This book describes the concepts and application of model-based development (MBD), model transformations, and Agile MBD to a wide range of software systems. It covers systems requirements engineering, system specification and design, verification, reuse, and system composition in the context of Agile MBD. Examples of applications in finance, system migration, internet systems and software refactoring are given. An established open-source MBD technology, UML-RSDS, is used throughout to illustrate the concepts. The book is suitable for industrial practitioners who need training in Agile MBD, and those who need to understand the issues to be considered when introducing MBD in an industrial context. It is also suitable for academic researchers, and for use as text for undergraduate or postgraduate courses in MBD. Examples for educational use of UML-RSDS are included in the book.

A new model of business has emerged within the Digital-Economy called Internetworked Enterprise (IE); it's a model that posits networks, communities of individuals and refusal of a centralized mindset as the core elements of the new frame of reference. Internetworked Enterprises are called by some scholars 'Extended' Enterprises, which use digital network to co-operate and compete with other e-business community partners by exchanging knowledge and information across trans-national borders.

"Evolving Towards the Internetworked Enterprise: Technological and Organizational Perspectives" is an edited volume based on a three year research project financed by the Italian Ministry of Research and Education. Researchers for this project are located at Polytechnic of Milan, University of Milan, University of Chieti, Engineering S.P.A and ISUFI-University of Salento. This book presents an overview of IE business methodologies, models, and an interpretative framework analyzing the sector and organizational contingencies that influence the digitalization of organizational processes in networks of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprise). A set of case studies that provide empirical evidence on the IE phenomenon is included as well.

This book is designed for advanced-level students in computer science and business management concentrating on e-business, digital computing, information technology, economics of technology and innovation management as a reference or secondary text book. Practitioners working in these fields as corporate strategic planners and consultants will also find this book a valuable asset.

This book provides a structured overview of artificial intelligence-empowered applied software engineering. Evolving technological advancements in big data, smartphone and mobile software applications, the Internet of Things and a vast range of application areas in all sorts of human activities and professions lead current research towards the efficient incorporation of artificial intelligence enhancements into software and the empowerment of software with artificial intelligence. This book at hand, devoted to Novel Methodologies to Engineering Smart Software Systems Novel Methodologies to Engineering Smart Software Systems, constitutes the first volume of a two-volume Handbook on Artificial Intelligence-empowered Applied Software Engineering. Topics include very significant advances in (i) Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Software Development and (ii) Software Engineering Tools to develop Artificial Intelligence Applications, as well as a detailed Survey of Recent Relevant Literature. Professors, researchers, scientists, engineers and students in artificial intelligence, software engineering and computer science-related disciplines are expected to benefit from it, along with interested readers from other disciplines.

Address Errors before Users Find ThemUsing a mix-and-match approach, Software Test Attacks to Break Mobile and Embedded Devices presents an attack basis for testing mobile and embedded systems. Designed for testers working in the ever-expanding world of "smart" devices driven by software, the book focuses on attack-based testing that can be used by individuals and teams. The numerous test attacks show you when a software product does not work (i.e., has bugs) and provide you with information about the software product under test. The book guides you step by step starting with the basics. It explains patterns and techniques ranging from simple mind mapping to sophisticated test labs. For traditional testers moving into the mobile and embedded area, the book bridges the gap between IT and mobile/embedded system testing. It illustrates how to apply both traditional and new approaches. For those working with mobile/embedded systems without an extensive background in testing, the book brings together testing ideas, techniques, and solutions that are immediately applicable to testing smart and mobile devices.

A Practical Guide to Software Testing Much has been written about the difficulty of software testing. Often these laments are accompanied by cautionary words about how careful one has to be to ensure testing is done properly. However, there is a dearth of resources that give practical guidance on the nuts and bolts of testing. Essential Software Testing: A Use-Case Approach describes testing methods and techniques in a common sense manner that is easy to understand, helping readers to quickly and effectively implement project-specific testing solutions. Divided into three parts, the book first discusses ways to make testing agile, providing insight into how testing can be done efficiently in different process environments. Next, the book supplies an overview of testing concepts. Lastly, it demonstrates how to perform the actual test, detailing specific testing activities that can be used on almost any project, with specific attention given to use-case driven testing. It describes how to test using Use Cases regardless of the specific requirements of the project. The author weaves helpful war stories throughout the text, placing the concepts in a concrete framework. This guide gives software testers a firm grasp of all testing fundamentals: how to determine what to test and how to test it, how to select proper tests to match the plan, techniques to build and trace tests, and finally, how to conduct and record tests.

