Head First Java
by Bert Bates, Kathy Sierra
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (21 May, 2003)
list price: $39.95
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

It has taken four years, but with Head First Java the introductory Java book category has finally come of age. This is an excellent book, far more capable than any of the scores of Java-for-novices books that have come before it. Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates deserve rich kudos--and big sales--for developing this book's new way of teaching the Java programming language, because any reader with even a little bit of discipline will come away with true understanding of how the language works. Perhaps best of all, this is no protracted "Hello, World" introductory guide. Readers get substantial exposure to object-oriented design and implementation, serialization, neatwork programming, threads, and Remote Method Invocation (RMI).

Key to the authors' teaching style are carefully designed graphics. Rather than explain class inheritance (to cite one example) primarily with text, the authors use a series of tree diagrams that clarify the mechanism far more succinctly. The diagrams are carefully annotated with arrows and notes. Also characteristic of the unique teaching strategy is heavy reliance on exercises, in which the reader is asked to complete partial classes, write whole new code segments and do design work. Though there's little discussion of why the exercises' correct answers are what they are, it's clear that the practice work was carefully designed to reinforce the lesson at hand. If you've waited this long to give Java a try, this book is a great choice. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Java programming language for people with no Java experience, and even people with no programming experience at all. Key concepts read like a list of Java features: Object oriented design, variable type and scope, object properties and methods, inheritance and polymorphism, exceptions, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), network connectivity, Java archives (JAR files), and Remote Method Invocation (RMI). ... Read more

Reviews (77)

Perfect book. Should be hardcover.
This is the number ONE Java book on the earth. I think it should be hardcover, not paperback, in order for long-term preservation.

Enjoy learning Java with the book from experts
I have been working with Java programming language for 5 years. I successfully passed several certification exams. So I know the details of The Java World. Even so I have recently bought Head First Java book (which looks like being intended especially for beginners) and I found out new funny ways how very simply and effectively learn Java.
Believe me. It is very effective book and besides it you will have a lot of fun. That is what I usually miss at my work place :-)
The book uses a lot of pictures and graphics. At first sight you could think (as I did) that is not worth of it at all ! But the contrary is true and you will learn Java very easily and deeply. I own second book from K.Sierra and B.Bates - Head First EJB. Same way of learning. Same recommendation.
I strongly recommend it to everyone and I little bit regret I had not bought it earlier.

Good Starting Java Book
Not only does this book give a beginner a comprehensive tutorial in Java, it also highlights Object Oriented Concepts that are essential to good Java programming.I would have given this book a five star rating, if it wasn't for bad editing (errors in examples, etc.)But, at least, there are less errors than the first edition.This is the first book on learning Java that I have been able to actually sit down and make my way through.Rather than use the basic Java compiler, I would recommend using the Eclipse product (download free at www.eclipse.org) since that is the new emerging standard in Java (and other lanugages) programming.Learning Eclipse while you are learning Java would only help. ... Read more

Isbn: 0596004656
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computers    4. Java (Computer language)    5. Java (Computer program languag    6. Java (Computer program language)    7. Programming - General    8. Programming Languages - Java    9. COM051000    10. COM051210    11. COM051230    12. Computers / Programming Languages / Java    13. Java & variants   

Java(tm)2: A Beginner's Guide
by HerbertSchildt, Herbert Schildt
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (25 November, 2002)
list price: $29.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (39)

Not for the novice programmer
I disagree with those who have reviewed this book as suitable for unexperienced programmers. Java 2: A Beginner's Guide is a solid and well written book but in my opinion it is not a book for someone who has no or very little programming experience.

The first couple of chapters are fairly easy to follow but later chapters become somewhat difficult for the novice. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who has prior programming experience in Fortran or C but if you are looking to learn Java as your first real computer language you should look elsewhere first.

I would compare Java to learning calculus. Something you really should not do before completing arithmetic or algebra. I would recommend getting your feet wet with something like RealBasic (www.realbasic.com) which, for example, introduces the concept of classes in a much more manageable format. Another great approach would be the programming language of 4D (www.4d.com). Both of these are available as free full working demo downloads and would give you an easier slide into the programming world.

Nice and simple
This is very easy to follow and does not assume any previous prgramming experience for real and gives very good explaination chapter wise.

