About the Author

Dr. Barry Burd received a Master of Science degree in computer science at Rutgers University and a PhD in mathematics at the University of Illinois. As a teaching assistant in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, he was elected five times to the university-wide List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students.

Since 1980, Dr. Burd has been a professor in the department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. He has lectured at conferences in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. He hosts podcasts and videos about software and other technology topics. He is the author of many articles and books, including Java For Dummies, Java Programming for Android Developers For Dummies, and Android Application Development All-in-One For Dummies, all from Wiley.

Dr. Burd lives in Madison, New Jersey, with his wife of n years, where n > 35. As an avid indoor enthusiast, Dr. Burd enjoys sleeping, talking, and eating.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Author’s To-Do List, May 13, 2017:

Item: Send chocolates to Paul Levesque (the book’s project editor) and Becky Whitney (the book’s copy editor). As anyone who reads Chapter 4 learns, chocolate is one of the most precious commodities on earth. So when I give chocolate, I give it thoughtfully and intentionally.

Item: Have a plaque erected in honor of Katie Mohr, your acquisitions editor at Wiley. While you worked on other projects, Katie kept insisting that you write this book’s fifth edition. (Sure, you wanted a long vacation instead of another book project, but who cares? She was right; you were wrong.)

Item: Send a thank-you note to tech editor Chad Darby, who helped polish your original work and, miraculously, didn’t make a lot of extra work for you.

Item: Visit Frank Thornton, Bonnie Averbach, and Herbert Putz at Temple University. Thank them for steering you toward a career as a professor. In any other career, you’d have no time left to write. (And by the way, while you’re in Philly, don’t forget to stop for a cheesesteak.)

Item: Send email to Gaisi Takeuti at the University of Illinois, and to William Wisdom and Hughes LeBlanc at Temple University. Thank them for teaching you about Symbolic Logic. It has made your life as a computer scientist and mathematician much richer.

Item: Spend more time with your family. (Remind them that you’re the guy who wandered around the house before you started writing books.) Renew your pledge to clean up after yourself. Don’t be so high-strung, and finish each sentence that you start. Remember that you can never fully return the love they’ve given you, though you should always keep trying.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

Acquisitions Editor: Katie Mohr

Senior Project Editor: Paul Levesque

Copy Editor: Becky Whitney

Technical Editor: Chad Darby

Editorial Assistant: Serena Novosel

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Production Editor: Antony Sami

Cover Image: © bestfoto77/Shutterstock