Learn how to create gorgeous and expressive imagery with the Processing graphics language and environment. It's easy with this practical, hands-on book. Processing is for artists, designers, visualization creators, hobbyists, or anyone else looking to create images, animation, and interactive pieces for art, education, science, or business. Processing for Visual Artists shows you everything you need to know in a friendly, project-based style designed for visual thinkers. The projects can serve as a starting point for your own original, creative development and exploration. Walk with veteran author Andrew Glassner on a journey of shared discovery as he uses Processing to take each project from inspiration to reality. You'll closely follow every step he takes and see exactly how each piece evolves, including the big and small mistakes he's made along the way (and how to fix them!), and the times when he changed direction. As your knowledge and skills grow and develop, you'll understand why Processing is such a powerful tool for self-expression. And you'll be ready to strike off on your own. Processing offers you a 21st-century medium for expressing new kinds of ideas and engaging audiences in new ways. This book gives you everything you need to know to explore new frontiers in your own images, animations, and interactive experiences. Source code for each chapter is available for free download on the book's description at the crcpress website.

Focusing on tried and true best practice techniques in cross-technology based Oracle embedded programming, this book provides authoritative guidance for improving your code compilation and execution. Geared towards IT professionals developing Oracle-based Web-enabled applications in PL/SQL, Java, C, C++, .NET, Perl, and PHP, it covers application development from concepts to customization, following a pragmatic approach to design, coding, testing, deployment, and customization-explaining how to maximize embedded programming practices. Oracle Embedded Programming and Application Development explains application development frameworks using 3GL and 4GL high-level language code as embedded code segments across .NET, Java, and Open Source technologies, in conjunction with SQL and/or PL/SQL and the Oracle RDBMS through version 11gR2. It also: Features pluggable code using parameterized constructs to promote code reuse Explains when to use a particular embedded language as a best fit for specific applications Highlights design considerations that reduce the probability of errors, enable quick resolution, and boost performance in terms of enabling a Fast-Actionable-Synchronized-Tested (FAST) solution implementation Provides best practice techniques that can enhance any application development code-design methodology for a better, easier, faster, cheaper, and pervasive solution that in turn helps achieve a Better Business Benefit (B-B-B) This practical guide details techniques for constructing architecture and code design methodologies for live application development projects that can be generalized and standardized as application development and code design frameworks. Cover to cover, the text provides an understanding of how the designed, developed, and deployed solutions conform to emerging and next-generation trends. It also discusses the conformance and usage of Web 2.0-based RIA functionality and regulatory compliance practices involving auditing and security. Praise for: "Taking an Oracle-centric approach, Lakshman skillfully guides you through the maze of various popular programming languages and environments including .NET, C/C++, Perl, PHP, Java, and even SQL and PL/SQL - not only showing you how they interact with Oracle but also which language is the best fit for a given situation."-John Kanagaraj, Executive Editor, IOUG SELECT Journal

SQL is a widely used to access most databases, therefore database developers and system administrators should be familiar with it. This hands-on SQL book will help beginner and intermediate users to write queries that apply complex conditions on a table. The book's unique side by side approach makes it easy for the reader to learn three major query languages in the IT industry. The author has over 20 years of experience in database design. KEY FEATURES: Contains numerous practical screenshots of Oracle SQL, T-SQL, MySQL statements and results. Shows the differences between Oracle SQL, T-SQL and MySQL side by side. Gives a real world experience for SQL developers and database administrators. Sample data is available to work on (available on our website).

Software testing is at a very important crossroad, where it is going back to the roots on certain fronts while moving inexorably forward. For instance, test automation is growing in prominence, but manual testing is becoming a niche; we are increasingly collaborating with the developers, breaking the bounds of unrealistic independence in testing, and bringing in true conscious quality. At such an important stage, it is important to take stock of the past, present, and future to define both the direction the discipline will take as well as the careers it will entail for testers. This book looks at a range of topics covering where we are in the product development landscape today, what are the varied disciplines at play, what are the influencing factors bringing in a change in software testing, why is such change important, what did the past look like, what is current decade turning out to be like, and where are we heading. As for future, it looks at it both from near-term and long-term perspectives. It also considers whether the testing fraternity is ready to take on such changes and are empowered enough to do so, or are there gaps that need to be filled. The book closes with perspectives from industry experts on what is in store for the software testing discipline and community in the coming years. After reading the book, you will be confident that you can take on what is in store for testers in the coming years. You will also be positioned to help the industry move to the next level, and influence change not just amongst testers but also in the product engineering industry level as a whole.

