Programming with Alice and Java (Paperback)

by John Lewis (Author), Peter DePasquale (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
To ease readers into Java, Programming with Alice and Javaintertwines the ideas of object-oriented programming in both languages. Programming in Alice is explored first to establish fundamental principles and skills using 3D animations in a fun, visually rich environment. With Alice as a foundation, Chapter 6 introduces readers to Java. The remaining chapters implement concepts in the Java programming language using interesting examples and drawing parallels between the two languages to keep readers engaged. Alice: Objects; Methods and Data; Control Statements; Events; Lists and Arrays. Java: Objects and Classes; Events; Lists and Arrays; Inheritance; Exceptions and I/O; Recursion. For all readers interested in an introduction to programming using Alice and Java.

About the Author
John Lewis is the co-author of the Java™ textbooks used for AP computer science classes: Java Software Solutions, Java Software Structures, and Java Foundations, a comprehensive resource for instructors who want a two-semester introduction to programming textbook that includes data structures topics. He currently teaches courses at both Virginia Tech and Radford University. He received his PhD degree from Virginia Tech.

Peter DePasquale is an assistant professor of computer science at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ). He is the author of Addison-Wesley’s Java Backpack Reference Guide and Addison-Wesley’s C++ Backpack Reference Guide. He is the co-author of Java Foundations, a comprehensive resource for instructors who want a two-semester introduction to programming textbook that includes data structures topics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley (February 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 032151209X
• ISBN-13: 978-0321512093
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #555,324 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars rapid migration from Alice to Java, January 28, 2009

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are already several books out there devoted to Alice (eg. Learning To Program with Alice (2nd Edition)). But the current book differs significantly. It gives a quick introduction to Alice, with a stress on conveying some key ideas in object oriented programming. Here, there is less space devoted to an exhaustive tour of Alice's features.

Instead, the intent is to take the student well beyond Alice. Thus it explains the shortcomings of Alice. Like how it is difficult to add new classes, which is a very basic task when coding any "real" OO language. This severely limits the student's experimentation. Books solely on Alice rarely bring up these issues.

The pedagogy is to rapidly migrate the student from Alice onto Java. Alice is used as the starting point, and it might help to have some prior acquaintance with it before reading the book. A Java graphics program, Thunkit, is explained by the text, and used to aid this migration. Simple GUI programs are written out and run. The student gets accustomed to reading and understanding a mass of source code. The verbosity can initially be daunting. But the book soon lets her absorb this.

If you are an educator teaching Alice, the text lets you recognise and educate your students about the true use of Alice. It is meant for youngsters, to grab their attention and teach OO. But Alice is not an endpoint. Other than such teaching, Alice is not used for professional coding. Unlike Java.