Excelent
I started studying Java by this book. I could understand every topic explained by this author, i never get confused. Hereally is a great teacher. Even the vocabulary he uses is clean and easy (this is important for a non-english native)
I always get back to this book to remember a concept that i had forgotten. ... Read more

Isbn: 0072225882
Sales Rank: 163165
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer Programming Languages    5. Computers    6. Java (Computer language)    7. Java (Computer program languag    8. Java (Computer program language)    9. Programming - General    10. Programming Languages - Java    11. Computers / Programming Languages / Java   

Beginning Java 2
by IvorHorton
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (29 March, 2002)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $32.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (37)

GoodReference, good tutorial, if you like math / graphics
This book is a great reference to Java language and how to program it.It also has an overly complicated/not well explained example in using ModelViewController pattern to program a shape drawing program.I also agree with other reviewers who complain he uses mathematical examples too much. Hint - if you hated geometry, buy a different book.But, if you have a sold HIgh School math / graphics background, I strongly recommend this book to learn a lot about java.It still is not comprehensive, but it's a great serious first book to learn java from.

Good but may be a little too much
I had the previous version of this book and lost it so I bought the new version because I really liked the one I had. Unfortunately my experience has been a little different with this version. It contains a lot of great information however I think it may have too much in it for most beginners and novices. It is also a very thick book and takes up a lot of space when carrying around.
The information is great in the book but it isn't something you'll be able to hold in with the first read.

Great For Beginners
This book is very thorough in it's coverage. It doesn't delve into the "why" as much as the Head First Java book does, but it certainly tackles the how-to very well (at great lengths sometimes). It's also a different style than the Head First series of books. It has more of a traditional feel about it. Beginners that want to approach Java from every angle might do well to opt for both Head First Java and this book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0764543652
Sales Rank: 193697
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Java (Computer program languag    5. Java (Computer program language)    6. Programming - General    7. Programming Languages - Java    8. Computer Programming    9. Computers / Programming Languages / Java    10. General Theory of Computing    11. Java & variants   

Murach's Beginning Java 2
by Andrea Steelman
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 September, 2001)
list price: $49.50 -- our price: $39.95
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (23)

Decent, but lacks depth
Written as a long series of How-to articles, Murach's Beginning Java book offers a decent start to the Java platform for the non-Java savvy developer. The trio of authors walks the reader through various aspects of learning the language and key parts of the libraries. The topics appear to be those needed for the introductory developer, though if you already know the language and libraries from an earlier release, the book's material is not really presented in a way to help you transition from 1.3 or 1.4 to 5.0.

For the key parts covered in the book, you do learn the essential aspects of using the language and library topics. Beyond the essentials, you'll get with practice or a more advanced book, not here. At just under 800 pages though, and given the largeness of Java these days, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There is only so much depth on a given topic you can provide for everything out there. Take the LayoutManager section for instance. While the book describes Flow, Border, and GridBag layout to a reasonable level of coverage, Box and Grid are barely covered, and there is absolutely no mention of the Spring Layout manager, introduced in 5.0. You run across this everywhere. Even the Collection framework doesn't mention newer collections like LinkedHashMap, just describing what the authors call "common" collections.

With a Windows slant on all the specific instructions, the new Linux developer may be better off looking elsewhere. If you're a Linux user and comfortable translating instructions between the two platforms, you'll probably be okay here, though if you don't know when to translate : and ; or / and \ you might get a little confused if things don't go your way. I guess the authors felt that Linux users weren't going to be "new" Java developers and left them out.

Apparently, there is support material available for instructors at the publisher's web site. This includes PowerPoint slides, tests, and projects. Sounds appropriate of a book for this audience.

A first-rate resource for learning Java quickly & skillfully
The collaborative project of seasoned Java experts Doug Lowe, Joel Murach, and Andrea Steelman, Murach's Beginning Java 2 JDK 5 is a self-paced instructional guide designed to help the reader learn how to write professional-quality object-oriented applications in just six chapters. Further chapters teach graphic user interface programming with Java, as well as data access programming, how to work with XML, and more. Designed for anyone seeking to learn the core features of the Java language, Beginning Java 2 JDK 5 is especially ideal for readers with no programming experience at all, or who are primarily familiar with a different language. Murach's Beginning Java 2 JDK 5 is meant to work with Java 2 Platform, Standard edition 5.0, also called J2SE 5.0, version 1.5.0, or just 1.5; but note that all Java versions are upwards-compatible, therefore anything in Murach's Beginning Java 2 JDK 5 will work in future versions of JDK. Screenshots, sample code, step-by-step instructions written in plain terms, and an index make Murach's Beginning Java 2 JDK 5 a first-rate resource for learning Java quickly and skillfully.

