Java Programming: From the Beginning [Paperback]

K. N. King (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393974375 | ISBN-13: 978-0393974379 | Publication Date: July 2000 | Edition: 1

Aimed at the traditional CS1 course, Java Programming emphasizes object-oriented design, problem-solving, and good programming style, without overwhelming students with extraneous information.

Assuming no prior programming experience, the book provides coverage of basic concepts in computer science as a springboard for more advanced discussion.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Suitable for the classroom or for self-study, Java Programming from the Beginning puts basic Java development and object-oriented design into the hands of any computer-literate reader. Assuming no knowledge of computers--except, of course, an aptitude for programming and a willingness to learn--this textbook is one of the more accessible and well-presented introductions to Java available today.

The author is an experienced college teacher, and the book's effective presentation style is arguably its major strength. Early chapters rely on simple mathematical examples (such as converting temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius, or averaging grades). Other examples look at parsing social security numbers or storing entries from a telephone book. Java Programming does a good job of presenting the basics of object-oriented design in terms of both designing custom classes and taking advantage of existing Java classes, such as String, StringBuffer, and Vector objects. Of course, along the way, the basics of Java syntax are covered, including many of its keywords, operators, and data types.

Although it's suitable for a college classroom, this textbook is never academic or dull. The colloquial and friendly writing style presents the essentials of Java without ever getting bogged down in theory. Besides command-line programs, you'll learn also how to do basic graphics in Java, and even play simple games (like blackjack). The custom classes that are presented in this book make it simpler to work with Java, even for beginners. Every chapter provides extensive review summaries of the important points that are demonstrated in each section, as well as a handful of exercises that'll let you try out material on your own.

Now that Java is used routinely as a first programming language in many colleges, Java Programming from the Beginning fills a useful niche. It's also an excellent home-study choice for the reader who appreciates a patient and thorough teaching style. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

Basics of computer hardware and software Graphical user interfaces vs. text-based interfaces General introduction to programming languages Basic Java language features and syntax Calculations Constants Methods Console I/O Computing averages Syntax errors and debugging Introduction to object-oriented design: classes, objects, and instance methods Working with the Java String and StringBuffer classes Basic control structures Comparison Relational and equality operators Operator precedence Loops and counting variables Decoding social security numbers Using Java arrays and the Vector class Using arrays for a database Arrays of objects Sample case study for a telephone directory Drawing basic shapes, colors, and text A message window example

Class variables and methods Passing arguments to methods Helper methods Principles for designing methods in Java Exception-handling basics The switch statement Using the Java primitive types Writing custom classes The this keyword Constructors Code reuse Sample code for blackjack Inheritance and subclasses Polymorphism Abstract classes The final classes Introduction to the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT) Frames and event handlers Layout managers Data structures, sorting, and searching Using sets (and bit sets) File I/O in Java (opening, reading, and writing files) Installing the Sun JDK Custom classes for simplified introductory Java programming

From the Author

Since 1996, I've taught Java to hundreds of college students and working professionals. I've found that nearly all Java books on the market are too difficult for someone with no previous programming experience. "Java Programming: From the Beginning" is designed to fill that gap.

If you're searching for a book that covers all the trendy new Java features, you'll need to look elsewhere. If you want a book that's broad but shallow, you've come to the wrong place. But if you're interested in learning the fundamentals of Java and of programming in general, welcome home.

I've tried to explain Java in clear, simple language, using plenty of interesting programs to illustrate the features of the language. I've avoided using a "cookbook" approach: the emphasis is on understanding, not merely imitating.

Although "Java Programming: From the Beginning" is for the novice, it isn't one of those watered-down "dummies" books. It assumes that the reader is an intelligent person who simply lacks programming experience. If "gentle but thorough" didn't sound so much like a laxative slogan, it would be the perfect description for this book. Starting from the beginning, it covers all the fundamental knowledge that a Java programmer needs.

Each chapter of "Java Programming: From the Beginning" ends with a Q&A section--a series of questions and answers related to material covered in the chapter. Other key features include:

* Warnings
* Style tips
* Design tips
* Cross-references
* Debugging sections
* Case studies
* Nearly 400 review questions (with answers provided) and 200 exercises
* Over 130 programming projects

For more information about "Java Programming: From the Beginning," please visit the author's Web site (knking.com).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 788 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393974375
• ISBN-13: 978-0393974379
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good introduction to Java Programming, February 16, 2001

By 

Victor Kamat (Modesto, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Java Programming: From the Beginning (Paperback)

This is a very introductory text on java programming. KN King has written this book in the same style as his excellent text on C programming. This is as good an introduction to Java as one can get - but one needs to keep in mind that this does not cover any of the standard libraries like swing, awt, etc. or advanced topics like threads, databases. It is pitched to a person who is new to computer programming. With this caveat in mind King's coverage of classes, objects, control structures is very good. The organization of the material, explanation, examples, and the colloquial presentation are the highlights of this text.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars K.N. King does it again!, August 7, 2000

By 

"mmezei" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Java Programming: From the Beginning (Paperback)

Once again K.N. King produced a masterpiece. This book is the best book that I have ever read for students with no prior programming experience. In addition I believe that professional non-Java programmers can gain unique insight and a bottom up understanding of the Java language and of object oriented concepts by reading this book. The text is clear, thorough, and chock full of great examples and projects. If you want to learn Java this book will take you there. You will not learn applets, servlets, EJB, etc. However when you finish you will have a deep understanding of the language and will be more ready then most people to tackle the other technologies.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and well-organized, October 24, 2001

By 

C. Burch - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Java Programming: From the Beginning (Paperback)

I chose this as a textbook for our introductory programming course here, and I've not been disappointed. Though I don't ask my students to read it, many of them have been - and that itself speaks volumes for how readable this book is.

Most books tend to get overfull with needless details. King generally avoids this, parceling out the information without getting bogged down. Often, King splits what would normally be a chapter into two halves: The important half comes at the beginning, and the less important alternatives come later. It works well.

My biggest complaint is that the book takes longer getting to worthwhile programs than I'd like. Don't expect to write programs to do vaguely interesting things until around page 150 (when the author finally gets around to incorporating repetition into programs).

King has definitely been selective in choosing what to cover. This certainly isn't one of those encyclopedic textbooks. It's enough for a semester, and that's it. (Some examples of what King basically skips: recursion, throwing exceptions, bit operators, defining interfaces.) I consider this selectivity to be a feature; it certainly distinguishes this book from much of the competition.

I've looked at a lot of Java textbooks for beginning programmers. Most seem to have been published in the hurry to capture some of the market. This is not among them. It's an excellent choice for those who want to learn how to program.