Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites (Animal Guide)” – Explains each technology separately, shows you how to combine them, and introduces valuable web programming concepts, including objects, XHTML, cookies, and session management. You’ll practice what you’ve learned with review questions in each chapter, and find a sample social networking platform built with the elements introduced in this book.

“PHP and MySQL Web Development” – Each section centers on a sample program that strips the task at hand down to its essentials, enabling the reader to fit the process into his or her own solutions as required. Tables that list options and other nuggets of reference material appear as well, but the many examples and the authors’ commentary on them take center stage.

“Learning SQL” – Updated for the latest database management systems — including MySQL 6.0, Oracle 11g, and Microsoft’s SQL Server 2008 — this introductory guide will get you up and running with SQL quickly. Whether you need to write database applications, perform administrative tasks, or generate reports, Learning SQL, Second Edition, will help you easily master all the SQL fundamentals.

“Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL — A Learner’s Guide” – Will show you the fundamentals of SQL and how to really take advantage of it. We’ll take you on a journey through the language, from basic INSERT statements and SELECT queries to hardcore database manipulation with indices, joins, and transactions. We all know “Data is Power” – but we’ll show you how to have “Power over your Data”. Expect to have fun, expect to learn, and expect to be querying, normalizing, and joining your data like a pro by the time you’re finished reading.

“Head First PHP & MySQL” – you’ll build sophisticated examples — including a mailing list, a job board, and an online dating site — to help you learn how to harness the power of PHP and MySQL in a variety of contexts.

MUST HAVE REFERENCE “SQL Pocket Guide (Pocket Reference (O’Reilly)” – A concise reference to frequently used SQL statements and commonly used SQL functions.

“My Hands Down Top 10″

“The Art of Computer Programming”, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set, Donald Knuth, All Volumns. I don’t think everyone should own this but everyone should have access to a copy.

“Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools” (i.e. The Dragon Book), Aho, et al. Everyone who uses a compiler as part of their trade should at least understand the theory behind them.

“TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols”, W. Richard Stevens, All Volumns (anything by Stevens is worth reading and owning). Nothing explains the details behind TCP/IP networking in more detail than this set.

“The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, Brooks. Even after 20 years this book is still an important read for anyone involved in the software engineering process.

“C Programming Language (2nd Edition)”, Kernighan & Ritchie (K&R). This is how books should be written. Terse, direct, accurate. Even if you don’t care for C future authors need to study this book.

“Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software”, Gamma, et al. There are (many) better books on patterns but this one is the one with legs. It’s the first real attempt to capture and categorize design patterns.

“The Unified Modeling Language User Guide”, Booch, Rumbaugh and Jacobson. Everyone will need to either read or create a UML diagram at some point. Knowing how to do both is important.

“The Design and Evolution of C++”, Stroustrup. There are great books to learn C++ from. THis is not one of them. In fact Stroustrup has yet to write a great teaching book (though he has written great books). But if you know C++ well – this book will deepen that knowledge and explain many of the design choices that seem quite irksome.

“GNU Make: A Program for Directing Recompilation”, Stallman, et al. Everyone should understand how makefiles work. I don’t care if you use make or ant or msbuild or nothing – understanding makefiles will make you more attracive, improve your love life and save baby whales.

“Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code”, Fowler, et al. This book does for refactoring what Gamma did for Patterns. Every software developer should understand the basic refactoring patterns. It will not only improve how you maintain code but how you write new code.

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