Rating: 
Summary: The book's approach to Java doesn't work
Review: 1) The approach that this book takes is to present a piece of code and then to explain "in line x we are doing this". OK, by looking at the commands and functions you can have an idea about what they do, but not introducing them first makes very frustrating to read the book. This is like watching "The Empire Strikes Back" without having watched "Star Wars I", you may enjoy the action but you don't know who the players are and what they are doing there. Also, a lot of the examples presented in the book use commands and concepts that are only explained in further chapters, I really don't understand why to do this.2) The chapters about oop are very light and because of the approach that the book takes, I think it would be very difficult for one who doesn't have previous experience in another object oriented language to understand them. 3) The chapter about threads is horrible. All examples are shown with the objects extending the Thread class and because of this, when it comes to applets it makes you think that he Runnable interface can only be used in applets. Because an applet class already extends the Applet class, you will not be able to also extend the thread class, so the solution is to have an object implementing the Runnable interface, which can also be done in a Java application, but the book never shows. Instead, on page 419 it makes this terrible statement: "It is important to stress that your code never calls the run() method". Sure it can call! This whole chapter made me to doubt about the author's knowledge in the subject.
Rating:
Summary: The book's approach to Java doesn't work
Review: 1) The approach that this book takes is to present a piece of code and then to explain "in line x we are doing this". OK, by looking at the commands and functions you can have an idea about what they do, but not introducing them first makes very frustrating to read the book. This is like watching "The Empire Strikes Back" without having watched "Star Wars I", you may enjoy the action but you don't know who the players are and what they are doing there. Also, a lot of the examples presented in the book use commands and concepts that are only explained in further chapters, I really don't understand why to do this. 2) The chapters about oop are very light and because of the approach that the book takes, I think it would be very difficult for one who doesn't have previous experience in another object oriented language to understand them. 3) The chapter about threads is horrible. All examples are shown with the objects extending the Thread class and because of this, when it comes to applets it makes you think that he Runnable interface can only be used in applets. Because an applet class already extends the Applet class, you will not be able to also extend the thread class, so the solution is to have an object implementing the Runnable interface, which can also be done in a Java application, but the book never shows. Instead, on page 419 it makes this terrible statement: "It is important to stress that your code never calls the run() method". Sure it can call! This whole chapter made me to doubt about the author's knowledge in the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthless
Review: Allow me to be blunt: This book is a complete waste of money. Unless you already have some OO experience, this book is essentially useless. Examples are very hard to come by. The best you can hope for is a massive segment of code, followed by line by line explanations of what is going on. This is a very ineffective way in which to learn a new language. Also, concepts are not presented in a concise manner (unlike every other programming book I have used), but instead spread over the course of many pages, buried within tons of superfluous material. This is very frustrating when you are attempting to use this text as a reference, and I cannot begin to imagine how annoying it must be if you are a beginner!!! (...)
Rating: 
Summary: opportunity squandered
Review: beatiful title: very utilitarian. We all know we learn best from examples. But there is a missed opportunity here. For example, while the title implies we are talking Java 2 speak, it mentions nothing of the collection framework but rather uses the legacy classes Vector and Hashtable. I did enjoy the string manipulation chapter and the file stream chapter. Still looking for a java version of a beautiful book created 8 years ago, "Postcript by Example". Note that Java Examples in a Nutshell doesn't have that many examples using the collection framework found in java.util package.
Rating:
Summary: By What Example?
Review: Buyer beware: if you're just learning Java, skip this book entirely! After about 140 pages or so - probably sooner - you'll be left wondering just what you're learning (if anything), put the book down, and you won't pick it back up again. Start with either the O'Neil book "Teach Yourself Java" or an even better one: "Java: How to Program - 3rd Edition" by Deitel & Deitel. Sorry I wasted my money on this one. Don't you make the same mistake.
