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Rating: 
Summary: Not just for technicians
Review: An elegant and erudite guide to using Java for sophisticated mathematics, this book is nonetheless very readable, even by the mathematically challenged. Yes, it demonstrates how to code a lot of beautiful math, but that comes later in the book. First and foremost, it provides a concise and easily comprehended introduction to the core concepts of Java and object-oriented programming.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for Math/Engineering students
Review: Believe it or not, there are people out there that code not because they are software engineers, but because they have a specific problem to solve. They are not classic computer scientists, nor do they have any real interest in the latest goings on at Sun or follow our industry trends. These people we usually class as scientists and engineers; the ones that get to wear the real white-lab coat! They need to come up to speed with a language to get what they need from it, and then leave it as it doesn't form the majority of their working time. This book is for them and what a great job it does.To be honest, I didn't know what to expect when I first picked up this title. The word "Technical" threw me a little, I wasn't sure if I was going to read about the low-level inner workings of Java, or whether it was just another marketing title that was going to turn out to be a dummies guide to basic Java. Opening the book up and running my eyes over the TOC I soon discovered that this was going to be a nonsense book for mathematicians and engineers. Which is exactly who this book is targeted to. We are given enough information to get the job done, with no huge background fluff. There is no brain washing on patterns, no lectures on program layout, only 4 pages on Object Design and 4 pages on Swing/AWT. The book knows its audience. Knows that Fortran and C (C++) are the predominant languages in this field and eases the transition over to Java very well and sells the language beautifully. The book covers the basics in a clear and well laid out fashion, with code examples that will get you up and running. Incidentally all code samples are command line examples, with no need for complicated build problems. Classic software engineers will probably be throwing their hands up in the air at this point proclaiming whats the point. Well this book isn't for you, and you shouldn't really be picking it up. If you think this is the sort of book you could have written because its so basic then think again. As I said before, the author knows his audience and spends a lot of time showing how Java can be used to solve complex mathematical problems such as Fast Fourier Transforms and Euler equations to name just a few. The author takes these equations, showing how Java can be applied to solve each piece, showing you the actually mathematical equation and then the code listing that breaths live into it. He discusses some of the short comings of the core Maths library and overs an alternative implementation to fill in some of the gaps. My own degree was more mathematics and engineering than classic software engineering so it was fun to revisit some of this stuff that I haven't seen for years. This is a great book for students of this discipline as they will find it an invaluable resource. It teaches Java in a very subtle and non-patronizing manner. A great book for non-software engineers.
Rating: 
Summary: A Concise, Quick Transition to Java
Review: Different from most java books. Not a single image of a Java widget. The diagrams are graphs of various scientific equations. Palmer knows his audience. Primarily, you are in a field where programming is very much just a tool; a means and definitely not an end in itself. Typically, you had to learn Fortran or C to, say, integrate an equation or converge a series. While a snazzy GUI might be pretty, you often just want a set of numbers as output. Granted, this might reflect when you learnt programming. Before 1990, graphics were still uncommon. But even today, output as a set of numbers is still the most important case, because often that output becomes the input of another number cruncher. If the above describes your case, and you have never used Java, then this book may be well suited. Palmer expends no time in teaching a GUI. And scarcely more time on an exposition of object-oriented layout. He puts enough details that you can easily read the examples, which are really the core of the book. These show how you can solve a common equation with relatively small amounts of code. Guess what? It is not difficult at all. The core subroutines in numerical programming look much the same in Fortran, C, C++ or Java. If you can take an equation on paper and express it in one of the first 3 languages, then you can easily transition to doing it in Java. For a given problem, the amount of work you have to do to express and debug it in code is about the same, across all these languages. None of these languages gives you a magic potion that makes your work much easier. So why choose Java? Well, if down the road you want a GUI, then only Java [of these 4 languages], comes with a built in set of widgets. And using them is very easy. Much easier that writing with X on top of C or C++, for example. Plus, if you want to assemble a library of subroutines, and make it widely available, then Java offers nice ways to arrange these in a hierarchical fashion.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much of the book is just the basics of Java and APIs
Review: I was disappointed by this book because significantly more than half of its pages are spent giving an overview of the basics of Java and some of the key APIs. Only 8 of the 25 chapters (164 of its 466 pages) actually deal with implementations of scientific, engineering and mathematical formulas and algorithms. This book is designed for people who need to learn Java from scratch while seeing how it can be used in a very limited number of technical applications. If are you already a reasonably proficient Java programmer and are considering this book just as a source for implementations of scientific, engineering and mathematical formulas and algorithms, you will not be getting your money's worth.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Java book for scientists and engineers
Review: Please Rate the overall value of the book from 1-5 where
5=Well done! This book will be a valuable teaching and reference tool. Please rate the instructional value of the book from 1-5 where
4=I would recommend this book to someone interested in its topic. Please rate the reference value of this book from 1-5 where
4=This book has earned a valued place on my reference shelf. Write a minimum of three paragraphs describing the different aspects of this book.
