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Thinking in Java (3rd Edition)

Thinking in Java (3rd Edition)

List Price: $54.99
Your Price: $34.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A masterpiece in progress
Review: This book should be considered a part of the Java documentation. I call it a masterpiece in progress. I've read (and bought) all three versions and followed each phase (alpha, beta and final to press) of the book that has come out and I'm still not tired of going through it another time and read the updates. Each version gets better and better and more complete. It is the sort of book that a person would want to keep up to date. TIJ has that combination of style and attitude that make it just right for a relaxing read.

If there is one book on Java that I always recommend it's TIJ. This book is a must for any shelf no matter if the programmer is a newbie or a guru. The completeness and style of the book is a testimony to why each version that comes out keeps receiving kudos from so many people throughout the Java industry. Not kudos for just one version of TIJ but for all of the versions. It's the attitude of book that makes a person want to roll up their sleeves and help out with the next version.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: *Excellent Content *Dour presentation *tough for the novice?
Review: rating 4.5.

First of all this book was freely available online. That was how it was written I believe: posted, public review, correction. A novel approach.

This books is plain inside. His prose and explanations were ostly good, but a time just a little too verbose for me (no criticism but it just didn't do it for me: I prefer succint explanation + example: he can wax lyrical just a little bit, which lends some warmth to the work, but also for busy people uneeded....so it's a personal judgement). The code examples in the book are probably the ugliest I've ever seen in a while (font wise...the code is presented as pages and pages and pages of monospace...ah the humanity! Very intimidating for the novice! Compare to deitel: colored!)

Seriously, given the process this book went through: continual public online review, editing and criticism, means the errors are minimal and the content focused on what you need to know as guaranteed by peer-reivew (not a bunch of superfluous, repitition nonsense that pad out Deitel books)...This is a really great book that was diminished a little through corner cutting by a publisher. If you can get beyond the mediocre presentation, then you find an excellent book for the above novice programmer. It's quite a philosophical journey through the heart of Java at times. And coverage of most topics is quite strong (if a little weirdly ordered at times...but then that's a personal thing: eg. the introduction that the beginning is quite deep and intrduces some heavy-ish concecpts straight off the bat...but again this is a personal judgement: objects first or basics first? its 50-50 either way?)

Actually I should clarify that: if you're a beginner: This book is not for you I don't think. I tutor a student who is just starting out in Java programming and he managed to get about 20 pages into this brick and then quit -> he said it was too hard. He opened it, looked at the code and his jaw dropped!

Having read this book I can understand why. The presentation is not conducive to the beginner who needs more guidance through concepts rather than just slabs of text. That's the problem with writing a book this way (publically post-review-correct): the only people who interact are people who already know some Java or a lot of Java so this skews the process toward producing a book for them. Most beginners probably have never heard of Bruce Eckel and thereby didn't contribute to the making of this book. Hence they have been somehwat excluded from the process.

I can wade through pages of monspace Java code because I am not a beginner. But this is probably too overwhelming for one new to the language (it just hits them too hard I think). I recommend Kathy Sierra's Headfirst Java (foremost for the beginner!). FOr everybody else...what they hey why not! It's pretty good value and not a insipid and dumb as Deitel. And it's more concrete that Van Der Linden. It and Ivor Horton's Beginning Java are on about par I feel, for different reasons: Bruce, the language coverage (depth far exceeds Ivor!). Ivor: for breadth and succinctness. I feel Bruce is wanting you to understand backward-forwards-upwards-downwards-inside-out the language. Not dazzle you with simple Swing stuff (which only works for novices anyway). When you're finished Kathy Sierra, come back and try this. YOu'll be ready by then!

Hopefully version 4 they'll put a bit more effort into the graphical arrangement of the book: a few diagrams here and there wouldn't hurt...just to break the monotony. Seriously I think Bruce should get a new publisher...one who will fulfill his vision, not impede it with their cheapness.

COntent wise: VERY good. Doesn't wallow in the cheap ooh-ahh factor of Swing that much, but does the langauge very well (I wasn't overly fussed on treatment of inner classes...but that's a personal thing I guess). Still this is one of the benchmark books for begining/intermediate programmers and that didn't happen by accident!

