<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A great followup to Teach Yourself Java 2 in 24 hrs.
Review: Even though I did not care for the Sams series in regards to ASP, I thought that the two Java 2 books I have read (Teach Yourself Java 2 in 24 hrs & 21 days respectively) did a great job. All the code thus far works (I am about 2 weeks into the book). This book answers questions that the 24 hr. book does not get a chance to answer. This is pretty indepth, and the format is pretty easy to follow. If you like programming, and you want to learn Java this book is exactly what you need to get a thorough understanding of the Java language and its packages.
Rating:
Summary: From C++ to Java: This book is a necessary first step.
Review: For a professional software developer, there is nothing more aggravating than spending time re-reading things that you already know. Especially when your time is limited. Since Java has borrowed so much from C++, when we went looking to learn how to add a Java client to TheQuoteForToday.com, we looked for a book that would offer us a "smorgasbord" approach. We needed a title that would allow us to "skim past" all of the topics that a C++ developer already knows, and allow us to focus on what's "new" with Java. By clearly organizing the flow of their chapters from novice to not, Sam's "Teach Yourself Java 2 Platform in 21 Days" helped us spend less time reading the things we knew, and more time learning the things that we did not. Moreover, since the book was designed with a novice programmer in mind, I can also hand this title to newbies and they will be able to use it as well (talk about re-use)!
Rating: 
Summary: the objects of your desire
Review: I am an experienced Unix C++ programmer who was looking for a good introduction to Java in a manageable format. This book was the best I saw on the bookshelf at Borders bookstore in London. It has been proven to be everything it was claimed to be, though it is only an introduction in my opinion. I was a little disappointed in the depth of the information for the last 7 days, and methinks the authors could have put in information about J2EE (Jave Servelets), CORBA, et al. On the positive side, I was impressed with the Appendices showing how to get the JDK going. It is an excellent introduction to the Java Foundation Classes. There is no question that the book leaves one with a firm grounding with which to go on to 'expert class' books in JavaBeans, J2EE, Swing, etc. One caution to beginners: Don't assume that the coding style used in this book is the optimum OO style. Look elsewhere to learn more about this topic. As an experienced OO designer I found myself cringing occasionally. Apart from that, very valuable!
Rating:
Summary: The best Java tutorial so far
Review: I am Java instructor and I always looking for a good tutorial for my students. I started using this book more than two years ago. Once in a while I was trying to switch other textbooks, but students complained. Code samples really work, explanations are done in a more or less simple language. Actually, sometimes samples are not from a real life applications (i.e. SpotOnTheSun to explain Exceptions), but other than that it's a good book
Rating:
Summary: Your patience will pay off...
Review: I believe most people will learn a lot from this book. It is informative, provides good examples, and it actually teaches you the basics of Java programming with both Java Applications and Java Applets. The book puts an emphasize on Graphics programming, including the AWT classes, and Swing (new in Java 2). The book is extensive and will test your patience, specially if you are new to programming, but it will most definitely pay off in the end. I read the book cover to cover, and since this is the professional edition it also has an extra bonus week which covers important concepts like Signing applets, data structures, JavaBeans and how to connect to databases throught JDBC. This book boldly claims to help you teach yourself Java 2 in 21 days. If you put some effort into it, that's about as long as it'll take.. Some "days" will take you an hour or two, while others will take you 4-5 hours to grasp and go through the examples. All in all, a very good buy, and a good reference to have after you finish it.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Overview of a Complex Subject
Review: It took a little more than 21 days, but I feel that Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 gave me the java insight and understanding I was looking for. I am new to java, but I have been a COBOL programmer for years. I took a C++ class several years ago and was totally stumped by all the new OO concepts. Sam's leads you step by step using silly examples that increase in complexity. This approach allows you to mentally see what is going on. There is a lot of hand holding here. I would imagine that an experienced java programmer would regard this book as a review. On the other hand, it provides more than a just a high level introduction, there's some real meat and potatoes here. It was a committment, but I read it cover to cover and afterwards found that I could understand any java program I came across. This course will keep any beginner busy for 21 days (at least!), but in the end, I think you will be able to put your new java programming skills to the test.
Rating:
Summary: Sam's Does It Again!
Review: Teach Yourself Java2 in 21 Days is yet another great product from Sams Publishing. This book assumes familiarity with basic programming concepts. If you are an experienced programmer coming to Java from another language (My background is the VB - COM object world), this text will be right up your alley. I was tempted into skipping to the chapters I found most interesting (JDBC and OOD), but don't be. Lemay and Cadenhead have ordered the introduction of concepts perfectly. Even if you know you'll never use it, drag yourself through AWT. You'll be building skills which will pay off handsomely in the later chapters. There are no formal exercises, so to get the most out of this book, type up and compile every example as well as reading through the text. Lemay and Cadenhead's irreverent jokes and references will help you along with a chuckle or two. Overall, both the cost of the book and the time efficient manner in which you can teach yourself foundation Java2 skills are a great value.
<< 1 >>
| 
