Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies 3rd Edition

by Barry A. Burd (Author)

173 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0470371749

ISBN-10: 0470371749

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One of the most popular beginning programming books, now fully updated

Java is a popular language for beginning programmers, and earlier editions of this fun and friendly guide have helped thousands get started. Now fully revised to cover recent updates for Java 7.0, Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies, 3rd Edition is certain to put more first-time programmers and Java beginners on the road to Java mastery.

Explores what goes into creating a program, putting the pieces together, dealing with standard programming challenges, debugging, and making the program work
Offers new options for tools and techniques used in Java development
Provides valuable information and examples for the would-be programmer with no Java experience
All examples are updated to reflect the latest changes in Java 7.0

Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies, 3rd Edition offers an easy-to-understand introduction to programming through the popular, versatile Java 7.0 language.

Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Learn Java programming the easy way and make your computer do your bidding

If you want to start writing computer programs, you've come to the right book. Here's a straightforward approach to learning Java, the object-oriented programming language that works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. Even if you've never written a line of code, this friendly guide will have you ordering your computer about in no time!

Start here — if you're a complete novice, discover what programming is all about and prepare your computer for writing and testing programs
Building blocks — learn the elements of a Java program, how to represent data, and how to get new values from existing ones
Go with the flow — take your programs to the next level and deal with larger amounts of information
One bite at a time — see how to solve more complex programming problems by using program units and ready-made code
Go graphical — discover how to program windows, buttons, and other graphical items

Visit the companion website at www.dummies.com/go/beginningprogrammingwithjavafd to find all the code samples used in this book, updated for Java 7.

Open the book and find:

Why Java is such a cool language
When to use variables, values, and types
What you need to know about keywords, identifiers, and literals
How to create loops within loops
Why you need Eclipse
How to flick a virtual switch
Tips on using Boolean variables
What you can do with arrays

About the Author

Dr. Barry Burd has an M.S. in Computer Science from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Illinois. As a teaching assistant in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, he was elected five times to the universitywide List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students. Since 1980, Dr. Burd has been a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. When he's not lecturing at Drew University, Dr. Burd leads training courses for professional programmers in business and industry. He has lectured at conferences in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. He is the author of several articles and books, including Java For Dummies and Android Application Development All-in-One For Dummies, both published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Product Details

Paperback: 456 pages
Publisher: For Dummies; 3 edition (April 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470371749
ISBN-13: 978-0470371749
Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #551,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #13 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > Java > Reference
- #129 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > Java > Beginner's Guides
- #1076 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Introductory & Beginning

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Top Customer Reviews

Excellent for the no-experience programmer

ByAdam Dukovichon October 19, 2003

Format: Paperback

If you have had experience programming in other languages, then this book is not for you. It takes things slowly but surely, demonstrating the basic tenets of programming as well as the specifics of Java. I read it before taking an introductory computer science course and it really put me ahead of almost all of the other students (and I had no real programming experience).
Basically, this book was written for the novice. If novice is too generous a term for you, then this book will be perfect. Even if you only thought Java was another name for coffee and only use a computer to word-process on and want to pick up a hobby or perhaps a job skill, you will benefit from this book. The author, Barry Burd, really knows his stuff. He is able to explain such complicated conceptual areas such as objects, classes and arrays better than my CS 101 prof. He also keeps it lively if things get too abstract by analogies and often throws a joke in a section. The book, as a result, is somewhat entertaining in addition to being informative. He uses language that any lay person could easily understand (but if you want to read this because you are going into a computer science class, it's a good place to start, but you will need another book to help you learn the terminology).
In spite of the stigma attached to the "For Dummies" book series (at least it's not as bad as "The Complete Idiot's guide"), this is a book written for people who just want to get to know the language and write some simple programs (or more). I would highly recommend it to anyone getting started here, as well as Java 2 by the same author.

11 comment 106 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Easy to follow.

ByM. Torreson August 12, 2013

Format: Paperback

I have never completed a programming book, let alone completed one as quickly as I did this one. I've tried to read other introductory programming books for both Java and C++ and gotten bogged down in the first 1/3 or even 1/4. With this one, I would sit down in front of my computer with eclipse open, tell myself "Okay...you can do it, just one chapter..." and next thing I know I'd be done with 3 chapters. The author does an excellent job of clearly explaining the things he is introducing: What they are, how they work and good examples of what they can be used for.

I think some background info would be helpful to go along with my review.

I am currently 32 years old and learning to program is something that has always haunted/intimidated me. I graduated high school and was determined to become a programmer. I hit a stumbling block early on in the coursework and I "fell off the horse" so to speak. I didn't do a great job of seeking out resources at the community college I was at--people who could give me some encouragement and guidance...hell, they may not have even been there. Point is, I ended up studying IT instead, things turned out relatively fine. I've never been able to shake the feeling that I should try it again, maybe I didn't give myself enough credit back then. I am not saying that I think this book is going to turn me into a programming genius, but it has made me feel like maybe, just maybe I can reach back to my 19-year-old self and give it another go.

22 comments 68 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Great book whether or not you already have a little programming experience.

ByJimAndBarbieon September 8, 2014

Format: Paperback

This book is awesome.

I'm learning Java for work, and my boss got me a different book on java which was a very serious college textbook. That book is 1100 pages. I tried to start reading it, but I was very intimidated, overwhelmed, and I struggled to understand the concepts. So, I bought this "Beginning Programming" book by Burd, and it saved me!

Burd's book is very easy to understand. Some concepts were tricky, but by the end of the chapter I got it. His pace for introducing new material was perfect. I didn't get overwhelmed or bored.

I had done programming in a different language before, and I was concerned that getting a "Beginning Programming" book would be too elementary. That wasn't a problem. I just skipped over anything that was too basic (e.g. explaining what a loop is). And actually, I didn't end up skipping very much. The book is light-hearted and fun to read. So, I ended up reading almost everything, even parts that were a bit obvious to me.

The coding exercises were great. After only a couple of chapters, I was actually writing and running the little example java programs on my computer. I really felt like I was making progress right away! I would do each sample program exactly like the book showed me, and then I would often play around with it, making little changes and experimenting.

By the end of the book, I had written a couple of programs all on my own using the knowledge from the book. I wrote a little "Rock, Paper, Scissors" game and a "Tic Tac Toe" game. These weren't extensions of the example programs in the book. They were brand new programs I dreamed up to experiment with the concepts I was learning. My point is that the book doesn't just teach the examples, it teaches the tools needed to do it on your own.

I'm an adult, but I think my 14 year old son (who has never programmed anything in his life) would have been able to easily understand this book, and be able to write his own programs by the end. All the concepts were presented in ways that were super easy to understand. This would probably be a great book to get kids interestest in programming.

I totally recommend this book.

0Comment 55 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Excellent book for complete beginners

BypseudonymVINE VOICEon July 16, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent book for complete beginners, and also for those who have minimal experience with Java. Proceeds very gradually, and never do you have the feeling of suddenly being pushed off a cliff. Topics that have not appeared in a chapter or two are, when mentioned, provided with a reference to a previous explanation, so you can refresh your memory before proceeding, if necessary.
The book is written in a somewhat breezy style typical of the series, but in this case one can sense that the author has many years' classroom experience, and knows what works.
The code for the book's examples is available online, and the author is available to assist by email or even via chat if there are persistent problems. Dr. Burd has also written other books on Java, among them one that covers more advanced general programming topics, and another specifically geared towards Java for Android devices.