When comparing The Pragmatic Programmer vs For Dummies, the Slant community recommends The Pragmatic Programmer for most people. In the question“What are the best beginner's books for programming?” The Pragmatic Programmer is ranked 2nd while For Dummies is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose The Pragmatic Programmer is:
Which helps you with writing flexible and adaptable code.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Explains the mechanics of programming
Which helps you with writing flexible and adaptable code.
Pro Already Classic
Straight forward explanation of basic algorithms
Pro Analyses the core process without trying to sell any particular methodology
Pro Clean and straight to the point list of things to do
Pro Price
Compared to beginner books of the same language by another publisher, For Dummies books are usually the more affordable option.
Pro Great for complete beginners
For someone who has no prior programming experience, these books will take you through the fundamentals of programming at a reasonable pace.
Cons
Con Inconsistent
The "For Dummies" series covers a wide variety of languages. However the style is largely inconsistent across the different books, so it's recommended that you look up reviews for that specific book first.