Jbuilder 2 Bible (Bible Series) [Paperback]

Eric Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 076453114X | ISBN-13: 978-0764531149 | Publication Date: August 1998

An A-to-Z tutorial/reference to programming Java in the Borland JBuilder programming environment, this text follows the "Bible" guidelines, using user-functions rather than product features as a basis for organization and tutorial. It incorporates select examples and illustrations - each one in several stages. At each stage, the reader may use the example created in the previous stage, or select the stage under discussion from the CD. This enables the reader to skip or randomly access the various lessons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 805 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc (Computers) (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076453114X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764531149
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,926,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A flawed book that nonetheless manages to shine., November 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Jbuilder 2 Bible (Bible Series) (Paperback)

This is a great book for learning how to program in Java using JBuilder...but it does have some problems. First, the good stuff:

The book is divided into four parts. The first part covers the basics of object-oriented programming and using the JBuilder 2 environment. Part II covers the Java language in more detail, giving the reader a solid basis in Java programming. Part III covers topics in advanced object oriented thinking and goes into greater depth about the JBuilder environmnet. Part IV leads the reader through building two medium-scale projects: an Othello game and a scheduler.

The author does a very good job in parts I, II, and IV, but falls down somewhat in Part III. The advanced object-oriented topics could have used a bit more explanation, for example. I had to go over them a couple of times to really understand the concepts. Additionally, the section on deploying applets is fairly useless (as is the JBuilder help documentation on this subject). I had to find assistance on the web in order to get my applet to successfully run from my web page.

But the most glaring problem with the book is the lack of single- and double-quotes in the program listings. Someone at IDG Books didn't do his or her job, failing to catch the fact that the typesetting process had inadvertently replaced both forms of quotes with spaces (albeit only in the program listings). This makes some of the listings _very_ hard to follow, especially for beginning Java programmers. However, once you realize the problem exists, you can start looking for where single- and double-quotes should have been placed, so it's not an insurmountable problem.

Without the author's strong skill as a teacher, the book wouldn't be worth the purchase price. As it is, though, it remains worthwhile to put up with the typesetting problems in order to gain the benefit of Eric Armstrong's knowledge and teaching skill.

If you're new to Java programming and JBuilder 2, I strongly recommend the purchase of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to Java and JBuilder, May 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jbuilder 2 Bible (Bible Series) (Paperback)

I found this book to very useful to quickly learn Java.

I was in a bind, and needed to learn quickly and away from the computer. The throrough steps and provided screenshots made learning Java without the computer possible. I read the first 60% of the book in three days, got back to the computer, and was producing basic applets in no time.

I don't think, however, that it's appropriate to call this book a bible as a "Bible" book to me covers many general subjects, whereas this is more of a "Learn Java in XX days" type of book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction into Java, OOP and JBuilder2, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jbuilder 2 Bible (Bible Series) (Paperback)

This is a really good book for someone beginning Java, OOP and JBuilder all at once (as I am). It is well written, logically organized, and many of the example exercises are fun, worthwhile learning experiences. As mentioned in a prior review, IDG left out some single and double quotes from the printed code examples; knowing this fact is critical to getting the examples to work properly. A complete list of the omissions can be found at the publisher's Web-site. If you are serious about developing applications and applets in Java, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY BOOK YOU WILL EVER NEED. But it is a good, solid start, the BEST OF THE INTRODUCTORY BOOKS I've tried to use.