Excellent first Java book
Learning Java without a teacher can be a treacherous task. Murach's books teach you what you need to know, one topic at a time. The author does not overwhelm the reader with complexity. If she's teaching public, private, and protected access modifiers- she'll teach each one (at a time) when it is needed- and explains why it's needed- and why the alternative choice is not used.

The author is not intent on impressing the reader with her knowledge. Rather, she covers the topics slowly and with care. By the end of the book, one has a solid foundation in Java 2.

If you've been coding in Java, this book isn't for you. If you're new to Java, this is the best investment you can make; even Deitel's books take backseat to this one. Kudos to Andrea Steelman, the author.
... Read more

Isbn: 189077412X
Sales Rank: 89846
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computers    4. Java (Computer program languag    5. Java (Computer program language)    6. Programming - General    7. Programming Languages - COBOL    8. Programming Languages - Java   

Java How to Program, Fifth Edition
by H. M. Deitel, P. J. Deitel, Harvey M. Deitel, Paul J. Deitel
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (16 December, 2002)
list price: $95.00 -- our price: $95.00
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (56)

Don't reccomend for experienced -or- beginners!
I cannot reccomend this book to experienced programmers learning Java or to beginners.The experienced will find it cluttered and watered down, and beginners will end up with a very novice, incomplete, and probably incorrect comprehension of the more complicated aspects.

The first few chapters are ok for someone new to programming but beyond that the text is extremely bloated and only explains complex topics with "for dummies" examples that will leave you unable to perform in a real enviroment.

Excellent piece of work
I have read many IT-related books, both practical and theoretical,
but never have I encountered one with such a perfect balance. Easy to read and follow.
All the new facts are throughly explained and demonstrated.

Great tips and reminders that for once is useful. The code snippets are written with
syntax highlightning thus they are very easy to follow.

This book doesn't asume you're a wise programmer, but it transforms you into one.

Perfect book for beginners
I am new to Java and found the Deitel book perfect to get a good understanding of Java. It takes a lot of time to read, but is worth the effort. I'd highly recommend it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0131016210
Sales Rank: 8942
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer Programming Languages    5. Computers    6. Programming - General    7. Programming Languages - Java   

Thinking in Java (3rd Edition)
by Bruce Eckel
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (06 December, 2002)
list price: $54.99 -- our price: $34.96
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Thinking in Java is a printed version of Bruce Eckel's online materials that provides a useful perspective on mastering Java for those with previous programming experience. The author's take on the essence of Java as a new programming language and the thorough introduction to Java's features make this a worthwhile tutorial.

Thinking in Java begins a little esoterically, with the author's reflections on why Java is new and better. (This book's choice of font for chapter headings is remarkably hard on the eyes.) The author outlines his thoughts on why Java will make you a better programmer, without all the complexity. The book is better when he presents actual language features. There's a tutorial to basic Java types, keywords, and operators. The guide includes extensive source code that is sometimes daunting (as with the author's sample code for all the Java operators in one listing.) As such, this text will be most useful for the experienced developer.

The text then moves on to class design issues, when to use inheritance and composition, and related topics of information hiding and polymorphism. (The treatment of inner classes and scoping will likely seem a bit overdone for most readers.) The chapter on Java collection classes for both Java Developer's Kit (JDK) 1.1 and the new classes, such as sets, lists, and maps, are much better. There's material in this chapter that you are unlikely to find anywhere else.

Chapters on exception handling and programming with type information are also worthwhile, as are the chapters on the new Swing interface classes and network programming. Although it adopts somewhat of a mixed-bag approach, Thinking in Java contains some excellent material for the object-oriented developer who wants to see what all the fuss is about with Java. ... Read more

Reviews (271)

I LOVE this book
This book is available, for free, from the author's website (www.bruceeckel.com); the book, however, is far easier to read in book form than your monitor or a foot-high stack of printouts.

