Rating: 
Summary: Good easy to understand
Review: I bought this book in order to learn how to program. It was useful and easy to understand. It was a worthwhile purchase.
Rating:
Summary: It's time for another edition
Review: I found the book very easy to follow. Speaking as someone who has been out of the programming realm since Assembler in college, I think Perry does well. I'm not much on the Perry Journey, but putting that aside, I felt I was able to move on knowing it was a benefit of my time. Good Job Perry.A previous reader seemed insulted. After stating that he read just about every programming book there is, why revert to pure fundamentals. I give that reader No Stars and Perry 4.
Rating: 
Summary: great for newbie
Review: I found this book fantastic. This is the way to go if you are new to programming. Some people may find this book to simple, but not in my case. Mr Perry doesn't go overboard with technical jargon. He starts from the very beginning and gives a lot of simple examples. I would give this book 10 stars, but that wasn't an option. I would also suggest "Beginning Programming for Dummies" by Wallace Wang.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent starting point for beginners!
Review: I had bought a couple of books on basic programming for the PC that have taught the rules of the language but, not how to design a program. Lessons learned include flowcharting, pseudo code and program structure. A quick history on programming languages and there evolution (without choosing one over the other)gave me a good understanding of the programming feild. The last half of the book teaches QBASIC principles without getting to much into the depth of the language. My freind was starting a course in web page design and borrowed the book; I thought he would have it for a few weeks, he read it all in one night and then offered to buy the book from me,I sent him out to get his own copy!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for folks who don't understand programming!
Review: I have taught people how to use computer software for years. Now communicating with our programmers isn't painful. I know how they are thinking and the exact information they need to know to write a program to suit our customers' needs. I can even write a few of my own programs!
Rating: 
Summary: An insult to my intelligence and social standards
Review: I read this book for a technical college course called "Computer Programming Principles". Perry insisted on writing it at about a 6th grade level. It was a big insult to my intelligence as being an aspiring computer programmer. What I found more insulting, was Perry's tribute to Rush Limbaugh in the front of the book. Rush Limbaugh is a huge biggot with nothing helpful to say. Why the author chooses to thank Mr. Limbaugh for his "excellence in broadcasting", has nothing to do with the book or the subject of computer programming. The book is now used as a paperweight and may be used as kindling to start a fire in my fireplace. This is about all it is good for.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for Beginners
Review: I was considering taking three courses (217.50 a piece) at a local college to gain the knowledge represented in this book. Covering everything from paper (design) to code. It even mentions the testing/debugging process that programmer's follow to produce successful code.
Rating:
Summary: Great overview!
Review: I've been struggling in a job, trying to learn internet programming (JavaScript, Java, ASP, etc) - but I just wasn't "getting it" (having had no training at all in any programming language). This book teaches the fundamentals (i.e.: what is a variable? what is an array? what is a subroutine?) and it also teaches you how to USE the fundamentals. It's a great learning tool! Now I am figuring out ASP with no real problems...
Rating:
Summary: This is one great beginner's book. Perry is a great teacher.
Review: I've just finished chapter 8 of the book which teaches you the foundation of Qbasic and how to run your first program. Perry is a master teacher. Most people I've spoken to about programming languages seem more interested in confusing the hell out of me; I've never been this excited to learn something in a long time. Perry simplifies everything, making it accessable and easy to learn. I just can't say enough--if you didn't know whether you wanted to become a programmer or you wanted nothing to do with it from the beginning, just read this book and it will excite you to become one or help you understand why you don't want to be one. Great job, Perry!
Rating:
Summary: Just a note on second edition
Review: Most of the reviews here, including the editorial reviews, at the time that I write this, are for the first edition. The first edition used Qbasic. This edition uses Visual Basic for the most part (so you have to own at least the learning edition). I havent read it yet, but it seems to be based still mostly on the older text (which is a good thing...) but has also taken advantage of Visual Basic's capabilities. Hopefully someone just starting out will write a review here. I give it 4 stars, but only because that is the current average. The system doesnt let you abstain from voting ;)
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