Java Programming: From the Beginning (Paperback)

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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

Product Description

Java Programming: From the Beginning is an introductory textbook aimed at the traditional CSI course. It assumes no previous programming experience. Unlike many Java texts currently on the market, this book avoid trendiness for its own sake, instead focusing on teaching students programming skills on which they can build a career. The emphasis is on learning how to design, implement, and debug programs written in an object-oriented language. Topics are introduced in a spiral fashion, with as little "magic" as possible. Applets are de-emphasized, and there is no attempt to introduce all the features of Java. After using this book in a course, students should be well prepared to move on to C++ or more advanced courses in Java.

Main features:
* Early coverage of objects
* "Spiral" approach--introducing new material gradually, as needed
* More than 700 review questions, exercises, and programming projects
* In-depth case studies, to help students develop problem-solving skills
* Ample reference material, including detailed coverage of the major API classes

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Product Details

• Paperback: 788 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.; 1 edition (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393974375
• ISBN-13: 978-0393974379
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #604,438 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 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

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.

17 of 17 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 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.

11 of 11 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)

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.