Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cracking book!, 2 Jan 2006
I'm learning Java, moving from 8 years C++ experience. Thus much of this book covers already familiar concepts such as OO and some of the basic syntax. however rather than finding these bits dragging and skipping over them I find myself rocketing through it, hunting for the new nuggests and differences in there and enjoying the learning experience!The style is so distinctive and effectively alternates presentation and sub-set of the chapter's subject matter on a page by page basis. Thus as the book moves into newer territory its style prevents boredom and the "frequent coffee break syndrome". I find that the non linear and slightly "hopscotch" method of changing presentation styles, fore-shadowing areas to come and going over old ground in different ways is excellent. Overall the progress through the book is good, though i find each chapter's progress varable. The chapters are effectively the smallest area of work - you really need to complete the chapter at the end of the day (for me anyway); however leaving the exercises till the next day is good revision! Not sure whether it's java, this book, or both but I have more of a grin programming during learning from this book than ever before! Obviously it brings out the hidden geek in me! I would say that anyone with some programming experience would find this book excellent. those with very little or none would probably find it hard - however still the best I've seen! What this book is NOT is a reference text - it's aim, basically, is a tutorial and thus precludes it's use as reference. Have fun!
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Tour Guide..., 14 Jun 2006
To give you a bit of context so you know where I was coming from before I started reading this book, I used to be a programmer many years ago (over 15), but haven't cut any code for years other than the odd bit of VBA in Excel. I've used mainly BASIC-style languages including Informix, VB, etc. I have read about OO and tried and failed to learn C so have no real experience or understanding of what Java can do. I wanted to learn Java now a) for something to do with my brain (how I miss programming!) and b) to see what all the fuss was about.
I found the book to be very accessible - it has lots of different ways of providing the information - straight text, pictures with text on, jokes (cheesy, but ok), break-out boxes, quizzes, etc. It is probably written for people with short attention spans, but that works ok for me. Sometimes it labours a point a bit too much, but it does mean that everything sticks and I have found this book to be an excellent way for me to learn Java so far. I'm learning new stuff and it is sticking - I can leave it for a few days and still remember everything (both how AND why things are done - something the book is very good at covering). After about a week of reading (doing about an hour a night after work) I have been able to write a basic command line calculator, which uses only about 100 lines of code. I have completed this in far less time than it would have taken me to do it in Informix/VB, etc. The program itself is no big deal in programming terms, but I made sure that the program uses most of the concepts taught in the first half of the book and I didn't have to spend hours flicking around the pages looking for bits and pieces when writing it - any book that can put that amount of knowledge in my head in a week is excellent as far as I am concerned.
I have read another reviewer's comments about this book not being a reference and I agree totally. The book teaches Java and its application of OO concepts in a logical and structured manner and does this very well. It does not cover all aspects of Java, for example it refers the reader to Sun's JDK Documentation to explore the full set of API features. In fact, it doesn't even cover how to compile and execute Java programs (classes), which seems somewhat fundamental to me. I worked out how to do this at the command prompt (DOS) myself, but now use a development tool called JCreator, which is freeware and makes life a lot easier.
I would say that this book will make you into a competent Java programmer if you are new to Java, but have some confidence/experience with programming or computer software in general (e.g. you aren't scared of concepts like a stack and using pushing and popping, or can work out how to install and use the compiler yourself, etc.). I suspect that more reading will be needed to become a skilled one (and to be fair the book does suggest this so it isn't masquerading as something it isn't). As an analogy, I would describe this book as a very knowledgeable tour guide, but one who assumes you know (in a small way at least) something of the subject already. In other words, after reading it you will be able to write Java-based OO programs, but won't be necessarily able to articulate the concepts and arguments underpinning the reasons for using OO in the first place or the full power that Java has to offer. If you are hobbyist Java-noodler like me then that's absolutely fine. If you want to become an excellent Java programmer then this book would be a great first step, but will not take you on the full journey.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Understand why things work as they do, 14 Dec 2004
Was peculiar at first - irreverent when lined up against similar books. But very easy to get into and you can be confident in knowing that the silliness is helping the information get in, stay in, and with you making your own connections when it's there - it is so much easier to comprehend concepts with this approach.I'm partway through, and several times I've found myself thinking "well, if that's the case, then surely this will happen if you do that...?", and then turning the page I have found that there is an explanation or example of what I was just thinking! Reading the book you get a sense that the authors realise what direction your thoughts will go in when they present ideas - it seems that the book has been written by people who understand how to get your head around something, rather than coders who are presenting what they already know inside out. The book treads a logical path through Java, which further helps you gain a holistic knowledge of how and why Java does what it does - it builds upon previous concepts rather than being a disjointed reference (it would make a good reference for how java does things, but it's not designed for finding particular code to do a specific job). Other beginners books I have read state how to do things, leaving out why Java does it a particular way. This book has a very easy way of explaining things, and quite abstract concepts are translated into everyday forms and relationships that you can easily grasp. Thinking about this difference in approach, it makes me glad the other books don't try - I'm sure I would get utterly lost! But I have found that I have learnt much more, with a much greater understanding and a great deal faster by going through this book. If you've read the demo chapters it may seem kitsch, but after reading it I now don't care - it works! Very recommended (if you hadn't guessed :-). I just don't let people see me with it in public, that's all.
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