And as one of the benchmark books
Thinking in Java: Bruce Eckel
Beginning Java: Ivor Horton
Just Java 2: Peter Van Der Linden
How to Program Java: Deitel & Deitel
Core Java 2: Horstmann

I would rate them as such (in order):
For beginners: Horton, Eckel, Deitel, Horstmann, Van Der Linden
For Intermediate: Eckel, Van Der Linden, Horton, Horstmann, Deitel
Best all round: Eckel, Horton, van Der Linden, horstmann, Deitel
best visual layout/ quality of publication: deitel, Van Der Linden, Horton, Horstmann, Eckel
broadest view: van der linden, eckel, Horton, Deitel, Horstmann
most useful code: horstmann, deitel = eckel = horton, van der linden
value for money: eckel, horton, van der linden, horstmann, deitel

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: It assumes you Know C++
Review: why repeat myself? It assumes you know C++, save yourself some money be reading some it online. It did not work for me, another door stop

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Zero Stars For A Useless Book
Review: Many examples implement poor design. Why have a class named Month2? Have you ever had a design that used a Month2 class or can you imagine what it might be used for?

This author never says in a sentence what he can say in a chapter. At more than 1000 pages, this book is too wordy. There is only only one diagram or illustration every one hundred or so pages. This isn't a book, it is a punishment. Ivor Horton and Kathy Sierra both offer better choices.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Sample Code Doesn't Work
Review: Mr. Eckel gets high marks for his comfortably readable prose. He also gets good marks for examples that -- in reading -- seem to explicate his points. He gets very poor marks, however, for the examples as sample code. After downloading the sample code from his web site, I can't get anything beginning with Chapter 3 to compile. It appears the samples make use of some custom utilities that the compiler can't find. I bought the book to learn Java, but it appears I have to know enough Java to interpret cryptic compiler codes so I can try out the samples. This is unhelpful and very, very frustrating. It also leads me to question the quality of the information in the book despite the clarity of the writing.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't buy this book
Review: You'll just waste your money... It's to confusing

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Java Book
Review: Overall Rating: Well done! This book will be a valuable teaching and reference tool.
Teaching Value: Excellent! An essential book on this topic.
Reference Value: A complete reference. I would not need any additional reference on this topic.

This book is tremendous. The explanations are so clear and direct. Being a Java professional I read so many java books, but this book is incomparable. It's the best-advanced thinking Java book I've ever read. The best part of this is book the step-by step explanation. Each chapter takes one new topic and explains it with simple steps and examples, which is easy way to understand anything and that is really appreciable in this book. Each example program is explained with its output. The chapter on threading is magnificent, its gives the fundamental to deep knowledge of each concept, and with such easy step that one can grasp it thoroughly. All the object-oriented principles are explained so well as they apply to java along with working examples.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: thought provoking
Review: At first impression this book is for the beginners. Just read the chapter
names: Introduction to Objects, Controlling Program Flow, Polymorphism. But
when you dig deeper, you find non-trivial details and unique views on the subject.

This book looks at the Java language and its main features and facilities from many
different angles, and many of its points are refreshing. What's more
remarkable is that the author does not dump on you intrinsic details as if
preparing you for the Java topics on Jeopardy, as some authors do. Bruce
Eckel finds pearls in common features and gives you just enough details to make
a point. This is a very clear, thought provoking, and useful book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An update of Eckel's classic text
Review: It is with some pleasure that I review Bruce Eckel's third edition of his already-classic "Thinking in Java". Four years ago, I read his first edition. It had a rare elegance amongst the literal ton of Java books already on the market. Enough others must have agreed, for a second edition came out soon thereafter. And now we have this third edition, that describes the latest Java, version 1.4.

If you are new to Java and are casting around for a suitable book, try this. The code examples and explanatory text are very clear. Little is assumed for prerequisites. Even if you have never programmed inany language, this will still be useful. Object oriented programming is explained in general terms that will be familiar to any C++ programmers.

Plus, if you already know some Java, but are uncertain about various nooks and crannies, this book may also help flesh out your understanding. It is not a Dummies [trade mark??] book. The most complicated chapter seems to be about multithreading/concurrency. Always a difficult topic for many readers. Eckel carefully steps through the issues here in a lucid way.

By the way, Eckel makes the text available on his website. But he and his publisher, Pearson, have made the calculation that most readers will still prefer a traditional bound copy, than peering at a computer screen or shuffling through looseleaf hardcopy. Which I suppose is a little ironic, given the subject material and the audience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Coming to Java from C++ - here's the book
Review: Excellent book. He clearly explains the Java language, why things are like they are. He also compares and contrasts each item with the related C++ item.


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