What I love so much about this book is that Eckel doesn't so much tell you how to "go through themotions" of writing Java (like 99% of programming reference books), but instead goes into great detail about what the creators of the language were actually trying to accomplish, and why they did what they did. The net effect is that you are truly able to "think in Java" (corny, I know...).

For the same reasons, however, I wouldn't recommend this book to novice programmers. Many of the concepts covered (such as heap allocation, upcasting/downcasting, JavaDoc, etc...) go into some fairly abstract computer science ideas, and while this material is covered in an extremely easy-to-follow fashion, I think much of it will go over newbie heads.

A delight, even for the experienced Java programmer
I know Java pretty well. But I enjoy a lot reading Eckel's book because he presents aspects of Java you rarely find in ordinary Java books. Bruce admirably mixes low level concerns with conceptual representations. He has a real talent to explain the "why" of things. This understanding differenciates the expert form the simply proficient. For this reason, as an experienced Java programmer, I do not consider reading Bruce's book a waste of time !

Flawless ...Flawless
I am reading Thinking in Java, have read a couple of more books before on Java but Bruce Eckel has a flawless style of exploring and explaining a programming language, learning becomes more like a glide through the concepts...brick by brick he constructs a beautiful conceptual foundation of the language...everything in the exact right place in the mental sequence where it should be...perfect!! He should write a book on each programming language :-)

If you've been wandering through places to find the best conceptual reference...this one is it. ... Read more

Isbn: 0131002872
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer Programming Languages    5. Computers    6. Java (Computer language)    7. Java (Computer program language)    8. Programming Languages - Java    9. Computers / Programming Languages / Java   

Learning Java, Second Edition
by Patrick Niemeyer, Jonathan Knudsen
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (July, 2002)
list price: $44.95 -- our price: $29.67
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Java is the language du jour, and plenty of books have been written about it. But with so many books available, new offerings should be something special. This one isn't.

Learning Java starts at the beginning with a "hello world"-style program that demonstrates using Sun's Java tools. Throughout, the book introduces features using examples--all thoroughly discussed and explained in as straightforward and jargon-free a manner as practicable.

A tricky aspect of Java is the way classes are related, so it's neat to see a whole chapter devoted to the subject early on. Even more opaque is the explicit use of threads. Again, this topic is made accessible in this text, especially with its discussion of thread synchronization. Basic graphics, video handling, and other media in Java are discussed, followed by Beans and the builder environment--but stopping short of JavaBeans. The book finishes with a section on applets, the Java plug-in, and digital signatures.

Overall, however, the reader gets no feeling of working toward a goal, and perhaps this would have been a better book if a project had been its theme. Another odd decision in the mix here was to ignore the several--some free--Java IDEs generally used to program Java. (The book makes a point of saying it hasn't discussed them but doesn't explain. Even beginners find Java more accessible in a programming environment.)

Still, Learning Java, which uses Java 2 v1.3, does a competent job of introducing the language to beginners. As with most O'Reilly books, it's authoritative, lucid, and well edited. Though this book may fail to inspire in the reader the presumed enthusiasm for Java felt by the authors, you won't go wrong with this one, and its coverage of object-oriented programming issues is particularly good. --Steve Patient, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (54)

little about i18n, Unicode, EJBs
[A review of the 3RD EDITION 2005.]

If you're learning Java from scratch, you might as well start at the latest version 5.0. But Java has grown hugely since 96. The book's size directly reflects that growth. Even so, the authors had to make the decision to explain only what they consider to be the minimal set of core classes. Their choice seems spot on. Spanning such key topics as I/O, Swing, Applets and Threads.

To get best use of the advice, you should be familiar with object oriented programming from another language. The chapters are well written, but can be opaque to one who has never programmed before. Plus, there are no problem sets. This lack can be awkward to some readers.

What isn't covered? Advanced functionality like Enterprise Java Beans and JMS. And internationalisation is barely mentioned. Mostly to do with using resource bundles. But no discussion about display issues of bidirectional text, for example. Related to this is just a glancing explanation of Unicode. American readers might say, so what? But readers who might have to code for non-European languages will find the book deficient.

Yet, to be fair, the book is long enough as it is. While it is easy to describe what was omitted, the authors have made quite reasonable decisions about coverage.

review
I found this to be a rather good book for learning Java in a course
environment.If I had to learn Java on my own however, this book
would not be my first choice.It is rather difficult to read
through though, I found the preface to be interesting.

