Rating: 
Summary: On my way to writing robust code
Review: Here's what recommends this book as a first choice for your library:~ Well organized with useful format; ~ Tackles here-and-now projects; ~ Clear explanations of what works and what doesn't; ~ Practical tips; ~ Excellent examples; ~ Helpful techniques for optimizing code; ~ Straightforward and concise; and ~ Guaranteed to improve your code. In sum, let the author guide you quickly to writing robust Java.
Rating: 
Summary: Too elementary. Only useful for beginners.
Review: I bought this book because I think this book offers something similar in depth as Effective C++. But it turns out that most of the topics are simply too elementary. Unless you are a beginner who wants to clarify your basic understanding, I would not recommend this book. While reading this book, I am also reading Java Platform Performance: Strategies and Tactics. Comparing the two on the part on performance techniques, Java Platform Performance really offers much more useful programming advise.
Rating:
Summary: Suprise...
Review: I don't want to repeat what other reviewers said here - I absolutelly agree with them. Just want to add an amazing discovery - this book is a PERFECT companion to whatever book you are using to prepare Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2 Platform exam! I passed exam more than year ago, but now as I am reading this book I see that I would be much more confident if this book existed back then. Even some of code snippets are almost indentical to some questions on the actual exam!
Rating:
Summary: A Handy Software Design Companion
Review: I find Peter Haggar's *Practical Java Programming Language Guide* to be a very handy companion when doing software design. Since his "Praxes" are largely independent nuggets of wisdom, I can turn to one readily when I am deliberating over a design decision in Java, and seek Peter's advice. I have also read a few of the chapters from beginning to end to gain a deeper grounding in a particular area (e.g., exception handling). In summary, this is a very to-the-point book, full of practical advice for even seasoned Java developers.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book for those switching from C++
Review: I found this book to be very useful for someone switching from C++. Many of the points made in this book are obvious if you have an indepth knowledge of C++ or other object oriented language, but the non-obvious points make it worth reading the book (quick read). More than anything else, the useful part of this book is a "heads-up" about some quirks in the implementation of the Java language. Because this book is a quick read, the useful information can be gained quickly without wasting too much time on what you already know.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor organization, but some useful content
Review: I just completed a 6-week seminar in which several people at my workplace read this book and the chapters were discussed in turn. Our consensus is that this book, while certainly providing an approachable introduction to Java, could have been organized much more productively. We felt that much of the repetition and long chapters devoted to relatively simple topics could have been cut out, and that more care should have been given to organization within each of the six chapters. The last chapter in particular jumps back and forth between cloning and immutability issues in a very disorienting way. Similarly, the performance chapter contains a random mix of general and specific issues. That being said, I do think this book offers a good introduction to many basic Java issues, and contains a very readable treatment of multithreading. Read this book if you need to get a quick feel for Java-specific issues but don't feel up to reading the Core Java books yet.
Rating:
Summary: OK but missing important features.
Review: I liked the information mentioned in the book and the way they are presented. But it is missing important features like for example inner classes. Unfortunately, that's the first thing I looked for as I was trying to understand some Swing applet code. I also noted a few other items that are missing beside this one. Hoping that the second edition will correct these important omissions.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant book for experienced programmers learning Java
Review: I wish I had had this book when I first started learning Java. Peter covers many topics that I have struggled with in great detail. I was just beginning to think I knew Java very well. Thanks to Peter now I do.
Rating:
Summary: good to read when you're 3 months into Java
Review: I've done C++ for 3 years and then switched to Java. After knowing the operational aspects of Java, I read this book and found it's a great asset to help me take 1 step forward. It's particularly good for people switching over from C++, and as such I'd recommend cross reading with some other C++ books (such as Advanced C++ Programming Styles and Idioms by James Coplien) to fully appreciate the difference between the 2 languages.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Beginning to Intermediate Java Programmers
Review: I've spent enough time in Java newsgroups to know the aspects of Java that confuse programmers the most. This book covers the most basic and most commonly discussed misunderstood aspects of Java. Don't expect discussions of obscure or extremely complicated topics -- this book focuses on the fundamentals that all Java programmers should know to be more effective developers. All the advice is common sense and will seem obvious after you understand the concepts behind it, but the material in this book is anything but obvious to most practicing Java programmers. One of the best features of the book is that it shows how to use the javap command to examine the bytecode produced by the compiler. This technique allows programmers to continue to learn Java basics that are not covered in the book. One weak section of the book, however, is the section on garbage collection. How garbage collection works is not covered, and I believe that the praxis that discusses setting references to null and calling System.gc will convince many Java programmers that they must continually "help" the garbage collector. Another minor problem is that the hashCode method is not mentioned in the chapter on implementing equals. The best time to read this book is immediately after learning the basics of the Java language. Doing so will clarify and extend your knowledge and save you hours of misery and confusion.
| 
