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Summary: NOT a book for learning to program in Java
Review: This book is like the K&R C language book. It has many definitions and serves well for a REFERENCE dictionary if you are interested in finding out the terms in Java. If you memorize everything in this book, it is useful to take the SUN certified exam. But it is NOT a book to learn Java programming. The examples are two few and bad. I have taught Java and Advanced Java in the last 4 years in companies and colleges. Students cannot learn ANY Java programming from this book if it is the first book they use. Don
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Summary: Ugggg
Review: Definitely one book to get if it is free.
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Summary: The "Kernighan and Ritchie" of Java
Review: I like books on programming languages to be succinct. I don't like most of these tomes that are published nowadays which regurgitate API documentation without giving any insight into the essentials of a language. This book is clearly written with no fluff. It is to Java what Kernighan & Ritchie is to C.
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Summary: too concise to have any practical use!
Review: If you just what to dabble in the surface of some topics in Java, read it; otherwise, look elsewhere. It tries to cover all, but actually offers a too brief intro. which is of nearly NO practical use at all: what's the point of listing all those methods? I've already had the doc.; it uses deprecated methods, e.g. in network part; it even can not explain UTF well...Bye-bye, I sell it right away.
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Summary: Another Review
Review: Let me keep this short and simple. Are you a programmer? Have you ever coded in "C"? Have you ever heard of K&R's "The C Programming Language"? Note the title of this book: "The Java Programming Language". Hmmm ... could it be THE REFERENCE for the Java Programming Language? If you code in Java you MUST have it. If you don't code in Java then why are you reading this review?
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Summary: Not worth reading, if you really want to learn Java
Review: I have been developing Java programs, including servlets, for over a year now. I basically learned Java by reading different Java books and this is the worst book I've ever read. If you are not serious about learning Java, you can buy this book just to get your feet wet. But if you are really serious about learning and becoming a Java developer, please don't waste your money. If you are a beginner, you will need a good explanation for each topic with a lot of good working code samples. If you have some experience in Java, you will need a lot more complicated code samples that work.
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Summary: A reference, not a tutorial
Review: This is a superb reference, but I wouldn't personally recommend it for people just starting to get into Java. I bogged down in it myself last week, trying to do just that. It is probably a much better idea to go through the "Core Java" books as your tutorial, and keep this one on the shelf for clarifying any murky points. Over time, I suspect you will want or need to work your way through the entire reference to find out exactly how Java will behave under all possible circumstances.
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Summary: Not to be your only Java book!
Review: Someone said earlier that if you only buy one Java book, make it this one. I strongly disagree. You cannot make Java applications for commercial use with this book alone. This book covers the syntax of Java but leaves the API out. You would need another book to learn it. Of course, if you are very experienced and a complete nerd, you might learn the API from the online docs alone, but if you want someone to explain how to really use them, then you need another book. I bought this book first but sold it later. I replaced this with the Core Java 2 volumes 1 and 2, which cover all the fundamentals of Java, including the core API you need to make real programs for real life use. Core Java 2 is not for beginners though. In a nutshell: this is a good book but should not be your only book! You either buy this AND others, or leave this one on the shelf altogether (especially if you are on a low budget or in a hurry to get going with real-life programming).
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Summary: exellent java book
Review: This is one of the best java programming books that I have read. The book concentrates ONLY in java concept and programming language, it does not cover networking, no Graphics, etc... Its advantage is to help newbie concentrated on the core language first. Novice might find the topic a bit too advanced and terse to digest, more advanced programmer will find the book concise and can be used as a reference for later used. Advanced programmer will find the book a bit too verbose--unlike the C programming language from Dennis and Brian which is very terse, great as reference. The book offers enough depth that it requires few different re-reads for most people. I think the book is on par with the "C programming language" as a reference of the language, I also like the layout of the page, very easy on the eyes to help the reading. It comes with good examples. The book is printed on high quality paper... A must have JAVA book, but not the first java book for novice.
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Summary: Best Book for Preparing Java Programmer Certification
Review: I just passed the Java Programmer Certificate Exam with a score of 92(require 71)yesterday. After read three leading certification prep books I still feel something missing, such as Inner classes, Interface, and inheritance. I didn't feel like I get the main spirit of Java. Then I bought this book last month. This is the best Java book I have read so far, it is concise, comprehensive. I'm a college student and have learned C++ and written C++ Code for two years. I will recommand this book to every people like me who knows C++, want to learn Java and seeking Java certification.
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