Programming and Problem Solving with Java

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Summary: Programming and Problem Solving with Java
Review: I purchased this book to use as a text for a beginning programming class and found the programming logic to be adequate, but overall I am not impressed with the way the author tries to teach Java in the text. I found his outline to learn and his methods of teaching the basics very poorly laid out. I feel it did not teach the basics of learning programming in any language, much less Java. What it did address, I don't feel it was presented in the proper order...he tried to teach you how to run before you even knew that you had feet. I would not recommend using this book to learn Java. This book was my initial exposure to programming and the only thing I learned for sure is that there has to be a better way to learn Java, or any other programming language, than the author presents in this book.

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Summary: Disappointing!
Review: I read this book after reading Beginning Java 2 by Ivor Horton and Slack's book is a poor comparison to Horton's. I'm sure that a person could probably learn Java by reading this book but why do it the hard way? Try Horton's book, you'll be impressed.

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Summary: The best Java book so far.
Review: I teach programming and I have read many Java texts and I find this book to be among the easiest in terms of understanding and also complete in its coverage of the basics of programming. The book explains step-by-step the intricacies of the language and doesn't assume any background knowledge.

It gives plenty of examples of Java applications as opposed to Deitel's book which invariably talks mostly about applets. I also like the titbits of additional knowledge found at the end of each section, which touches on basic concepts in computer science. The treatment on IO and GUI is also excellent.

I also like the way that OOP are being taught by the use of the Turtle Class, specially written by the author. The Turtle Class is used to demonstrate how Classes are being extended by writing new methods and adding to it. A superb method of teaching, I must say.

I would definitely recommend it as a text for a Computer Science degree course.

Rating:
Summary: The best Java book so far.
Review: I teach programming and I have read many Java texts and I find this book to be among the easiest in terms of understanding and also complete in its coverage of the basics of programming. The book explains step-by-step the intricacies of the language and doesn't assume any background knowledge.

It gives plenty of examples of Java applications as opposed to Deitel's book which invariably talks mostly about applets. I also like the titbits of additional knowledge found at the end of each section, which touches on basic concepts in computer science. The treatment on IO and GUI is also excellent.

I also like the way that OOP are being taught by the use of the Turtle Class, specially written by the author. The Turtle Class is used to demonstrate how Classes are being extended by writing new methods and adding to it. A superb method of teaching, I must say.

I would definitely recommend it as a text for a Computer Science degree course.

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Summary: Great Book
Review: I took a year long course in school with this book and I am only 14 and I still found it easy to use and great to understand.

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Summary: The Pinnacle of CS-1 books
Review: Programming and Problem Solving with JAVA James M. Slack $62.95 at Amazon.com

This book gives a good overview of Java Programming, then gets more specific in subsequent chapters. The writing style is clear and sticks to the point while giving good explanations of concepts. The code examples are extremely well thought out (giving the impression that the author <gasp> knows what they are talking about) and even the simple examples are well-designed. I have found no complaint with this book. We are currently choosing textbooks for our CS-1 class and I have not seen a single book that can even compare to this. The organization of the book is well thought out, and the appendices are very useful as optional material. The author's explanations of his code examples and the subsequent explanations of alternate methods and the reasons why a programmer would choose one over another for a particular task are extremely useful. I would recommend this book to anyone learning Java or as a reference for understanding Java concepts.