Thinking in Java (3rd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Not a beginner book but the best Object Oriented book around
Review: If you're new to Java or Objected Oriented Programming buy the Teach Yourself in 21 Days book first. If you want a deeper understanding than any other Java book I've seen buy this one. Most Java books spend way too much time on Applets which is very little what Java is used for now. Java is a full application development language and this book is one of the few that actually gets past the Java Applet stuff. Companies such as Novell and Oracle are now writing their applications (not cute web applets) using Java. Very few books teach Java as a language but rather only teach how to make cute web applets. If you really want to learn Java you need this book. Plus he offers electronic versions in PDF, RTF, HTML, and Word formats. What more can you ask? I read this book cover to cover (much of it twice) and found it to be excellent. Again however you need a basic understanding of OOP first. (C++ and Java syntax are not enough, this book really goes into the OOP stuff pretty detailed and it would do you well to get the basics down first. This book is rather in depth and I thank the writer for a very well written book.)

Rating:
Summary: A well written book and comprehensive introduction to Java.
Review: Bruce Eckel obviously knows OOP well and presents his expertise in a thoughtful manner. The book is well organized with lots of examples highlighting various OOP concepts. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning Java programming.

Rating:
Summary: Proof that Programmers can't write
Review: I used this book for a Java course. Although the book covers all aspects of Java in great detail, it was one of the most poorly written computer books I've ever read (and I've been a programmer for 20 years). In Eckel's description of applets and the AWT, not one picture or illustration was shown. In addition, he uses large blocks of code to show an example of the use of certain Java features, which often means you have to read two pages of code listings to get to the example. In addition, he refers to features of Java in some chapters that he hasn't discussed, and tells you it will be covered later. As a final point, he keeps telling you to read the API documentation for more detail. If you have to read the API for more information, what's the point in reading his book! Do yourself a favor and get another Java book; you'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: Excelent book for all levels
Review: This is the only book that I have found that takes the programmer from the basic "What are objects" level to "How to build client-server apps" level. Although there is no CD with the source code the source is freely available from the web site URL displayed right on the cover. I liked that

This is also the only programming book I've ever found that discusses design patterns. An understanding of design patterns is fundamental to being a "real" programmer. The fact that Bruce includes a chapter on these patterns shows that this book is way beyond the "dummies" type of junk that's out there.

My one caveat: I would prefer that the example programs actually do something. It's fun to show how a vampire class is derived from Monster class, but I think that when things are that abstract it doesn't help the new user understand how to apply it in the real world. For instance, if I wanted to build a bunch of classes that could be filtered I might not "get" the idea that they should all be derived from a common "filterable" class. That concept is the same as monster and vampire, but I'm not sure it's quite the best way to present it.

Still, I give it a solid 5 stars. Every Java programmer should have it.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: This is really a good book.But for advanced programming this is not enough!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to OOP
Review: I am a highly experienced C programmer, but have almost no background in C++ or other OOP. This was the third Java book I bought, and is definitely the best I've found for getting you into the OOP mindset. "Thinking in Java" is a very appropriate title, in my humble opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Not even speaking Java let alone Thinking it!
Review: This book is confusing and long winded. I had heard that this book would be good for someone with a C programming background. Not true. I think the author got caught-up in the competition to write the biggest book on a particular subject.

Rating:
Summary: Best book on JAVA
Review: I learned C++ from Bruce's book "the C++ In and Out". That was a brilliant book. I have been trying to find a good decent book on java like that since the beginning of Java. I have bought many books like "Jave Nutshell", "Explore Java", "Beginning Java", and "Core Java". None of these books is right for me. When I knew there was a book on java written by Bruce, I didn't hesitate a second to buy it from Amazon.

"Thinking in Java" is exactly what I am looking for. It explains the java concept in detail, it doesn't treat you as a dummy who just want to know how to program in java, it also explains java in the concept of the programming language.

Best book. Recommend for any experienced programmer.

Rating:
Summary: BEST BEST Java Book on earth
Review: What more can I say about this book? Search the whole earth and you won't find a Java book that's better than this one. Don't believe those people who are complaining about this book. Just by looking at the number of reviews given to this book, you can see the enthusiasm of the readers.

Rating:
Summary: <gasp!> I Don't like this book.....
Review: I read Eckel's "Thinking in C++" carefully over a period of many months and loved it. Alas, when I began reading "Thinking in Java" I was both appalled and bored. Why, oh why, doesn't Eckel put lines numbers on the left of his Java source code listings. Laziness or arrogance, the end result is the same: source code that is made needlessly harder to read than necessary. Why on earth does Eckel use such boring, uninteresting fonts in this book? I can't think of a defensible reason for this other than that it's the exact same font scheme used in his "Thinking in C++". Why in G-d's name is "Thinking in Java" so long? I cannot imagine who has time to read such a long book. It is more than 50% longer then "Thinking in C++". So long that it is difficult to carry it in the train and read during rush hour! So long that it could take literally several months to read cover to cover. And yet for all its length, Eckel continues his (stupid) tradition of not including the answers or results of his source code examples. To actually type in every one of his examples would double the time required to read his book. What planet is that man from? What is he thinking? Furthermore, I found that by the time I was reading, say, page 500 of "Thinking in Java" I had long ago forgotten what he had said way, way back on page 100. Imagine, months later, reading page 950, trying to remember what he said on page 500! Eckel's thinking has not in my opinion changed between his writing "Thinking in Java" versus "Thinking in C++". I think he wrote the Java book with the same mindset he had when he wrote the C++ book. I personally feel that the time required to read Eckel's Java book can much more profitably be spent reading several other excellent books, including the excellent new book, "Java 2 Exam Cram" which I just finished reading and recommend.