Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!
Review: This book was horrible... I couldn't learn anything from it then I realized I should get a real book on java. The only thing useful in it is it has some of the API documentation. That's all! I have no clue why a teacher would use this book to teach a java class.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book for a beginner
Review: This book provides a good introduction to Java 2 for people with no prior programming experience. The second edition is well-organized (unlike the first edition). Graphics sections that appear at the end of each chapter are optional. I like the authors' Keyboard class, which is used for simple keyboard input.
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Summary: 2nd edition MUCH better than the first
Review: I found the first edition to be somewhat disorganized. The second edition is a MUCH better book.
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Summary: Great for beginner of programming
Review: My professor recommended it when I studied principle of programming in year 1 of CS. It assumes u know nothing about programming. In this veiwpoint, it's really great since it explains the basic programming principles clearly through java. U know the concepts and how to implment them. However, if u know something about programming, u'll find it boring. If u take it as the first step to learn java, it's lengthy. It's great for beginner, especially if ur major is not CS.
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Summary: Not for beginners or advanced readers
Review: The concepts covered in the book are poorly explained and could be retrieved from the java documentation for free. The cs1 package that comes with the book uses text based concepts and does not work well with the oop idea that is central to java. A much beter package named javabook from the "Introduction to Object Oriented Programming in Java" by Thomas Wu gives an oop start from the first page and you can extend this package to give you all the tools you need to write a fully functional application.
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Summary: This book rocks!
Review: This book was recommended by my professor for my CSE class at Arizona State University. The most helpful aspect of the book, I feel, is the API. It serves as a quick reference and helped me a lot while coding. But the book spends too much time on basic concepts like the Internet, LAN, and computer architecture. The examples are pretty good, but are confusing at times. The book sometimes gives you too much to chew. But even so, it is really good. Though I wouldn't really recommend it as a book to start learning Java (without any high level language experience), it serves as a wonderful source for reference and strengthens concepts. The section on applets is really good, but concurrent with other instances in the book, the examples are a little confusing. It takes a while to sink in. All in all, the book is pretty good... Actually, it ROCKS!
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Summary: New edition of Java Software Solutions
Review: The second edition of Java Software Solutions: Foundations of Program Design was published in November, 1999. The ISBN for this second edition is 0-201-61271-2
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Summary: New features in the Second Edition of Java Software Solution
Review: The second edition of Java Software Solutions: Foundations of Program Design by John Lewis and William Loftus was published in November, 1999. This book is now the most widely used book for beginning courses on programming using the Java language. This new edition builds upon the strengths of the previous edition, making it an even stronger tool as you learn to program using Java. * New Chapter 8 "Exceptions and I/O Streams" is new material that covers the various Java I/O classes. * New Coverage of Graphics and GUIs via a well-defined set of sections called The Graphics Track. This material is at the end of each chapter, and can be read in as much depth as desired (or skipped altogether) * Provides fully implemented example programs, and additional topics not in the book, called "Web Bonuses" * Uses Java 2 whenever approprieate, while still keeping an eye on an introductory perspective. John Lewis is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Villanova University. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery, the IEEE Computer Society, Sigma Xi (the scientific research society), and has won numerous teaching awards. William Loftus is the Chief Technology Officer, Vice President, and General Manager of Internet Solutions for Breakaway Solutions, Inc.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book for beginners
Review: I am currently taking my first programming courses and have found that this is the only book necessary to read in order to clarify the beginning concepts in both my Java and C++ classes. I have several other texts, but this one is clear, concise and does an excellent job of explaining concepts. It is true that it leaves you wanting more, but at least the text is friendly and I don't have to wade through long and painful examples to extract the main ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: This book tries to be everything but succeeds to be nothing
Review: I wouldn't recommend this book. It assumes you're a complete computer novice, and thereby wastes a lot of pages explaining concepts like LAN, Internet and so on. It then goes on to describing the Java core language with ill-written examples. Now and then, chapters about writing applets appear at random places. There are also chapters about "The Software Development Process". All this doesn't leave much room for what the book is supposed to deal with. The interesting parts of Java (and OOP) are given a shallow coverage, and suddenly the book is over, leaving you hungry for more. Get another book, or learn Java from Sun's website. Considering the fast development of the Java language, it's probably the safest bet.
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