Paul D. Crutcher - A Programmer’s Guide to Foundational Concepts

Any source code or other supplementary material referenced by the author in this book is available to readers on GitHub via the books product page, located at www.apress.com/9781484271063. For more detailed information, please visit http://www.apress.com/source-code.

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According to code.org, there are 500,000 open programming positions available in the United States alone compared to an annual crop of just 50,000 graduating computer science majors. The US Department of Labor predicted there will be 1.4 million computer science jobs by 2020, however, only enough people to fill roughly 30% of these jobs. To bridge the gap, many people not formally trained in computer science are employed in programming jobs. While they are able to start programming and coding quickly, it often takes them time to acquire the necessary understanding and gain the requisite skills to become an efficient computer engineer or advanced developer.

The goal of the book is to provide the essential computer science concepts and skills necessary to develop a sound understanding of the field. It focuses on the foundational and fundamental concepts upon which expertise in specific areas can be developed, including computer architecture, programming language, algorithm and data structure, operating systems, computer networks, distributed systems, security, and more.

This is a must-read for computer programmers lacking formal education in computer science. Secondarily, it is a refresher for all, including people having formal education in computer science as well as anyone looking to develop a general understanding of computer science fundamentals.

Overall, we authors have attempted to make it as lucid as possible, so people with limited or even no background in computer science can pick up the book and go through the journey to develop a good understanding of computer science. Were excited to have you on board.

We would like to express gratitude to the people who helped us through this book, some of them directly and many others indirectly. Its impossible to not risk missing someone, but we will attempt anyway.

First and foremost, we would like to sincerely thank our technical reviewer, Ken Knowlson, for meticulous reviews; it helped the book significantly. Thank you, Ken!

We would like to acknowledge Prashant Dewan for writing Chapter of the book.

Thank you so much Rita Fernando, Susan McDermott, and all of the Apress publishing team for the outstanding work, help, guidance, and support; you have gone the extra mile to make the book what it is.

Above all, we thank our family and friends for their understanding and support and for being continuous sources of encouragement.