Customer Reviews

Just Java and Beyond 1.1 (Java Series)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is pretty good in the sense that it covers a lot of stuff providing a lot of background and presenting the whole thing in a interesting manner (with a lot of anectodes and humourous asides). But the problem with the book is the very same thing -- it simply has too much noise (idle chatter). For a beginner the book may be a good experience, but for a programmer coming from a C/C++ background, the book is frustrating when you are trying to learn Java fassssst. The book is also not very useful as a reference. So if you are a beginner go for it, if not look for another book.

Although not what K&R is to C, _Just Java_ is a wonderful way to become immersed in the language. Clear, thought-provoking and laced with humor, van der Linden explains the language accurately and thoroughly. More importantly, you'll share the sheer joy he feels for the language. His candor is also refreshing (citing those areas in Java that weren't really well designed). Sun is indeed most fortunate to have an individual with the talent, knowledge, humor and passion of PvdL on their team.

This is an okay book, but not one of the best programming books I've read. It is not well organized and the index isn't very comprehensive. If you are looking to use AWT, this book only lightly overviews some of the widgets. Also, some of the examples in the book already use deprecated API's.

This book is pretty good in the sense that it covers a lot of stuff providing a lot of background and presenting the whole thing in a interesting manner (with a lot of anectodes and humourous asides). But the problem with the book is the very same thing -- it simply has too much noise (idle chatter). For a beginner the book may be a good experience, but for a programmer coming from a C/C++ background, the book is frustrating when you are trying to learn Java fassssst. The book is also not very useful as a reference. So if you are a beginner go for it, if not look for another book.

I have heard of pvdl from some friends but was dubious about that Java language because of the incredible hype surrounding it but I discovered the power of Java thru this wonderful book. It is rather easy and clear though some chapters may require two passes. So if you are new to Java, try this book (you will also need a good ref book like O'REilly Java language reference). You won't regret it !!!

On the advice of a coworker, I picked up this book by Peter. I have experience in C and C++, and this book is a *fun* read and doesn't have the overly stuffy, boring elements of most programming books. Learning can be enjoyable, and this book is a great read. I like the fact that his style does assume you have some programming knowledge; all too often I find books that waste hundreds of pages giving you the basics, and other books that jump completely into the middle - i.e. "Let's write a database application!" Here you get the classic "Hello World" followed by a slow buildup in Java programming concepts. Peter also takes pains to point out the uniqueness of Java in many areas, giving the experienced programmers something to hold on to (and look forward to). Get it!

This book really sticks out of the many books written about Java. Having no previous experience of Java programming I found this book very helpful and still not too shallow for later use.

Peter Van Der Linden authored a great book on Java. This book can be benificial for beginners as well as programmers who were exposed to C. If you were exposed to C++, you definetely have your OOP cables messed up. This book will fix them for you.

The book is not really jam-packed with tons of applicable examples. It rather requires the reader to do a little bit of tuning to the examples he provides. However, the words the author gives are worth the book's price and more. This book really requires a marker handy. Whenever you're stuck you will always find a sentence which will prevent you from a falling down. Make sure to highlight what you find interesting! This book is excellent.

This book would have gotten a 10 if the editor did his job on pages 330 and 331. Three sentences were used twice. I've read this and the nutshell book. This is definitely a better book to learn and far more "fun" to study. The price of admission is worth it.

Overall a good book with clear explanations but it relies heavily upon the fact that the reader has some knowledge of programming beforehand.