Rating: 
Summary: Very good but ... some things you should know.
Review: A few months ago I decided to teach myself Java. I purchased a few books, and I am happy with my purchase of this book, "Teach Yourself Java".After reading more heavy, definition type programmer to programmer java books, this book has been very helpful to return to for a less 'wham to the head' over-view and tie-together. On the other hand, this book certainly won't cover it all. To learn java, you are going to need to simultaneusly read multiple books. For someone looking to learn java, with little java experience, this book is not a bad purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for beginners, but..
Review: A few months ago I decided to teach myself Java. I purchased a few books, and I am happy with my purchase of this book, "Teach Yourself Java". After reading more heavy, definition type programmer to programmer java books, this book has been very helpful to return to for a less 'wham to the head' over-view and tie-together. On the other hand, this book certainly won't cover it all. To learn java, you are going to need to simultaneusly read multiple books. For someone looking to learn java, with little java experience, this book is not a bad purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Taught Me Java Programming
Review: Before I read this book, I did not understand the basics of Object Oriented Programming. Reading "Teach Yourself Java" has given me that understanding, and it has made me feel that I have a solid foundation in Java. The strengths of this book are its no-nonsense, crisp explanations, its excellent examples, and its many interesting exercises. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is not already an expert programmer and wishes to learn Java.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Taught Me Java Programming
Review: Before I read this book, I did not understand the basics of Object Oriented Programming. Reading "Teach Yourself Java" has given me that understanding, and it has made me feel that I have a solid foundation in Java. The strengths of this book are its no-nonsense, crisp explanations, its excellent examples, and its many interesting exercises. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is not already an expert programmer and wishes to learn Java.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: Being a novice at Object Oriented Programming, I've had frustration getting through other Java books, simply because the authors assumed some kind of oop background. Mr. O'Neil does a fantastic job defining Java in a clear and concise manner, w/o overloading the reader. Well done!
Rating:
Summary: Very good but ... some things you should know.
Review: First of all, this book is very well written. The examples are short and very concise. I personally learn by typing the examples and I like them to be short and to the point! This book is also very good from the aspect of not holding you back. It covers very basic control structures through sockets! I also like the fact that there are 394 examples you can download from the web easily. This is definately more ecological. Now some bad ... 1) The 394 examples that can be downloaded are not categorized! BUMMER. You must sift through all of them to figure out which ones apply to your current chapter, although some titles do make this easier. 2) If you are like me and constantly use the index to search for stuff ... you probably won't like this one. 3) Out of 707 pages, 170 of them are dedicated to answering end of chapter questions. That is 24% of the book! I don't consider this a plus. I would have preferred to download answers instead of downloading examples! SUMMERY: This book teaches programming in JAVA without getting bogged down in all the available pre-written web stuff ... although it does cover some web applications. It doesn't hold you back and doesn't assume that you already know a programming language. If you do know C++, you can navigate this book rather quickly and be up and running fast! I'm very happy with this book overall.
Rating: 
Summary: Hope you remember your Algebra...
Review: I can't tell you how disappointed I am right now. I purchased this book after reading some of it in a bookstore, and comparing it with others. While its true you don't need to know another language, you sure better know all kinds of mathematical formulas you may have forgotten since your high school days since you DON'T USE THEM IN THE REAL WORLD(which is something the author should have paid attention to). I'm not kidding, I bought the book because I liked the idea of being tested on what I had learned to insure I learned it. I had no idea that I was going to be tested on obtuse things such as computing the hypoTenuse of a right triangle, or converting american measurements to metric, e.t.c. He is obsessed with the Double primitive types, and a good chunk of the exercises involve them. Does it teach Java? Perhaps, but better go buy a bunch of Algebra/Geometry books before getting this one.
Rating:
Summary: Hope you remember your Algebra...
Review: I can't tell you how disappointed I am right now. I purchased this book after reading some of it in a bookstore, and comparing it with others. While its true you don't need to know another language, you sure better know all kinds of mathematical formulas you may have forgotten since your high school days since you DON'T USE THEM IN THE REAL WORLD(which is something the author should have paid attention to). I'm not kidding, I bought the book because I liked the idea of being tested on what I had learned to insure I learned it. I had no idea that I was going to be tested on obtuse things such as computing the hypoTenuse of a right triangle, or converting american measurements to metric, e.t.c. He is obsessed with the Double primitive types, and a good chunk of the exercises involve them. Does it teach Java? Perhaps, but better go buy a bunch of Algebra/Geometry books before getting this one.
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up
Review: I previewed a number of Java books before settling on this one to start my education into Java programming. I was extremely impressed with the accuracy, structure, thoroughness, and pace at which the information was presented. Certainly, if not the best, one of the very best introductory Java books available today.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't believe everything you see in a Book Review
Review: I read the reviews on this book before buying it and based upon them, purchased it. It was a mistake. This book is another example of someone throwing something together at the last minute to sell a book. I am very disappointed. The chapters are laid out with virtually no instruction. Joseph gives a very convoluted and brief explanation of concepts and then merely throws some examples at the reader to finish his thoughts. So much is left out about the programming language and so little is explained. The examples are no help at all. Maybe the examples would help if he explained the concepts within them. Sorry folks, this book is worthless. As a Software Engineering Specialist for a highly respected software development firm, I give this book two thumbs down.
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