If it had more examples, and exercises that the reader could work
through this book could be an even better resource.As it is, I
used it mainly as a reference book to augment, and help clarify what
I learned in my course.Still, there were times when my professor's
specification would require the use of a particular class that he
expected you to learn from the recommended text.The recommended
text would have examples of these, but usually Learning Java, 2nd
Ed. did not.In fairness though, the professor may have chosen
those particular classes knowing that the examples would be in the
text.

Lack of examples aside, it did a fairly good job of explaining Java,
and Object Oriented programming tasks.Still, for the beginner
learning Java in an unstructured environment, a different text may
be more suited.

The best single volume "general" Java reference I own
It must be quite a challenge to compile a general reference book that covers a development platform as large as the Java SDK.Niemeyer and Knudsen have done a great job!

There are many complete works dedicated to most of the topics covered in Learning Java including those dedicated to Swing, Threads, I/O classes, Socket classes, and Java 2D.I often consult many of these volumes but I also find myself consistently returning to this book to brush up on these topics. ... Read more

Isbn: 0596002858
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computers    4. Java (Computer language)    5. Java (Computer program language)    6. Programming - General    7. Programming Languages - Java    8. Computers / Programming Languages / Java    9. Java & variants   

Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days, Professional Reference Edition (3rd Edition)
by Laura Lemay, Rogers Cadenhead
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (24 December, 2002)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $32.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Newly revised for some of the latest Sun JDK 1.3 standards, the second edition of Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days provides a refreshingly compact and useful tour of Java suitable for anyone who wants to master this powerful programming language quickly.

Currently, Java has some 2,000 classes and over 24,000 methods and properties. Instead of covering a laundry list of features, this book concentrates on what's really important, and keeps your attention with short, clever examples, many of which use names and examples drawn from pop culture or historical trivia.

The first week of lessons in the book comprises an easily digestible tutorial on basic Java, with review questions and exercises that will help you start using it on your own. Next comes a tour of the various options for building user interfaces in today's Java, including Swing applets and applications. In addition to basic component programming, you'll learn graphics using the new Java 2D API. (The older Abstract Windowing Toolkit, AWT, isn't covered.) Material on threading, animation, and sound helps you explore Java's multimedia capabilities.

The third and final week of lessons addresses advanced Java APIs and features that extend the reach of Java on the enterprise. After delving into more advanced class design, the book looks at topics like I/O streams in Java and Object Serialization (which allows objects to work with streams). Chapters on security and basic networking (illustrated using a server that generates trivia questions for clients) will let you work with Java on the Internet. The book closes with a chapter on database programming with JDBC. (There's also coverage of the older JDK 1.0 collection classes, which is a little surprising given the book's focus on newer Java 2 standards.)

All in all, Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days provides an efficiently packaged tutorial for learning Java, one that will be appreciated by any beginning Java programmer. The sheer number of classes and APIs in today's Java can be overwhelming. The intelligent and concise series of lessons in this book will help jump-start your knowledge. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Overview and history of Java
• Introduction to objects
• Class inheritance
• Tutorial for basic Java (including data types and keywords, flow control, and working with objects)
• Arrays
• Basic Java applications
• Methods and constructors
• Introduction to Java applets
• Building Swing user interfaces (basic component types, layout managers, and event processing)
• Java 2D graphics (drawing basic shapes, text output, and fonts)
• Using threads for animation
• Loading and displaying images
• Java Sound (including MIDI files)
• Advanced class design (interfaces, packages, advanced method options)
• Exception handling and security
• Signing JAR files
• File and stream I/O in Java
• Object Serialization and reflection
• Remote Method Invocation (RMI)
• Java networking basics (sockets and servers)
• Building custom UI components with JavaBeans
• Database programming with JDBC
• JDK 1.0 collection classes
• References on the Sun JDK 1.3 (including installation)

... Read more

Reviews (84)

Very nice
I just wanted to increase the rating of the book from the 3.5 stars it has.I disagree with the majority of complaints people had earlier on.This book is very good, and very friendly.It is broken into days, and each new day is a new section which builds upon previous days while improving upon the information you need to know.It repeats some information as you progress thru the 21 sections, but in a clever way.It may be a bit hard for a novice programmer, but programming is not an easy task to begin with.For someone coming from a background in C/C++ or .NET, you can probably get thru half of the book in a week.Overall, this book is very well designed.

