This collection of free notes is aimed at helping the complete beginner learn the basics of computer programming.

Using Processing, a free and easy to use program available for many platforms, you can start from scratch and make advanced interactive graphical programs within a few units. The notes themselves explain how to download and install Processing, and how to get started.

With Processing, students start with making graphics, and skip much of the ugly, memorization-based syntax of beginner Java. However, the content is not dumbed down at all, and students learn real, serious programming. In fact, this is used to teach programming as the first university course at the University of Manitoba. Unlike other guides, this focuses on learning programming, not the features of Processing.

Feedback and comments welcome! young@cs.umanitoba.ca.

PDF Book

Version 1.0 (all notes as single PDF) (all notes as units, as a ZIP)