Rating: 
Summary: Excelent
Review: I started studying Java by this book. I could understand every topic explained by this author, i never get confused. He really is a great teacher. Even the vocabulary he uses is clean and easy (this is important for a non-english native)
I always get back to this book to remember a concept that i had forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Best beginners book for Java 2
Review: I work as a librarian at a technical college and also as a part time web designer. I wanted to get up to speed on Java for my web design projects. I looked at a lot of Java 2 books in our library and at several bookstores, but this one is the best one for beginners to Java. I'm a big fan of the whole "Beginners Guide" series from Osborne. I also found Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner to be useful as well. The one wish I have is for a Java book that would explain how to understand the Java API documentation, with examples. I've yet to come across one. Anyway, if you're new to Java and programming, this book is a good start.
Rating:
Summary: Instructor loves this book
Review: I'm a Java instructor, and I love this book. It's excellent for cross-training folks from the mainframe to the Web. The book is divided into modules that can be taught in instructor-led classes in the same order. Depending on your students, you could cover all modules in 8 days. Each section has "one-minute" drills that students can orally respond to (although the answers are in small print on the same page). Also, each module has sample programs that literally give students an order to follow as in: "Step-by-Step: 1. Create a new file called ..." My only disappointment is that the author didn't cover Java topics that are intermediate to advanced in nature because he does such an effective job. His module on Java Threading is so clear and consise that students can easily follow the concepts.
Rating:
Summary: Finally getting Java into my thick skull!
Review: I'm a networking guy by trade, and have never been very adept at programming, and I've never had any luck with teaching myself any sort of language from a "21 days" book. I'm taking a required course for my degree - "Intro to Programming with Java" and was still having difficulties in figuring out exactly WHY I was typing certain lines. Most books I've read just say "Let's jump right in!" (My college textbook actually says this...) Wait! Let's NOT! Java 2: A Beginner's Guide is very aptly named. Having NO previous experience to draw from, this book does a very good job of explaining things is a very orderly fashion, with plently of examples and even projects to work through. Although I've only completed the first 200 pages, I can honestly say that it's "clicked" for the first time. The going is slow; I would recommend typing each example and think about what the code is actually doing, but I know that my retention rate will be very high. This book makes learning to program enjoyable, and that's quite an achievement coming from me - I greatly dislike writing code. I would whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone looking at code for the first time, as it will certainly make my classroom assignments and labs a breeze. The only drawback to this writing is that I am a third into the book, and I don't appear to have covered a huge amount of material. There's good reason for this, however. The "Complete Guides" to Java are 1200 pages, and are quite hefty tomes. Since this book is branded as a reference for the beginner, I can't really mark it down for that reason. This book does represent a great way to get started on learning the Java language. Jayson Tobias
CCNP CCDP MCSE
Rating:
Summary: Finally getting Java into my thick skull!
Review: I'm a networking guy by trade, and have never been very adept at programming, and I've never had any luck with teaching myself any sort of language from a "21 days" book. I'm taking a required course for my degree - "Intro to Programming with Java" and was still having difficulties in figuring out exactly WHY I was typing certain lines. Most books I've read just say "Let's jump right in!" (My college textbook actually says this...) Wait! Let's NOT! Java 2: A Beginner's Guide is very aptly named. Having NO previous experience to draw from, this book does a very good job of explaining things is a very orderly fashion, with plently of examples and even projects to work through. Although I've only completed the first 200 pages, I can honestly say that it's "clicked" for the first time. The going is slow; I would recommend typing each example and think about what the code is actually doing, but I know that my retention rate will be very high. This book makes learning to program enjoyable, and that's quite an achievement coming from me - I greatly dislike writing code. I would whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone looking at code for the first time, as it will certainly make my classroom assignments and labs a breeze. The only drawback to this writing is that I am a third into the book, and I don't appear to have covered a huge amount of material. There's good reason for this, however. The "Complete Guides" to Java are 1200 pages, and are quite hefty tomes. Since this book is branded as a reference for the beginner, I can't really mark it down for that reason. This book does represent a great way to get started on learning the Java language. Jayson Tobias
CCNP CCDP MCSE
Rating: 
Summary: Best intro I've found so far.
