Head First Java

Rating:
Summary: Too many errors
Review: This is supposed to be a book for beginners. As such, the code really needs to be solid. There are too many errors. I think the Deitel book is much better. The layout is inconsistent, the humor seems forced and is distracting. I wonder if the authors have ever programmed in the real world using java, if so you'd think the examples would be better.

Rating:
Summary: As good as it gets...
Review: I've been teaching and working professionally in programming, analysis, and design using object-oriented technologies for about 15 years (C++, PowerBuilder, and now Java), and procedural languages (assembler, C, Pascal, and PL/I) for about 15 years before that (yes, I'm old). This is far and away the best programming book I have ever read. One of the biggest hurdles for anyone programming in Java (and C++), who came from a procedural background, is that the way to think about designing applications, as collaborations of objects, is not the way they're used to thinking in procedural programming. It is amazing how many ex-C programmers are out there, writing really terrible C++ and Java code (imho) because they write it like they used to write C. The great thing about this book is that it forces you to think differently, about learning and about programming. Don't let the pictures and jokes fool you - if you work through this book, cover to cover (which is probably the only way to do it), you'll learn some tough concepts and write some challenging code. As the authors and several reviewers have said before, if you want a reference guide, look somewhere else. However, if you are: new to programming, or, an experienced procedural programmer who wants to learn a different (OO) way of thinking and programming, this book should give you a high level of comfort with Java and object-oriented programming. You must also be willing to laugh a little and work hard - do as many of the exercises as you can, and study the answers for the ones you can't. If you don't work at it, you are cheating yourself. And while you might be annoyed by the weird graphics and jokes at first, they grow on you, if you don't take yourself too seriously!

Rating:
Summary: Just when you thought it was for beginners only...
Review: This is one of the best written Java books ever. I have been programmed in Java for almost five years now and recently out of development. I now am trying to get back to programming mode and familiarizing myself with the OO concept.

The concept of polymorphism is explained superbly in this book. The general polymorphic concept that I knew was; if you are traveling from Miami to Seattle - you can travel by train of plane. It doesn't matter as long as you get there, the polymorphic concept applies. Makes sense? To a beginner, you might say, "OK...maybe" but how do I apply this to Java. This book will answer your question through the 'Animal' class example. As things become clearer, the book throws in the concept of interface by adding a Robodog to the Pet-Animal scenario. I don't want to get into more details here, but if you are learning how to program in Java, or enhancing your programming and design skills, this is a definite book to read.

Rarely you will find a beginner's book that stresses testing should be your mantra. This book introduces the idea of Extreme Programming by briefly touching the testing phase, that makes you think why you should ingrain testing into your software development work.

Head First book series, EJB and the Programmer's Exam books, have helped me becoming a java AND business component's certified professional. I then picked up this book and amazed how it can help a beginner and intermediate programmers to grasp the OO concepts using Java.

Some say that as you grow mentally and spiritually, the more humble you should be. Well, this book sure makes me become more humble - that even though the book is written for beginners, a seasoned programmer can pick up bits and pieces from it, in the quest of becoming the 'next-level' developers. The moral of the story is; never stops learning.


Rating:
Summary: Good first book to get excited about Java
Review: This is a good book to get you excited about the possibilities of the java language, including sound and GUI. And, you will have some fun doing it. But, once you go through the book, you will need to get another one, to server as a Java language reference.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: Whether you're a beginner or a mid-level, this book REALLY does a wonderful job of explaining not only the how-to, but also the "why" of Java fundamentals. And it does so in very down-to-earth language. It's actually fun to read and has great illustrations. It makes some fairly touch topics easy to digest.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended
Review: Both informative and fun! Does contain a serious typo on p.299 though: Jimi Hendrix is spelled as Jimmy Hendrix!

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and in Simple English
Review: Awesome book! I've tried to read through other books but they're all so boring and phrased in ways that only developers and tech savvy people can understand. This one explains it all in real, plain and simple English!!!

Rating:
Summary: Not sure about this one...
Review: I am new to java but not to programming, so maybe this wasn't the book for me. While the style is new and innovative, I eventually got worn down by the constant humor, margin notes, and bizarre analogies. I also found that trying to use this book as a reference was nearly impossible. When the book did have a clear answer to what I was looking for, it was buried in the same quagmire I mentioned above.

I suppose that if you are completely new to writing any form of code, this may be the right book for you. I would tend to think, however, that you will quickly grow out of it, and then its use as a reference later will hardly justify the space on your shelf. As an alternative, I would suggest "Learning Java" 2nd Edition (also published by O'Reilly).

Rating:
Summary: I buy and read hundreds of IT books - this is the BEST!
Review: <strong>History of me:</strong>
I have been in IT all my life, and have had to keep up on all the latest technologies. I have trained Microsoft Support Engineers at the various Microsoft sites, written technical curriculum for certification topics and for custom software, travelled and installed/configured enterprise applications, administered networks, and much more throughout my carreer. Because of all of the technology that I have had to become proficient on, I have purchased and read hundreds of books on a wide variety of technical topics.

<strong>About this book:</strong>
This being said, I have experienced some pretty good books, and some horribly awful books, and about everything in between. Now that I have a need to learn Java, I bought two books attempt to teach myself the basics - this was one of them. I pretty much put the other book down, have been using this exclusively to get my feet wet in Java, AND I WISH THIS SERIES OF BOOKS WAS AVAILABLE A LONG TIME AGO!!

My biggest hope is that the publisher will use this methodology to write more technical books on topics other than Java, for I will be the very first customer!

With all topics I've had to learn before purchasing this book, my "magic bullet" to learning new, abstract, and even smoetimes boring topics was to purchase about a half-dozen different books on teh same exact topic, and read the same geenral topics written by completely different authors. With enough "angles", I absorbed the content through "brute force". Although it consistently worked, this method was extremely time-consuming and down-right boring. <strong>I have been able to pull more this single book than I have from a half-dozen different books on other topics!</strong>

My thanks to the authors - I have studied learning theory (both to become a more effective trainer when I used to train, and to aid in allowing me to absorb as much material in as little time as possible), and these authors have nailed exactly what's needed.

If you're needing to learn Java, don't want to be bored out of your mind, need to pick it up quickly and with as little effort as possible, I would highly recommend this book! Get it - you will definitely not regret it!

Rating:
Summary: First Amazon Review
Review: I have bought lots of books on Amazon. I have bought lots of Java books on Amazon. This is the first time I have felt COMPELLED to write a review. Currently my job involves writing perl scripts and using Javascript for various web-based things. It has now become necessary for me to learn Java. Prior to reading this book, I took two Java classes. I just was not getting it. I think in a very linear way. i.e. Dig hole, plant flower, water flower. Not, I will need a shovel object, a flower object, and a hose object to make this happen. However, even though I am only on chapter 5, IT IS MAKING SENSE!! I really was beginning to think I could not wrap my head around the idea of objects but because of this book, I am sure that I will. This is the first book I have ever read that doesn't make the assumption that the knowledge of the Java API comes standard in the human brain. I will DEFINITELY buy the other books in the Head Start series and if I ever become a multi-million-dollar-making Java programmer, I will give a big chunk of it to Kathy and Burt!