Customer Reviews

Simply Java: An Introduction to Java Programming (Programming Series)

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

 

 

This is the first Java book that I've been able to read. The author starts off saying 'Why write yet another introductory Java book?' Good Question. The answers he said were that existing Java books were simply too tedious to read (I agree.), second, they immediately start talking about things like object orientation and classes which are useless at the beginning and are treated in those books almost like a mantra.

This book starts out writing a program. This gets you familiar with the constructs of the language before giving meaningless (at this time) definitions. In writing the program it says you have to have a bunch of words that are required, just put them in and we'll talk about them later.

The author says that he has had better experience with this approach than with other books. As one who learned programming in procedural languages more years ago than I like to remember, this approach certainly made sense to me. I'm still not a Java expert, but a lot better than I was.

The CD that comes with the book includes both the Sun Java 2 platform and the NetBeans IDE. All that you need to begin programming.

I teach Java at the undergraduate level so I am always on the lookout for new books. It would be unfair to say it was a bad book, but I certainly don't believe its a good one. As the author points out on the first page there are plenty of other intro Java books; however, I feel he fails to make a case for adding this one.

The author states that he had three reasons for writing the book, I will take them up in term before adding my own criticisms:
1) He thinks current books are tedious to read - here the author has a point and has made some improvement. His prose style is breezy and easy to read. It's very conversational and after reading it I think I would enjoy taking a class with him or for that matter having a beer with him. His personality comes out and that's a good thing, particularly among intro Java books that do usually read as if they were written by committee.
2) He thinks current books do not get into objects quickly enough. He says that he is unable to find books that start with objects. My problem has been that I can't find books that don't. I give him credit for following through on his convictions. This book is certainly as object first as a book can be. The problem is that he provides no understanding of what an object is or why one would use them on a conceptual level. I admit that motivating objects the first week of an intro course is a tough nut to crack. But if you believe objects first is the right way to go, as the author does, then it is a hurdle that you have to overcome. This book doesn't. We are left only with the syntactically correct use of keywords like class and new and no understanding of where we are going.
3) he believes a modern IDE should be used from the beginning. Ok, but other than an appendix and including it on the CD I don't see any evidence that the IDE effects the book.
He closes his intro by mentioning that his students like the book. Here I suspect he hits the classic problem of educational research of being unable to separate different factors. I suspect it has a lot more to do with him than the book.

So what do I find wrong with the book?
First, the examples are undistinguished. He introduces classes by discussing an bank account class with a with get, set and withdrawal method. This is developed into a bit more complete bank example after taking time out for misc. applets. I don't find it very interesting.
Second, advanced topics are introduced but breezed over. Example, a multi-threaded application is done in 10pages in chapter 9.
Third, basic topics are postponed, and then breezed over. Example, arrays are introduced in chapter 11 (two chapters after multi-threading) and receive 4 pages of coverage.

IMHO - the author's quest to find a good intro Java textbook remains unfinished.

Learning JAVA can be a very steep learning curve at first, but this book takes a great approach to making it as easy and painless as possbile, mainly due to the Authors genius.

This book is intelligent, well written, and a gentle introduction to programming using java. Perfect for beginning programming students and intro classes, the text is clearly written and the examples illuminate the concepts put forth.

I have never program or written a program in my life, but after reading the first two chapter of Simply Java, I am looking forward to start programming. It's a great book for us non-programmers. It teaches the basics in an easy to read format, and leaves you wanting to learn more.
I will be purchasing the text book format from Amazon, as I 'm currently reading the online book on Safari. I would give 5 stars, but I have not read the entire book yet.