Review: I've been reading a LOT of intro Java books, and most seem to suffer from the same errors. One common type of book builds the entire text aorund the construction of a complex transaction engine- which I don't happen to have any interest in writing. Others start with a few examples, and then give you 200 pages of language details with no examples whatsoever, promising that "we'll see how this works in following chapters". Another type repeatedly provides examples in which we are encourged to ignore the confusing bits and just accept on faith that it's important they look that way. And then there are all those books that assume you know C++ and just need a little transition information. Happily this book suffers from none of these flaws. It covers a wide range of applications, it's full of detail on the latest graphical interface methods, the examples are uncomplicated, and no command or definitions is introduced without a clear example. This is an excellent book for someone with some programming experience, but no experience in object oriented methods. Strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: I've read so many books in Java and this is perhaps the best book ive encountered in terms of explaining all the basic concepts of Java. If ure new to Java get this book and ull be finished with it after 2 weeks and feel soooooo good. There are no words to express how much this book made me enjoy re reading all the beginner's concept that was messed up im my brain from reading a mess books claiming they are for beginners. Trust me on this and buy this book!!! If ure not satisfied then email me and tell me to burn ....
Rating:
Summary: An excellent introductory guide to learn Java!
Review: In my opinion, this book will surely help the absolute beginners to jump into Java right away! I am still reading(and working with) this book. Schildt introduces the concepts in a clear and lucid way which is typical of his style. Each Module begins with specific goals and concludes with your "Mastery Check". The concepts are introduced with example programs(You do not have to key in the programs; just download from the Web!) highlighting the important points to focus. As you read "one Minute Drill" recapitulates the material which youhave just read. Difference between Java and C/C++ has been mentioned as required. Schildt answers your "most likely" question in the "Ask the Expert" section. Another point worthnoting is this book has been carefully designed so that each Module depends on the earlier Module, i. e. this book has to be read front-to-back. Major drawback is amount of test problems :(. I wish more test problems to be included in the "Mastery Check" section(probably in the next edition?). Over all, I strongly recommend this book(with 5 stars) for beginner to obtain a solid grasp of fundamentals of Java. This book is, of course, not intended to be complete to address the broader audience which includes experienced Java programmers. Thank you Schildt! Great work!!
Rating:
Summary: Great for newcomers
Review: In our company, we have some junior programmers that I get to supervise. For them, this is essentially their first programming job. I was searching for a good introductory java book to help get them up to speed. After some travails, I narrowed it down to this book. It explains enough about java to get new programmers off to a good start. Several of my guys said this book was highly "cool"! Glad they liked it.
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Summary: I Get this har Java Thang! :)
Review: Let me respectfully begin by saying that I am not a programmer, and this book is not targeted towards professional programmers. My background is in business and education, and I have to take a meaty course in Java as a part of a post-graduate program I am going to start in the fall. I am in the process of finishing chapter ten of this book, and it is a painless and thorough introduction to Java and OOP concepts. I started my self-study on Java using Ivor Horton's Introductory Java book. Unquestionably, this is a fantastic starting point for professional programmers starting in Java, but I found the explanations and the examples in the book to be extremely confusing and disheartening. "Java 2 A Beginner's Guide," covers most of the content of the first half of Horton's book. However, the examples are clear and crisp, and Schildt is a master teacher because every chapter starts with purposefully simple concepts and problems and then more complex work is introduced. However, the author writes in such a manner, that I can thoroughly understand everything. Please let me reiterate that I am NOT a programmer, but taking a course in structured programming at university has helped me learn Java. I have now re-read the first seven Chapters of Horton's book, and I totally understand what is gong on. This fact alone makes this book an excellent purchase. I must confess that learning Java is not an easy process for me. Schildt's book is not designed to turn people who have few computer skills into programming wizards. There is a lot to learn in Java, but this book really helps to get people, with just a touch of programming experience up to speed, so that they can tackle some of the harder books. I am totally bemused as to why this book is ignored by readers when so many lesser books get praised?
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