Rating: 
Summary: A very impressive textbook
Review: Once again, Deitel has published a very impressive book. This new edition has been updated for Java 1.4 with, among other topics, coverage of regular expression and NIO. In addition, chapters on JDBC, Servlets, and JSP have been added. The chapter on object oriented programming and polymorphism has been rewritten and expanded into two chapters. The book has been cleaned up with redundancy removed in order to keep it around 1500 pages. Overall, the book is as complete as you would want in an introduction to Java. The book covers virtually everything in J2SE, gives a good primer on object oriented programming, covers design patterns and UML, and even gives an introduction to server side development. There's enough information in this book for at least two semesters of Java. All this information can be overwhelming but the authors use extensive, well commented color coded program samples to explain each topic. It is almost impossible to turn a page and not find either code samples or a diagram. In addition, there is a natural flow from topic to topic. This book was written as a college textbook and it has a college textbook "feel". Each chapter has well thought out exercises but the solutions must be purchased separately. A lab manual for this book is also available (release date, July 1, 2003). If you are planning on teaching a Java course and you are looking for a textbook this is book would make a good choice.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent way to learn Java as well as programming
Review: In reviewing the fifth edition of Deitel's book, I experienced thoroughness of explanation and wealth of different examples needed for teaching and sound pedagogy combined with the practical conciseness needed for industry. This book can serve as a great beginning concepts programming book for the beginning student and will serve the experienced programmer as a reference book for years to come. Upon seeing Deitel's work, I have adopted his book for my class. As an instructor who has taught many programming languages over seventeen years, I can appreciate how Deitel can speak to the beginning programmer and the experienced programmer at the same time in each chapter.
Rating: 
Summary: Only if your already an OOP programmer
Review: 10 word or less summary: tries to be too much to too many Okay, so you want more detail. Well, first some background. I have taught out of Deitel books for a long time and have always considered them B+ books on the whole. So when the University jumped to Java and said they where using Deitel, I was not worried. After all, I had browsed their recent C# book just a while ago, and was impressed with it over the C/C++ book I had taught out of before. Ouch. As a book for a fairly experienced programmer wanting to learn Java, you will find it a broad survey of Java with lots of examples. Not too much detail in any one area of course, but a fair spring board for further inquiry. There are some meaty examples for an 'intro' book in here as well as some good problems for the students to work. All in all a 3.5 - 4 star book - if this is you. What it needs in this role? Focus more on the experienced programmer. Lose the UML and some intro stuff and give more in depth on some of the subjects covered. Also, ship the book CD with a newer IDE. Ours still come with the old Sun One Studio. I don't mind an old IDE, but one that practically locks up when you sneeze is not a good thing. How about Eclipse, or even JCreator failing that... And for intro students? Not so good at all. Deitel frequently just skips around introducing things faster than an over caffeinated weasel, way ahead of really explaining them. This is okay for the somewhat experienced OOP coder who can see similarities to what he or she already knows and easily make allowances, but not for freshman intro students. I really hate waving my hands and saying, 'ignore the code behind the curtain folks. And lets just all move on.' But too often this is what I had to do to a class of confused looking students.
None of the other intro profs and instructors at our University like this book for the first time intro student at all. One (not myself) went so far as to petition to have it changed. Well we shall see. In the mean time I have written about two hundred pages of notes that I teach out of. I treat the book as optional. For this audience, I rate it 2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Too much detail too fast!!
Review: The first 3-4 chapters of this bbok are like a standard military uniform issue, and can be found in almost all of Deitel's books on the programming languages. That can be good anc comforting if you are already familiar with their style or if you are new ot programming. It can be painfully mind numbing for anyone with over 1 year's programming experience. The structure of this book is no different from other Deitel books. So if you looking to tread unfamiliar terrain in familiar clothes, this is the book for you. If you want to get better value go look some place else. (I am looking too). Since this is the recommded text for the course, I am stuck with it for now. But personally, this is not gonna be my desk reference copy. Having said that.... the book does provide lots and lots of worked out examples (with logic and typo errors). color scheme printing eases the understanding process, and if you are a beginner in the java arena, stick with this book for now, until you are ready to fly away. and then you dont ever need to look back upon it.
Rating:
Summary: Poor examples
Review: The teaching method is moderately ok, but have the programmers ever worked in the industry? If they have it seems like they could come up with better examples. There is also no real sense of flow from one chapter to the next, everything is just a jumble of ideas thrown on paper.
Rating: 
Summary: Overpriced and Underdelivers
Review: I can certainly understand the point that the authors were trying to make in presenting us with a textbook that teaches Java while also teaching about the object-oriented paradigm and relating the concepts to software engineering and UML. For that, I can give the book an additional star over the one I would normally award; but that's all. The combination of these concepts within the pages of this volume is so cluttered, so badly written and so poorly executed as to make the effort all but useless. With so many less expensive and better written alternatives available (e.g., "Thinking in Java," which can be downloaded for free, and Bloch's "Effective Java Programming Language Guide"), there are simply too many options available. Between them and the many online tutorials that are available, there is no reason to saddle the reader with such a ponderous edition. Give this one a pass.
Rating:
Summary: From the perspective of a working programmer....
Review: For those of you who already have experience in one programming language I would suggest you investigate the WROX Press book from the series Programmer to Programmer titled Beginning Java 2 SDK 1.4 Edition by Ivor Horton. My own method of using this book is to skim the text until I find code examples that are new to me and then read the text and enter and compile the code, changing it until I feel confident using it, and then I move on to the next interesting piece of code. I already own the third edition of Java How to Program and have to purchase the fifth edition for a class. If I use it at all, it will probably be to read exercises which may be assigned. Remember, I have many years experience as a working professional, in my opinion, Java How to Program was written for beginning programmers and it has been too long ago for me to remember what it was like to be a beginner, or to give a beginner advise about this book.
Rating: 
Summary: one word : AVOID
Review: This is a bad book , so are all deitel books (I've read several others). If you want to understand things in a sensible, logical way , stay away from deitel books , simply what makes a book good is the writer's style and effort in delivering quality information to the reader, deitel books all look the same , same stupid examples in all their books that merely "use" the concept instead of "demonsting" it, all their books are the same except for different code in the code boxes (same strange programs, nothing life-like to make you understand) and some modifications in content to make sure they're talking about VB not java or C not VB or so.. It looks like no effort at all in trying to explain things,more of a "rough compilation" of Java topics with minimal explanation through the boring detailed "follow-the-line-number" style. (Detailing the explanation itself, not the thing it is explaining). Reading this book, you won't be able to understand where lots of things in java originated from, and why they are implemented and used that way, you barely understand the bulk of incomplete information about usage of java syntax and general concepts in an awkward way. Highly unrecommended.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: This book is a must for any Java programmer no matter if he is a a newbie or a guru. Being a Java professional I have read a lot of books on JAVA, but this book is incomparable. It is very well written and its examples are of a great help. The best part of this book is the step-by step explanation of the concepts. The explanations are so clear and direct that even a beginner can understand the concepts quickly. Each chapter takes one new topic and explains it with simple steps and examples, which is an easy way to understand anything and that is really appreciable in this book. I think it really is a good buy...
Rating:
Summary: five star for java novice
Review: I am a novice, this is my first java book. The teacher teached the first half, and I self-teached myself the second half, all done in just one semester. Incredible!
Undoubtedly, sometimes I do find it wordy. But how could I manage to understand the details without those explations.
Hihgly recommand for novice!
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