Great Start
This is a great book for anyone looking to start Java.
Goes at a pretty fast pace but does not lose you anywhere in the book.
The chapters also dont go on and on and on about the same thing, otherwise I wouldnt have been able to read it (ADHD).

A solution to self-lerner
THE CASE:
This review is most intended to the readers who have unfortunately bought Deitel: Java How To Program, and Sams: Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days. Because if you already unfortunately bought them, you'll might not want to spend your money more on other Java programming books. I think that it's better to use the resources that we already have, rather than to buy another books about Java, coz' you'll end up just the same. And if I were you, I won't blame the authors, coz' I think that they are just like the rests of us, who have different ways of thinking, and also have unique ways to explain something.


WHAT MY REVIEW BASES ON:
1. I wrote this review based on my experiences after I read "Deitel: Java How To Program 5th Edition" and "Sams: Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days",
2. And based also from other reviews which written by other reviewers about both books.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PROGRAMMING BOOKS:
1. "Many programming books out there should not be used alone.". And if you are in mentioned case above, let's make it to be an advantage. We'll combine the power of Deitels and the power of Sams together.
2. Nobody can learn something new so fast. First the Concepts, then the Practices to make you a master.

SOLUTIONS OF THE CASE:
Read for the first "Sams: Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days", and then the "Deitels: Java How to Program". Deitels explains you more about how to write programs in Java, instead of the concepts of OOP and Java 2. In other side, Sams explains more about the concepts of OOP and Java 2. Or you can read them together, but that would be a paint in the neck.

You can forget about what they said for marketing and not based on researches, like: "You would be able to write or build programs in Java in only 21 Days". And you can ignore about what they said: "This book will boost you with Java in no time", or something like that. Coz' the fact depends on many factors, such as times, ability to understand, motivation, etc.....

And finally, this both books are for Java beginners and self-lerners recommended, who are self-motivated. But in the mentioned Case above, still the decision is upon you, whether you decided to buy another book of Java, or try the solution mentioned above. But I can tell you for sure, it has worked for me, and I am a self-lerner.


Hope this help, coz' there are so many confusing positives and negatives reviews about these both books. And good luck !

Regards,
Chris ... Read more

Isbn: 0672324555
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer Programming Languages    5. Computers    6. Java (Computer language)    7. Java (Computer program languag    8. Java (Computer program language)    9. Programming Languages - Java    10. Computers / Programming Languages / Java   

Introduction to Java Programming (4th Edition)
by Y. Daniel Liang
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (21 November, 2002)
list price: $92.00 -- our price: $85.04
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (18)

Basically A Good Book
Overall, this is a good book. I've
gone through much of chapters 1-4, some of 5-6, and
a little of chapters 17 and 19.
Chapters 1-4 are solid and (I think)
about at the right level for the intended
audience. Some of the examples in Chapter 5
(which focuses on arrays) are a little heavy.
Learning Java arrays is difficult enough
without adding concepts such as mean and
standard deviation into the mix. Also, the
two-dimensional array examples are probably
beyond the grasp of most beginning students.

Overall though, I'd give the book a thumbs up,
so far. It doesn't make the mistakes that other
Java books make, such as introducing GUI or Object
Oriented concepts before teaching methods, loops,
and arrays. For example, I've had a chance
to look at the "Head First Java" book. I think
it makes the mistake of introducing Object Oriented
programming too early on. If you don't understand
loops or methods, etc., then you can't work with
Java objects. Further, the "Head First Java" book
also goes out of its way to be funny. While I think
there's certainly room for humor in teaching,
most people don't set out to learn Java for the fun of it.
They need to in order to earn a living.
So, as dull as this book is, I'd recommend it so far.

a wishy-washy effort
Things I dislike about this book:
Cheap layout. Looks like it was desktop published by a so-so amateur. Black and light blue...how very 80's textbook.

It's Virtually useless for the cetification exam (SCJP)...get Kathy Sierra instead. It's weak on threads and inner classes apparently don't exist. The explanations are not suited toward the beginner as they gloss or assume prior knowledge of many aspects of the language.