The challenges of designing, building, and maintaining large-scale, distributed enterprise systems are truly daunting. Written for all IT professionals, The Complete Book of Middleware will aid in resolving new business objectives, new technologies, and vendor disputes. This book focuses on the essential principles and priorities of system design and emphasizes the new requirements brought forward by the rise of e-commerce and distributed integrated systems. This reference highlights the changes to middleware technologies and standards. It offers a concise overview of middleware technology alternatives and distributed systems. Many increasingly complex examples are incorporated throughout and the book concludes with guidelines on the practice of IT architecture. Performance considerations such as caching and monitoring are reviewed and the appendix includes middleware resources and new modeling standards. The scope includes traditional middleware and also next-generation techniques that serve to glue disparate systems in the ever-expanding world of distributed network systems. Provided with concepts, principles, and alternatives discussed in The Complete Book of Middleware, systems architects, systems analysts, systems designers, systems developers, and programmers, can proceed with greater confidence in designing complex enterprise systems.

Concurrency is a powerful technique for developing efficient and lightning- fast software. For instance, concurrency can be used in common applications such as online order processing to speed processing and ensure transaction reliability. However, mastering concurrency is one of the greatest challenges for both new and veteran programmers. Software developers with all levels of experience can refer to Creating Components: Object Oriented, Concurrent, and Distributed Computing in Java to better understand how concurrency works, more effectively deploy it in program components, and reuse these components to improve program design, quality, and performance. This text introduces concurrent and component programming to students, engineers, and programmers who are familiar with Java and procedural and GUI programming. It helps them to understand and apply concurrency in Java component programming, while exploring distributed program implementation, Java threads, objects, interfaces, exceptions, component reuse, and system design and management. By providing the fundamental concepts of object-oriented components and offering templates for distributed program components, this valuable resource reveals how programmers can apply concurrency and components to solve complex problems.

Although integrating security into the design of applications has proven to deliver resilient products, there are few books available that provide guidance on how to incorporate security into the design of an application. Filling this need, Security for Service Oriented Architectures examines both application and security architectures and illustrates the relationship between the two. Supplying authoritative guidance on how to design distributed and resilient applications, the book provides an overview of the various standards that service oriented and distributed applications leverage, including SOAP, HTML 5, SAML, XML Encryption, XML Signature, WS-Security, and WS-SecureConversation. It examines emerging issues of privacy and discusses how to design applications within a secure context to facilitate the understanding of these technologies you need to make intelligent decisions regarding their design.This complete guide to security for web services and SOA considers the malicious user story of the abuses and attacks against applications as examples of how design flaws and oversights have subverted the goals of providing resilient business functionality. It reviews recent research on access control for simple and conversation-based web services, advanced digital identity management techniques, and access control for web-based workflows. Filled with illustrative examples and analyses of critical issues, this book provides both security and software architects with a bridge between software and service-oriented architectures and security architectures, with the goal of providing a means to develop software architectures that leverage security architectures.It is also a reliable source of reference on Web services standards. Coverage includes the four types of architectures, implementing and securing SOA, Web 2.0, other SOA platforms, auditing SOAs, and defending and detecting attacks.

The Certified Function Point Specialist Examination Guide provides a complete and authoritative review of the rules and guidelines prescribed in the release of version 4.3 of the Function Point Counting Practices Manual (CPM). Providing a fundamental understanding of the IFPUG Functional Size Measurement method, this is the ideal study guide for the CFPS examination. The text: Includes time-tested tips on how to best prepare for the exam Provides a series of questions and answers at the end of each chapter with specific references to the latest version of the CPM Contains two CFPS practice exams to measure understanding and identify areas where more study is needed Active members of the Counting Practices Committee and a past president of the IFPUG supply time-tested insight on how to use the CPM manual effectively and efficiently during the exam. The two sample exams and detailed examples throughout the text help to ensure readers develop the comprehension required to attain certification the first time around. Following certification, this book is a valuable reference for applying the IFPUG method for sizing proficient software design, development, and deployment. Praise for the book: While there are a number of solid books on counting function points, this new book fills a gap in the function point literature by providing useful information on the specifics of becoming a certified function point counter. The authors are all qualified for the work at hand, and indeed have contributed to the function point counting methodology.Capers Jones, President, Capers Jones and Associates LLC

Fundamentals of Dependable Computing for Software Engineers presents the essential elements of computer system dependability. The book describes a comprehensive dependability-engineering process and explains the roles of software and software engineers in computer system dependability. Readers will learn: Why dependability matters What it means for a system to be dependable How to build a dependable software system How to assess whether a software system is adequately dependable The author focuses on the actions needed to reduce the rate of failure to an acceptable level, covering material essential for engineers developing systems with extreme consequences of failure, such as safety-critical systems, security-critical systems, and critical infrastructure systems. The text explores the systems engineering aspects of dependability and provides a framework for engineers to reason and make decisions about software and its dependability. It also offers a comprehensive approach to achieve software dependability and includes a bibliography of the most relevant literature. Emphasizing the software engineering elements of dependability, this book helps software and computer engineers in fields requiring ultra-high levels of dependability, such as avionics, medical devices, automotive electronics, weapon systems, and advanced information systems, construct software systems that are dependable and within budget and time constraints.

This book's author, Byron Love, admits proudly to being an IT geek. However, he had found that being an IT geek was limiting his career path and his effectiveness. During a career of more than 31 years, he has made the transition from geek to geek leader. He hopes this book helps other geeks do the same. This book addresses leadership issues in the IT industry to help IT practitioners lead from the lowest level. Unlike other leadership books that provide a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership, this book focuses on the unique challenges that IT practitioners face. IT project managers may manage processes and technologies, but people must be led. The IT industry attracts people who think in logical ways analytical types who have a propensity to place more emphasis on tasks and technology than on people. This has led to leadership challenges such as poor communication, poor relationship management, and poor stakeholder engagement. Critical IT projects and programs have failed because IT leaders neglect the people component of "people, process, and technology." Communications skills are key to leadership. This book features an in-depth discussion of the communications cycle and emotional intelligence, providing geek leaders with tools to improve their understanding of others and to help others understand them. To transform a geek into a geek leader, this book also discusses: Self-leadership skills so geek leaders know how to lead others by leading themselves first Followership and how to cultivate it among team members How a geek leader's ability to navigate disparate social styles leads to greater credibility and influence Integrating leadership into project management processes The book concludes with a case study to show how to put leadership principles and practices into action and how a

Project managers who lead globally dispersed teams face unique challenges in managing project stakeholders, scope, knowledge sharing, schedules, resources, and above all team execution in a global business environment. Finding timely solutions to challenging events becomes more difficult in a global project environment. This book presents more than 80 case studies designed to help project managers craft solutions to the typical problems that can occur in global projects. The author describes surprising, unexpected, and catastrophic cases that he encountered during his 35 years of project management experience in the global arena. The author details the background of each challenging case and then explains how he remedied the issue at hand. Some cases involve a logical step-by-step approach toward a solution, while others require unorthodox steps to get the project on the right track. The book includes lessons learned after every case. This book is designed to help global project managers become more proactive, careful, disciplined, and ready for sudden surprises that can affect their projects. The project cases detailed in this book support and guide the strategizing process that occurs during the execution of global projects. The book emphasizes the importance of documenting lessons learned after each project to prevent making the same mistakes in the future.

Teach Your Students How to Use Computing to Explore Powerful and Creative Ideas In the twenty-first century, computers have become indispensable in music making, distribution, performance, and consumption. Making Music with Computers: Creative Programming in Python introduces important concepts and skills necessary to generate music with computers. It interweaves computing pedagogy with musical concepts and creative activities, showing students how to integrate the creativity and design of the arts with the mathematical rigor and formality of computer science. The book provides an introduction to creative software development in the Python programming language. It uses innovative music-creation activities to illustrate introductory computer programming concepts, including data types, algorithms, operators, iteration, lists, functions, and classes. The authors also cover GUIs, event-driven programming, big data, sonification, MIDI programming, client'server programming, recursion, fractals, and complex system dynamics. Requiring minimal musical or programming experience, the text is designed for courses in introductory computer science and computing in the arts. It helps students learn computer programming in a creative context and understand how to build computer music applications. Also suitable for self-study, the book shows musicians and digital music enthusiasts how to write music software and create algorithmic music compositions. Web ResourceA supplementary website (http://jythonMusic.org) provides a music library and other software resources used in the text. The music library is an extension of the jMusic library and incorporates other cross-platform programming tools. The website also offers example course and associated media resources.

A student-friendly text, A Concise Introduction to Data Structures Using Java takes a developmental approach, starting with simpler concepts first and then building toward greater complexity. Important topics, such as linked lists, are introduced gradually and revisited with increasing depth. More code and guidance are provided at the beginning, allowing students time to adapt to Java while also beginning to learn data structures. As students develop fluency in Java, less code is provided and more algorithms are outlined in pseudocode. The text is designed to support a second course in computer science with an emphasis on elementary data structures. The clear, concise explanations encourage students to read and engage with the material, while partial implementations of most data structures give instructors the flexibility to develop some methods as examples and assign others as exercises. The book also supplies an introductory chapter on Java basics that allows students who are unfamiliar with Java to quickly get up to speed. The book helps students become familiar with how to use, design, implement, and analyze data structures, an important step on the path to becoming skilled software developers.

In programming courses, using the different syntax of multiple languages, such as C plus plus, Java, PHP, and Python, for the same abstraction often confuses students new to computer science. Introduction to Programming Languages separates programming language concepts from the restraints of multiple language syntax by discussing the concepts at an abstract level. Designed for a one-semester undergraduate course, this classroom-tested book teaches the principles of programming language design and implementation. It presents: Common features of programming languages at an abstract level rather than a comparative level The implementation model and behavior of programming paradigms at abstract levels so that students understand the power and limitations of programming paradigms Language constructs at a paradigm level A holistic view of programming language design and behavior To make the book self-contained, the author introduces the necessary concepts of data structures and discrete structures from the perspective of programming language theory. The text covers classical topics, such as syntax and semantics, imperative programming, program structures, information exchange between subprograms, object-oriented programming, logic programming, and functional programming. It also explores newer topics, including dependency analysis, communicating sequential processes, concurrent programming constructs, web and multimedia programming, event-based programming, agent-based programming, synchronous languages, high-productivity programming on massive parallel computers, models for mobile computing, and much more. Along with problems and further reading in each chapter, the book includes in-depth examples and case studies using various languages that help students understand syntax in practical contexts.

The world is becoming increasingly mobile. Smartphones and tablets have become more powerful and popular, with many of these devices now containing confidential business, financial, and personal information. This has led to a greater focus on mobile software security. Establishing mobile software security should be of primary concern to every mobile application developer. This book explains how you can create mobile social applications that incorporate security throughout the development process. Although there are many books that address security issues, most do not explain how to incorporate security into the building process. Secure Development for Mobile Apps does exactly that. Its step-by-step guidance shows you how to integrate security measures into social apps running on mobile platforms. You'll learn how to design and code apps with security as part of the process and not an afterthought. The author outlines best practices to help you build better, more secure software. This book provides a comprehensive guide to techniques for secure development practices. It covers PHP security practices and tools, project layout templates, PHP and PDO, PHP encryption, and guidelines for secure session management, form validation, and file uploading. The book also demonstrates how to develop secure mobile apps using the APIs for Google Maps, YouTube, jQuery Mobile, Twitter, and Facebook. While this is not a beginner's guide to programming, you should have no problem following along if you've spent some time developing with PHP and MySQL.

With organizations and individuals increasingly dependent on the Web, the need for competent, well-trained Web developers and maintainers is growing. Helping readers master Web development, Dynamic Web Programming and HTML5 covers specific Web programming languages, APIs, and coding techniques and provides an in-depth understanding of the underlying concepts, theory, and principles. The author leads readers through page structuring, page layout/styling, user input processing, dynamic user interfaces, database-driven websites, and mobile website development. After an overview of the Web and Internet, the book focuses on the new HTML5 and its associated open Web platform standards. It covers the HTML5 markup language and DOM, new elements for structuring Web documents and forms, CSS3, and important JavaScript APIs associated with HTML5. Moving on to dynamic page generation and server-side programming with PHP, the text discusses page templates, form processing, session control, user login, database access, and server-side HTTP requests. It also explores more advanced topics such as XML and PHP/MySQL. Suitable for a one- or two-semester course at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level, this comprehensive and up-to-date guide helps readers learn modern Web technologies and their practical applications. Numerous examples illustrate how the programming techniques and other elements work together to achieve practical goals. Online ResourceEncouraging hands-on practice, the book's companion website at http://dwp.sofpower.com helps readers gain experience with the technologies and techniques involved in building good sites. Maintained by the author, the site offers: Live examples organized by chapter and cross-referenced in the text Programs from the text bundled in a downloadable code package Searchable index and appendices Ample resource l

A novel approach for the classroom or self-study, Learn to Code with Games makes coding accessible to a broad audience. Structured as a series of challenges that help you learn to code by creating a video game, each chapter expands and builds your knowledge while providing guidelines and hints to solving each challenge. The book employs a unique problem-solving approach to teach you the technical foundations of coding, including data types, variables, functions, and arrays. You will also use techniques such as pseudocode and process mapping to formulate solutions without needing to type anything into a computer, and then convert the solutions into executable code. Avoiding jargon as much as possible, Learn to Code with Games shows you how to see coding as a way of thinking and problem solving rather than a domain of obscure languages and syntaxes. Its practical hands-on approach through the context of game development enables you to easily grasp basic programming concepts.

Most developers would agree that writing automated tests is a good idea, but writing good, well-structured tests is still an elusive skill for many. For Java and Groovy developers, however, there's good news. This practical guide shows you how to write concise and highly readable tests with Spock, the most innovative testing and specification framework for the JVM since JUnit. Author Rob Fletcher takes you from Spock basics to advanced topics, using fully worked integration examples. Through the course of this book, you'll build a simple web application-Squawker-that allows users to post short messages. You'll discover how much easier it is to write automated tests with Spock's straightforward and expressive language. Start by learning how to write simple unit tests Understand the lifecycle of Spock specifications and feature methods Dive into interaction testing, using Spock's intuitive syntax for dealing with mocks and stubs Learn about parameterized tests-writing feature methods that run for multiple sets of data Move into advanced topics, such as writing idiomatic Spock code and driving parameterized tests with file or database input Learn how everything works together in a standalone, fully-worked, test-driven development example

Most security books on Java focus on cryptography and access control, but exclude key aspects such as coding practices, logging, and web application risk assessment. Encapsulating security requirements for web development with the Java programming platform, Secure Java: For Web Application Development covers secure programming, risk assessment, and threat modeling explaining how to integrate these practices into a secure software development life cycle. From the risk assessment phase to the proof of concept phase, the book details a secure web application development process. The authors provide in-depth implementation guidance and best practices for access control, cryptography, logging, secure coding, and authentication and authorization in web application development. Discussing the latest application exploits and vulnerabilities, they examine various options and protection mechanisms for securing web applications against these multifarious threats. The book is organized into four sections: Provides a clear view of the growing footprint of web applications Explores the foundations of secure web application development and the risk management process Delves into tactical web application security development with Java EE Deals extensively with security testing of web applications This complete reference includes a case study of an e-commerce company facing web application security challenges, as well as specific techniques for testing the security of web applications. Highlighting state-of-the-art tools for web application security testing, it supplies valuable insight on how to meet important security compliance requirements, including PCI-DSS, PA-DSS, HIPAA, and GLBA. The book also includes an appendix that covers the application security guidelines for the payment card industry standards.

A Functional Start to Computing with Python enables students to quickly learn computing without having to use loops, variables, and object abstractions at the start. Requiring no prior programming experience, the book draws on Python's flexible data types and operations as well as its capacity for defining new functions. Along with the specifics of Python, the text covers important concepts of computing, including software engineering motivation, algorithms behind syntax rules, advanced functional programming ideas, and, briefly, finite state machines. Taking a student-friendly, interactive approach to teach computing, the book addresses more difficult concepts and abstractions later in the text. The author presents ample explanations of data types, operators, and expressions. He also describes comprehensions the powerful specifications of lists and dictionaries before introducing loops and variables. This approach helps students better understand assignment syntax and iteration by giving them a mental model of sophisticated data first. Web ResourceThe book's supplementary website at http://functionalfirstpython.com/ provides many ancillaries, including: Interactive flashcards on Python language elements Links to extra support for each chapter Unit testing and programming exercises An interactive Python stepper tool Chapter-by-chapter points Material for lectures