this book is an excellent book on java for a person with
scientific and engineering background like me. Having written
programs in FORTRAN and C, it is delight to know that someone
is out there ready to publish a book like this to dispell
myths that Java can be used for making GUI screens or writing
EJB components to be put on the server for database access etc. After explaining the constructs of the languages in the 1st few
chapters with a scientific slant, the author takes up complicated numerical methodss algorithm and shows java can be used for the
same. if a person like integration, differentiation, numerical methods,
FT .. sorry fourier transformation, and is interested in learning
java, this book is a worthwhile book and a must have for your
reference shelf. this is an excellent book and I would like to thank the author
for thinking of engineering/scientific oriented people like me.
********end of review**************
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Java book for scientists and engineers
Review: Please Rate the overall value of the book from 1-5 where
5=Well done! This book will be a valuable teaching and reference tool. Please rate the instructional value of the book from 1-5 where
4=I would recommend this book to someone interested in its topic. Please rate the reference value of this book from 1-5 where
4=This book has earned a valued place on my reference shelf. Write a minimum of three paragraphs describing the different aspects of this book.
this book is an excellent book on java for a person with
scientific and engineering background like me. Having written
programs in FORTRAN and C, it is delight to know that someone
is out there ready to publish a book like this to dispell
myths that Java can be used for making GUI screens or writing
EJB components to be put on the server for database access etc. After explaining the constructs of the languages in the 1st few
chapters with a scientific slant, the author takes up complicated numerical methodss algorithm and shows java can be used for the
same. if a person like integration, differentiation, numerical methods,
FT .. sorry fourier transformation, and is interested in learning
java, this book is a worthwhile book and a must have for your
reference shelf. this is an excellent book and I would like to thank the author
for thinking of engineering/scientific oriented people like me.
********end of review**************
Rating:
Summary: Walks the reader through step-by-step instructions
Review: Technical Java: Developing Scientific And Engineering Applications by Grant Palmer (Scientific Programmer at NASA Ames Research Centre, Moffett Field, California) is a basic introduction and "user friendly" instructional guide to technical programming in Java which was specifically written and intended for programmers of all skill and experience levels. Whether learning Java as a first language, or making the transition from FORTRAN, C, or C++, Technical Java careful and competently walks the reader through step-by-step instructions to using Java's built-in classes in order to create fully functional technical applications for the World Wide Web utilizing graphical user interface, Swing/AWT, and much more besides. Technical Java is very confidently recommended as a superb primer and core addition to personal and professional Java reference collections.
Rating:
Summary: Too much of the book is just the basics of Java and APIs
Review: Technical Java: Developing Scientific And Engineering Applications by Grant Palmer (Scientific Programmer at NASA Ames Research Centre, Moffett Field, California) is a basic introduction and "user friendly" instructional guide to technical programming in Java which was specifically written and intended for programmers of all skill and experience levels. Whether learning Java as a first language, or making the transition from FORTRAN, C, or C++, Technical Java careful and competently walks the reader through step-by-step instructions to using Java's built-in classes in order to create fully functional technical applications for the World Wide Web utilizing graphical user interface, Swing/AWT, and much more besides. Technical Java is very confidently recommended as a superb primer and core addition to personal and professional Java reference collections.
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