Rating: 
Summary: Best book to get started with Eclipse
Review: If you have heard a lot about Eclipse but haven't had the time or courage to explore this exciting new technology, this is the book for you. Don't be afraid if you are new to open source software and prefer the ease-of-use of a typical Windows application -- I found this book to be really useful in bringing the same ease-of-use to Eclipse.
Be warned though -- if you are a pro and are looking for most arcane and inner details then this book is perhaps not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Eclipse? Where do I start :-/
Review: If you just want to try out Eclipse but don't know where to start and what to do, this is a perfect book for you. Don't expect to see much information on the Eclipse platform, plug-in concept, and architecture overview as the typical topics found in other Eclipse reference books. Instead, it leads you through a truly crispy clear "Step-By-Step" approach to experience Eclipse. All hands-on materials make you to try out Eclispe, taste it and feel it. From installation, workbrench elements, creating projects, to debugging a simple SWT (Standard Widget Toolkit) program, you will enjoy the easy-to-follow instructions. Although the book avoids the Eclipse architecture and plug-in concepts, it's indeed a very good introduction for any users including business and technical readers.(Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 15-Dec-2004)
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book for people who never programmed before
Review: It's a great book for beginners. I don't want to repeat what all other reviewers said (none of them said anything negative).
Buy this book if you don't know much about computers or never used Java IDE's like Visual Age, Jbuilder, etc. Don't buy this book if you're looking for information on advanced Eclipse programming(like web applications and J2EE). The reason I gave 2 stars is that book overpriced-... for 376 pages book where some of the processes like copying files from CD are repeated in each chapter and large portion of the book contains information about downloading and installing software like Winzip, JRE and, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: Joe Pluta; I finished your book, Eclipse step by step in about 3 days, I wanted to let you know that your book is the only one of four I ordered that actually works the way it should. Joe, it is obvious to me that you took the time make sure the examples you included in the book actually worked, and when they did not work exactly like the book, because I am at a different version, it was presented in a way that the answer was intuitive. I wish you could have written the other three books, or at least edited them. Keep up the good work.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the novice
Review: So you download Eclipse and start it up and stare at the screen in confusion. Or maybe you haven't even figured out how to start it up. Don't worry. Just get a copy of this book and you will be using Eclipse like an old ranch hand in no time. Many books for the novice claim that they will teach you something but they hit "magic happens here" moments that leave you lost. You won't find any of that in this book. The title of this book is "Step By Step" and that is exactly how this book teaches the subject. The book assumes that you know nothing about the subject. After showing how to download, install, and start up Eclipse, the book takes a tour of the basic features that every programmer will need to know in order to code, test, and debug their programs. It starts by explaining what a "perspective" is in Eclipse terms and examining three of the most commonly used ones. The book then takes a look at a few simple Java programs, showing how to code and debug them. The programs let you take a look at the SWT (Eclipse's client interface) and JDBC. By the end of the book, even the complete novice developer will be using Eclipse without any trouble. This book is geared for novice users and is not meant as a reference. The book does not cover any of the Eclipse plug-ins. If you are familiar with IDEs and don't feel lost when using them then this book is probably going to be too basic for you. But if you are new to IDEs and like a lot of hand holding then this book will help you to work comfortably with the product.
Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: This book aims to provide a step by step guide to using Eclipse, IBM's new Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It covers the "basic" Eclipse product, as it is shipped. Sample programs are written in Java and the book shows the use of IBM's Software Widget Toolkit (SWT) and JDBC. I went through the book, cover to cover in about 4 hours. This included installing Eclipse, which is included, and keying in the programs, as opposed to importing them from the CD.
The style of the book makes it VERY easy to follow. It provides step by step instructions, with a checklist. There are plenty of screen captures to show you what you should be doing and, for once, the pictures actually match the text! Instructions are repeated, as opposed to "instructions are the same as page xxx, simply change the class name".
I quiet liked the sample Java programs that are used. After the traditional "Hello World" program, to get you going, the programs have a bit of meat to them:- they handle a GUI interface and accessing a database (also included on the CD). Not too challenging for the Java newbie and not too simple for those with more Java under their belt. My only criticisms would be that a couple of spots (towards the beginning) were closer to an introduction to using Windows as opposed to Eclipse (right click for context etc.) and I think I would have preferred the use of Windows Explorer, as opposed to using a DOS window. The book achieved it's aim of de-mystifying Eclipse in one go. It covers enough of the basics to enable the reader to start using Eclipse productively.
Rating:
Summary: It is worth the price
Review: This book is a very good introduction to the Eclipse platform. You won't get lost in the Eclipse swamp if you follow the clear instructions. In fact, you will learn how to navigate sucessfully through Eclipse. It was worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: jack of nothing, master of even less
Review: This book is feeble. It is 3 hundred something pages, filled front to end with single *whole* pages filled with one large useless screen shot. To make matters worse, these screen shot pages are reprinted over and over, so you get to view the same useless "Eclipse IDE" shot at [many] times before you make it through the most simplistic of tutorials. The book glosses over *Java*, and then continues on to gloss over SWT and JDBC; even though it purports to focus on these elements. This book was written for an audience with very little to no programming experience whatever, as it gives to the reader nothing more than a broad overview of the Eclipse IDE (nothing more than the IDE), which honestly, is not much of a leap from any other current IDE on the market. I'd give it zero stars if i could, don't get duped into thinking you'll learn something from this book.
Rating:
Summary: A gentle introduction to IDEs
Review: This book is friendly and easy going, and as it happens I'm a big fan of friendly and easy going tech books :). If you're new to Java and new to IDEs, this will be a great book for you. The book takes you through the basic functions of the Eclipse IDE at a very leisurely pace. You can almost see the "Don't Panic" buttons attached to each page. If you're an old hand at IDEs then this book will probably not go into enough depth for you. The book is not a detailed reference to Eclipse, and given its mission, that's a good thing. Using this book, the beginning reader can really nail down the basics without getting lost in a sea of options. My only concern with this book is whether it's priced correctly. It seems that this publisher may be more familiar publishing books in constrained vertical niches. The pricing of this book doesn't seem consistent with other technical books in more horizontal markets like Java. In summary, a great beginner's book, if a little pricey.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed ...
Review: This book's treatment of Eclipse is so elementary and superficial, I can not image who is the real target audience. Beware, a good portion of this text is shameful filler whose only purpose can be to buldge the page count and justify the price. Seriously, it takes the author eight pages and eleven figures to illustrate how to unzip eclipse. My favorite ... "Step j Close WinZip by using the X button." There is actually a screen capture of the mouse hovering over the X button in the title bar. Wow! I've been rebooting my machine all these years to close those pesky windows. Other examples of fluff: - 3 pages showing how to expand/collapse at tree
- 3 pages showing how to open a jar file
- 12 pages to install java
- 11 pages to install WinZip
(quick hint: click download, save, open, Ok) Its really a shame this book is not better; Eclipse is way too important of a tool for such a joke of a book.
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