TEEN AUTHOR...Neo with his mother Heng Fong Bee with the books he wrote.
MELAKA: A tech-savvy Melaka teen has published a book for youngsters interested in competitive programming.
Neo Yong Li, 17, said his book is comprehensible enough for beginners to prepare and overcome challenges in informatics competitions.
He added that international competitions are usually held yearly to encourage mastery of computer science and hone young computing talents.
The Form Six student said he decided to come up with the book due to insufficient systematic learning material relating to informatics competitions available in the country.
"I felt we should also have a book to prepare those who want to take part in such competitions so that they can have access to more knowledge.
"I took a year to complete the book," he said in an interview on Thursday (July 25).
Neo said he started learning computer programming while in primary school and has participated in and won many competitions, including a gold medal at the Malaysian Computing Challenge (MCC) and a silver medal in the Malaysian Computing Olympiad (MCO).
Last year, Neo was one of the four Malaysian representatives selected to participate in the International Olympiad in Informatics held in Hungary.
Neo said he had discovered that only a handful had heard of such competitions.
"There are no systematic resources for the specified area although many teachers in the country teach programming.
"Some probably don't understand the algorithms that are required in these competitions," he said.
Neo said his book addresses such aspects and he has also shared his experience and techniques taking part in competitions.
"The book also outlines how to overcome questions and challenges," he said.
Neo said the first edition of his book has 100 copies and was sold at RM30.
"The proceeds from the sales of the book were donated to Persatuan Kanner Melaka in support of the autistic community in the state," he added.
