Customer Reviews

The Java Handbook

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book explains the language and the concepts well, without the usual flab that one finds in computer texts. I am still waiting for P. Naughton to write an updated edition to cover java 1.1 - java 2.0. I now have several books on Java - some more recent but none as easy to read or understand. What was the best Java book is loosing "stars" as time goes on but is stil an easy, informative and entertaining read.

As a technical introduction to Java, this book is excellent because it assumes nothing and moves you along fast. Best book I have tried for the serious beginner. Writing style is very readable and not stuffy. Bits of Java history add color. You can go from nothing to fully skilled Java with relative easy. Java 1.0, but fine for learning.

I found the book a fine read, and a good guide for experimentation. I learn by doing, and this book certainly provides good motivation and examples. The writing is clear and economical, with wit and literary value. I've read it twice so far, just for fun. Naughton's introduction of the Futurist applets in the end is inspiring.

The book, although it says its for everyone, is not for a beginner and a newbie to programming. You will need to have programmed in C, C++, or Pascal to grasp the concepts of program logic and control, bitwise operations, memory allocation, etc, etc. That said, and noting that the '9' I am giving it is from someone who has programmed before, "The Java Handbook" is an excellent reference to the most important classes and the chapters follow each other logically, not jumping in at the deep end. The 'Hello World!' example of an applet was just so right to have in the beginning. Buy this book, but beware of skipping chapters to learn faster - it won't happen.

In all fairness this book covers a lot of general information on required java programming syntax. However, important areas like Constructors and Interfaces to name but two are not sufficiently covered to provide useful material to relate to real world needs of Java developers !

The book is very concise; terse at times. If you don't already have experience with C++, expect to re-read passages many times in order to understand some of the concepts introduced. A few typos in the code here and there do not help things, either. The author covers an enormous amount of material in a relatively short volume. Also note that this book covers Java API (language version) 1.0; as of 6/97 the current version is 1.1.2, and there are some significant changes. Still, Amazon's price is right, and the complete index makes this a useful reference book in any case. The source code from the book is available at: http://www.osborne.com

I have written several programming books and am currently the CEO of a software development company. We have used C and C++ for our development. In switching to Java, I have purchased many books, most of them a waste of money because the author does not really understand the subject. The JAVA Handbook by Patrick Naughton is the best I have found. Pat really knows his subject as well as C and C++! This book has taught me more about Java then the previous dozen or so Java books I have bought

The insider's view of the developement of Java is wonderful, but the book is not written for the novice. When I was done with it, I had to buy another book before I really understood what was going on

The Java Handbook isn't a bad book, if what you're looking for is a generic overview of Java and your goal is simply to get a feel for what the language provides and the kinds of things you might do with it. It's a reasonably easy read, fairly entertaining at times, and the history of how Java came into being is enlightening.

But the book isn't deep enough in most areas to actually let you start writing any but the most trivial Java applets or applications after reading it. For that reason, I'm not convinced this book is worth the price.

This is an excellent giude for the beginner and the advanced Java scriptor. I had no trouble finding my way around the book and found it very useful