Rating: 
Summary: A good beginning book
Review: Hello, I am the author of Java 2 By Example, Second Edition -- and I have a problem with the 10 positive/negative reviews on this page. The problem is: all of those reviews apply to the book's predecessor and NOT to this book. Therefore, a potential reader that reads those reviews is at a disadvantage -- the reader thinks those reviews reflect the Second Edition of this book, when they do not. I would appreciate your removal of all ten reviews (if possible). Thanks in advance for your help. Jeff Friesen
Rating:
Summary: A good beginning book
Review: I came to this book with an above basic level in Java 2. I have to admit I bought it because it was on special! Nevertheless, I found it a logical, well constructed book. It presented coded examples of major concepts and offered relevant detail, not attemped to overwhelm you with minutae. Of course, everybody comes to a learning experience in different ways and what works for some doesn't work for others. However I found the combination of examples and explanations to be well suited to be learning style: read, try, modify, expand, intergrate. Big plus: The inclusion of a chapter on Java 2 and mathematics! Finally! Authors seemd to have forgotten that computer meanes a device for computation and some of actually do need to write mathematical programs. This book is the underlying language. It doesn't explore Swing or the AWT. Which, is fine, I think because it's better to get a book with a good, solid coverage of the fundementals then a book that glosses over everything so as to include everything (superficial). I recommend this book and progress on to Peter Van Der Linden's Just Java 2 for higher level topics. It has questions and programming exercises, with answers too so you can test yourself and check your progress. Altogether a good book for the beginner to get a handle on the Java language without having to absorb too many other distractions like GUI's and such. Let's face it, you have to learn to walk before you can run. And better to learn to walk properly than try to run with a limp. Also of note: As far as I can tell this book also covers (properly) virtually all the SCJP exam objectives! Not bad. There are not full blown mock SCJP exams in this book however. Because it's focus isn't the SCJP exclusively, rather a broader, more encompassing overview of beginning of the language, you might consider this book as a strong supplement to one of the certifcation books around (Sierra/Bates). A good book! And also a useful one!
Rating: 
Summary: Great ! No other way to describe it.
Review: I did not know Java. I purchased a book on Java programming, and then I got lost. I could not even figure out how to differentiate a Java applet from a Java program. I went back to the bookstore and looked through at least 15 books. Java 2 by Example was the only one that spelled out clearly ... the simplest Java application vs. the simplest Java applet. I was impressed by the immediacy of the examples, so I bought the book and my intuition paid off. This book is terrific. Friesen takes you through the language in a clear, consise manner, with concrete examples that build one upon the other. It is very well organized and a breeze to read. And it should be. You are trying to learn Java, not the idiosyncrasies of an author's writing skills. This book is just terrific.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended book at Carnegie Mellon University
Review: I first came across 'Java 2' by Jeff Friesen while enrolled in a java course. I appreciated the initiation approach of using the complete application as an introduction to Java. The application with its solid commenting and solid outline of the primary features of java parlayed an old trick from the software design world. The craps application with it intuitively commented script set up the notion of understanding a language, abstract as it may be, by examining the whole first. From my experience, in the planning and design phases of creating new software you start from the whole. The process generally follows the pattern of comprehending the whole, breaking down the whole into pieces, comprehending the pieces, and comprehending their synergy, in essence working backwards. Most experienced software designers will adamantly detail this profundity, piecing the code, modulizing the code, working backwards from the whole. Why should learning be any different? Jeff's approach is exciting and more useful than the generic 'hello world' app. The text is clearly written and I commend the author on his enthusiasm for the subject. Let's make java fun and approachable is the bent. A+.
Rating:
Summary: Super Book
Review: Java 2 By Example, Second Edition, is the gift of an unforgettable friend. I consider myself a beginner in the Java programming field in spite of having a background in C and C++ and I think that Jeff makes an excellent exhibition of the most important topics in the Java language, each topic covers a group of very important concepts in programming that will nurture the readers with that whole necessary philosophical focus for the newbie programmers. Jeff has abundant programming experiences in programming, especially in Java 2 Standard Edition and he give many good guidelines. One of the most powerful aspects in Java that Jeff explores is Multitreading which can be intimidante and confused for the beginners, however Jeff adds to this topic the magic of his experience to achieve an almost painless topic for those that begin.
In chapter 7 Polymorphism, Jeff begins with a brilliant explanation about the four kind of polymorphism and subsequently it covers expressly each one of these kind with clear code examples that give a deep vision in this topic. I think that the existent repertoire of excellent, useful and varied exercises at the end of each chapter doesn't exist in other similar book. Those readers that solve all the exercises appeared in the book will be very prepared to face the more dissimilar tasks in Java. I could be writing about the excellent qualities of each chapter but it would surpass the 1000 words allowed in this review, but without a doubt it cannot lack a comment about the expressive Glossary appeared at the end of this book. Do you want a definition of some topic? Look for it in the Glossary and Bingo! This book will probably bring Java 2 to a whole new generation of beginning Java programmers and this book does represent a great way to get started on learning the Java language. If I could give 6 stars, I would give them! Thank you Jeff, we wait for Java 2 By Example, Third Edition!
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