Coded examples tend to be too hard for the beginner as they contain multiple concepts, which can confuse some.

Things I like about this book:
Coded Answers to ever other question.
Some coded examples.

In summary I wonder what the target audience is of this book. The beginner -> then it fails, the intermediate? With no inner classes and a weak treatment of threads...I think not...then who...certainly not the advanced Java programmer.

I think you'd do better to pocket the hefty price of this booka nd spent it on something more apt (Java 2 primer plus isn't too bad, or Head FIrst Java for the novice Or Walter Savitch if you need a textbook).

No, this book is just too expensive and too weak for what you pay. Even Deitel is significantly better. Look elsewhere.

Excellent text book
I've reviewed many of the Java textbooks on the market and have compared their coverage with the objectives of the Sun Programmer certification.I have yet to find another book that covers as much material in a well-explained manner.It does assume that you have programming experience.This is definitely not your Idiot's gude / for Dummies level of book.The book contains many, detailed examples which demonstrate effective use of code.If you want a reference book look to the O'Reilly series, if you want at textbook get Liang. ... Read more

Isbn: 0131002252
Sales Rank: 168161
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computer Programming Languages    5. Computers    6. Java (Computer program languag    7. Java (Computer program language)    8. Programming - General    9. Programming Languages - Java    10. Computers / Programming Languages / Java   

Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code
by Jacquie Barker
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (July, 2003)
list price: $44.99 -- our price: $29.69
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Learning to design objects effectively with Java is the goal of Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code, an intensive yet approachable guide to object design, using UML and today's hottest programming language. Plenty of titles dig into the Java language in massive detail, but this one steps back and looks at object design first. The details of Java, from basic language features to a simple tutorial for building user interfaces in Swing, emerge only after a thorough tour of thinking in objects.

The book takes readers through object design, from the very beginning, at a relaxed pace. While you get all of the necessary jargon for really learning the object paradigm (for example, there's full coverage of such concepts as data encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism), the tutorial is likely to reach more readers. Without being doctrinaire about the design process, the author walks you through the steps for "discovering" objects in a business problem (including classes, attributes, and operations) and then determining how these objects work together to model real-world problems. The sample class diagrams offer quite a rich level of detail, and a single case study for a student course registration database demonstrates the design principles, including extensive class diagrams.

By the end of the book, this set of classes is transformed into working Java code, with a simple Swing-based user interface. Although the book cuts a few corners--such as using tab-delimited data instead of JDBC (a must for business programmers)--there's little doubt that this lively approach to mastering Java will benefit a wide range of readers. If ever you've been unsure about what object-oriented design really means, Beginning Java Objects can demystify important concepts and put the power of objects within your reach. --Richard Dragan ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Good Book for Beginners
This is a very easy to read book. Beginners will find it very useful to learn object technology. The downside is that instead of focusing on just one topic, it tries to cover too many things like GUI development and other things. That's why I gave it a four star.

I really liked the association matrix method of finding associations between classes. Simple explanations such as Methodology = Tool + Process + Notation that is explained with pictures is really nice.

I was shocked to find some of the diagrams being drawn like those that you will find on an email discussion without formal usage of UML notation.

Gold mine!!!
I have the read the first part of the book ( there are 3 parts) and Iam very impressed.

This book is not for :
The book is not for people who want 2 get started in Java programming ,since there is not much syntax to code---this is the only way 2 do it to get working kind of stuff.

This book is for:
This is an excellent book to grab if u are java ( or OO) programmer and want 2 know how 2 write "real" OO code. The examples given by the author are excellent and simple.
The book has got an excellent flow and hence easy 2 follow.
If u r an oo programmer then this book is a goldmine 2 understand the concepts and remember them.

Outstanding book for OO
In my opinion, this is one of the best book for Object Oriented Concepts and design. Though Java is not given in full, I don't feel that is a negative point for this book.

I already purchased and read the book when I was in India, but left the book there when I came to US. Bought the same book once again and planning to read again. I don't know if any other book has presented OO in such a nice manner.

Thanks,
Balaji.
... Read more

Isbn: 1590591461
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computers    5. Java (Computer language)    6. Java (Computer program language)    7. Object-oriented programming (Computer science)    8. Programming - Object Oriented Programming    9. Programming Languages - Java