Chapter 1
Overview: The Mental Landscape
WHEN YOU BEGIN a journey, it's a good idea
to have a mental map of the terrain you'll be passing through.
The same is true for an intellectual journey, such as learning
to write computer programs. In this case, you'll need to know
the basics of what computers are and how they work. You'll want
to have some idea of what a computer program is and how one
is created. Since you will be writing programs in the
Java programming language, you'll want to know something
about that language in particular and about the modern,
networked computing environment for which Java
is designed.
As you read this chapter, don't worry if you can't understand
everything in detail. (In fact, it would be impossible for you to
learn all the details from the brief expositions in this chapter.)
Concentrate on learning enough about the big ideas to orient
yourself, in preparation for the rest of the course. Most of what
is covered in this chapter will be covered in much greater detail
later in the course.
Contents of Chapter 1:
