The series’ first book “The Minimum You Need to Know to Be an OpenVMS Application Developer” is a comprehensive guide to the OpenVMS operating system. It covers application development, language usage and everything programmers need in order to start building real business applications on OpenVMS. The book not only includes fundamental information, but also provides plenty of free codes, a free CD-ROM and exercises at the end of each chapter, so that readers can test their own understanding of key concepts.

The last book in the series “The Minimum You Need to Know About Logic to Work in IT” covers the basics of problem solving from a programming perspective. It teaches the tools of flowcharting, pseudocode, the Leaping Lynn search algorithm and Insertion Sort concept and usage. Along with logic tools, Hughes also gives readers an idea of the types of challenges that IT professionals face on a regular basis and tactics for responding to these challenges.

Both experienced computer programmers looking for a useful desktop reference book and information technology beginners in search of the best tips and tricks in the trade will find what they seek with Roland Hughes’ “The Minimum You Need to Know” series. Hughes” 20 years of experience in the IT field allowed him to write three books filled with practical and readily applicable knowledge for today’s IT specialists.

Hughes wrote the second book “The Minimum You Need to Know about Java on OpenVMS” in response to popular demand after “The Minimum You Need to Know to Be an OpenVMS Application Developer” was published. Hughes’ second book provides answers to Java’s most difficult problems: calling system services, using run-time libraries, reading and writing RMS indexed files and interacting with the user on a VT-320 terminal.