Rating: 
Summary: Good, but could be improved
Review: "Graphic Java: Mastering the JFC: Volume 1: AWT" is readable, understandable (with the prerequisite understanding of basic Java). It's the best so far that I've seen, and I'm buying the next volume in the series. However, it could be improved. The diagramming language is Booch, rather than today's standard UML. Some chapters seem poorly organized at a coarse level. There are a few mistakes here and there, such as: * Use of 'l' (lowercase L) as a variable name. This is generally-recognized-as-unreadable. It took me some time to realize it wasn't a one. * On p. 321, a use in code of "implements" for a class, rather than "extends", and in English, a use of "extends" where "implements" is intended ("cannot _extend_ an adapter class"). * a suggestion that inner classes "provide a mechanism similar to callbacks (function pointers) in C." It would better be stated that _interfaces_ can provide a mechanism similar to function pointers, and one use of inner classes, iff they implement an interface accepted as a callback, is to _define_ the callback.
Rating: 
Summary: 33 missing pages!
Review: After about a month of ownership, I discovered that 33 pages were missing. That's right, pages 547-578, gone. Page 546 is in Chapter 15, ending in the middle of a class listing, and the facing page is page 579 in Chapter 16, picking up in the middle of an entirely different conversation. That's assumedly the publisher's fault, so I still give this great book 5 stars. It's more of a reference work, so its still eminently useful, but caveat emptor...
Rating:
Summary: sloppy editing?
Review: After taking great pains to explain difference between adapters and listeners, he mixes them up himself ("listening to Yourself" in chapter 9).
Rating:
Summary: A good book, but don't be Fooled by the title
Review: Don't be Fooled by the title. If you wont a book about swing or the 2D API , wait for Volumes 2 and 3. This 3rd edition is almost the same as the 2nd edition.
Rating:
Summary: Draggable saints - it's come to this !
Review: Excellent and clearly written, but you better know the difference between "extends" and "implements" or forget it. I appreciated the six versions of the ThreeDButton listener in chapter 9, and now have a much clearer understanding of event handling.
Rating:
Summary: Draggable saints - it's come to this !
Review: Excellent and clearly written, but you better know the difference between "extends" and "implements" or forget it. I appreciated the six versions of the ThreeDButton listener in chapter 9, and now have a much clearer understanding of event handling.
Rating:
Summary: For those who want to be Java GUI experts
Review: Excellent book. Covers everything you'd want to know about how AWT works.. After you've got a decent grasp of Java & GUI development (read Core Java or Just Java), this book will complete your knowledge of AWT.The book assumes you know Java, and are somewhat familiar with the GUI's in general: I'm glad about this - I came looking for an intermediate technical book, and that's what I got. I'm really looking forward to volumes 2 & 3 of this series. (Vol 2. should be out any day, Vol 3 in early 99)
Rating:
Summary: For those who want to be Java GUI experts
Review: Excellent book. Covers everything you'd want to know about how AWT works.. After you've got a decent grasp of Java & GUI development (read Core Java or Just Java), this book will complete your knowledge of AWT. The book assumes you know Java, and are somewhat familiar with the GUI's in general: I'm glad about this - I came looking for an intermediate technical book, and that's what I got. I'm really looking forward to volumes 2 & 3 of this series. (Vol 2. should be out any day, Vol 3 in early 99)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I had trouble reconstructing the history of inheritance vs. delegation models (I think he assumed we lived through all the wars). Apparently an improved version of the inheritance model came as a sideshow with the delegation model. Though the new inheritance model is an improvement over the old one, the docs discourage its use.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply just go for O'reilly
Review: I have 3 Swing books in my private library and what I can say is that still O'reilly is the clearest and the perfect book for those that are willing to really KNOW Swing. David Geary's book in my opinion has interesting tips (specially on about paintComponent,validate etc...) but is very badly organized and has too many methods refenreces rather than explaning what that method does (JSDK online api doc is there already).
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