Wikibooks:Requests for deletion/Computer Programming

==Computer Programming==

A lot of the work that once made up this book has been split off into separate books, including Algorithms, Data Structures, and Programming Languages. Some pages are transcluded on pages of other books, but not used anywhere in the book itself. What remains seems to lack any focus. I think if a general book is wanted to help people understand computer programming, that starting over from scratch would be a better option at this point. I think this book is too intimidating for most people and doesn't exactly encourage improvements. --dark lama  19:01, 20 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Delete Nobody is every going to learn computer programming from this book. -- Mr. NMC (talk ) 20:47, 20 May 2009 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Symbol keep vote.svg|15px]] Keep This book predates most of the other programming books, even if it seems that work has stalled that doesn't make the situation a good argument to promote a VFD. We do keep stubs and this is more than a stub, in this case the priorities should be reversed, start the new book and then propose the old one for deletion (or edit the hell out of the current version) in a way content is not lost.
 * In that regard I only request that the languages table to be kept as I have spent to many time updating and maintaining it and feel it is useful...  --Panic (talk) 04:40, 25 May 2009 (UTC)


 * for now. I have no doubt you could write a better one "starting from scratch". Please make a better one available first, *then* delete this one. --DavidCary (talk) 04:51, 25 May 2009 (UTC)


 * There are already other books that could replace this one. How to Write a Program, The Way of the Program, The Complete Programming FAQ, and perhaps others. I'm not promoting the work for deletion simply because it has stalled. I'm promoting it because most of the work isn't even part of the book anymore. The front/main page might be the only part left. Other works that consist of only links to other books have been deleted in the past. I think the front/main page of other books which have been split up in the past have also been deleted. People can continue to read and learn from the books that were created as a result of the split. --dark lama  09:13, 25 May 2009 (UTC)


 * You probably missed (not the same as Computer programming), we are talking of more than an Index/TOC page...   --Panic (talk) 18:25, 25 May 2009 (UTC)
 * I didn't miss it. I think the actual number of pages is deceiving. About 30 of the pages are included/transcluded in other books only. I think a lot of Programming: pages were renamed out of guesswork as to what they might be apart of, with some later being moved/split out and organized into there own separate books, while other pages hadn't finished being moved. I don't think there would be many pages left if those pages were taken care of. --dark lama  19:44, 25 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Symbol opinion vote.svg FYI: I've moved the transcluded pages of Computer Programming into the Template namespace and categorized them in Category:Computer Programming Templates for use with any computer programming books that desire to use them. Category:Computer Programming now hopefully more accurately reflects the pages that are part of the book.  Now the issue of whether to delete or keep this book can be more accurately assessed. -- Adrignola talk contribs 00:28, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Keep is my assessment, though, given the 40+ pages that remain in the category. -- Adrignola talk contribs 00:28, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Ok and how many of those 40+ pages are like [ At a glance], [ How to Think Like a Computer Scientist], or [ Hebrew calendar] in which they were originally named something else like Programming:Blah? I ask because "Programming:" was a very generalized prefix at one point consisting of many books and I think many mistakes were made along the way of trying to clean that up. I think about 9 pages actually belong in Programming Languages, 4 are the initial start to a book on computer physics, and 4 are the initial start to a book on OS programming. That would drop the number to about 20+ pages maybe less. Another thing to consider. Books are suppose to have a purpose, a scope and an intended target audience. The result of trying to stick all these pages together like this is that there is no clear purpose, scope or intended target audience. Like NipplesMeCool said nobody is going to learn from this. Also its not like Wikibooks has a shortage of programming books. --dark lama  03:15, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I'll have to see if any of the better pages can get Symbol merge vote.svg merged with other programming books or Symbol divide vote.svg split out into separate books. The cleanup done so far shall apparently have to continue. -- Adrignola talk contribs 05:57, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

11:05pm 7 July 2009 Keep it. If you can program you probably don't need this book. If you don't like it then make it better. Is this a good book for someone who cannot program. Is the information outdated or incorrect? A good basic book that will help a beginner to understand and learn is always a benefit. Right now I "Don't Know Much" and need a simple guide into this wonderful world. If you already know a lot and this book is no longer of use to you then help to keep it relevant for me or direct me to a good basic book. Thanks KC8USU