Sams Teach Yourself Java 1.2 in 21 Days (Sams Teach Yourself)

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant book for Java Newbies
Review: I come from the torrid world of C++, this introduction to Java was brilliant - easy to read and a joy to learn (not like my introduction to C++). I would not recommend the book for new programmers (I would not recommend Java to them either). For C or C++ programmers this is the start for you, but dont expect it to take 21 days - unless your sleepwalking.

Rating:
Summary: The Tittle is a gimmick to sell books.
Review: I got this a year ago and it was way over my head. I read it again now, and I see why.

Chapter 2

Q: What's the distinction between instance variables and methods and their counterparts, class variables and methods?

A: Almost everything you do in a Java program will involve instances (also called objects) rather than classes. However, some behavior and attributes make more sense if stored in the class itself rather than in the object. For example, to create a new instance of a class, you need a method that is defined and available for the class itself....

It just gets too convoluted for chapter 2! The explanations are sparse! Even though the title sounds like a beginners book, its Not for beginners at all. It should be called Java tongue twisters! ... At least the book looks pretty! I will not mention the "Idiot's" guide to Java 1.2!

Rating:
Summary: The Tittle is a gimmick to sell books.
Review: I got this a year ago and it was way over my head. I read it again now, and I see why.

Chapter 2

Q: What's the distinction between instance variables and methods and their counterparts, class variables and methods?

A: Almost everything you do in a Java program will involve instances (also called objects) rather than classes. However, some behavior and attributes make more sense if stored in the class itself rather than in the object. For example, to create a new instance of a class, you need a method that is defined and available for the class itself....

It just gets too convoluted for chapter 2! The explanations are sparse! Even though the title sounds like a beginners book, its Not for beginners at all. It should be called Java tongue twisters! ... At least the book looks pretty! I will not mention the "Idiot's" guide to Java 1.2!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on programming I have ever purchased.
Review: I've been a programmer since 1982, and I've programmed in many different languages. Each time I've decided to learn a new one, the most difficult part has been finding a well-written instructional book. When I recently decided to learn Java, I settled on _Sams Teach Yourself Java 1.2 in 21 Days_ after trying several others from competing publishing houses. The others were useless to me, being overly dense, glossing over major subjects, and so on. This book is nothing like that. It allowed me to understand the Java language well enough to write simple applications after reading the first seven chapters ("Days," in the book's parlance).

The authors write clearly, and they spend enough time on each subject to allow one to gain a real understanding of each piece of the Java language puzzle. The basics of Java programming are covered in the first seven "Days." Thereafter, readers learn to create web-based applets using color, images, animation, and sound. The final seven days lead the reader into more advanced subjects, such as security, network communication, error handling, and user interface design. That's quite an impressive amount of information for one book, but the authors manage to relate it all without glossing over any aspect.

The book also includes a very useful appendix on the Java class libraries, an in-chapter listing of the standard Java color definitions, and more such useful tables and charts. So, the book doesn't become useless after one has learned the language; it remains a solid reference work (although serious Java students will probably want to invest in other, more comprehensive class libarary resources at some point).

Whether you plan to use Java for writing applets, applications, or both, this is an excellent starting point. Like the PC Magazine review on the book's cover says, "If you get only one Java book, it should be Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days."

Rating:
Summary: Yet another book by geeks for geeks
Review: If I explained things in my job as badly as most writers of these so-called introductory texts, I would soon be out of work, and rightly so. Page 62 (Day 2) sums it all up for me - "To summarize today's material... 'Object' - an instance of a class. 'Instance' - the same thing as an object." When will someone who really knows how to explain things write a book on a subject like this?

Rating:
Summary: First cup of Java
Review: Lemay & Cadenhead do a very wonderful job putting this book thogether. It is the book to get for anyone just starting out in Java. It gives a very good overview of the basics. Anyone getting this book should not get it thinking it's going to teach them everything there is to know about java, rather any reader of this book should have access to the web, Dua! So that they can refer to the Java 2 documentation found at Sun Microsystems web site. Moreover any reader should consider getting "Java in a Nutshell" to go along with this book. I found some typos but every typo I found in this book has been addressed in the book's own web-site which is given in day 2. I did have a difficult time understanding Java's implementation of Threads (day 10) but after looking at my O'RELLY, and Sun's Documentation, Lemay and Cadenhead's explanation came together quite nicely. After going through this book I feel confident about purchasing more advanced books on Java, in other words I have acquired the taste buds for Java (yum yum good), now it's time to try other more exotic blinds.