Rating: 
Summary: Bummer
Review: Appendix A is pretty worthless helping you set up the SDK developement kit. I don't understand why it was not included in the CD-ROM. Be prepaired to sit and wait while you have to download tools in order to use this book. I went through set up 5 times and it still doesn't work. Title should be JAVA 2 SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD TYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SET THIS UP. I am very disapointed because the exercises seem very interesting. Phone support would have been helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Well....People...
Review: Good Book - I think what you people don't realize is when the guy uses sloppy grammar...it's better that way...programming doesnt't have to be harsh or brutal, I think Jesse is a great author, even though this isnt this book, I am very new to C++ and with the book 'teach urself c++ in 21 days' I found i could even skip ahead to a certain topic and read through the topics and discussion about it...and GET IT. The reason I think Jesse is a great author is that even though the grammar is a little sloppy, the books are very well organized and thorough (sp?)
Rating:
Summary: Well....People...
Review: Good Book - I think what you people don't realize is when the guy uses sloppy grammar...it's better that way...programming doesnt't have to be harsh or brutal, I think Jesse is a great author, even though this isnt this book, I am very new to C++ and with the book 'teach urself c++ in 21 days' I found i could even skip ahead to a certain topic and read through the topics and discussion about it...and GET IT. The reason I think Jesse is a great author is that even though the grammar is a little sloppy, the books are very well organized and thorough (sp?)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: I am consultant who is getting ready to take the Java Developer Exam and this is an excellent Java book that does a fine job at teaching object-oriented analysis, design and implementation, which is by itself far more valuable than Java. Yes, I do agree that it might not be the best book for a beginner, but that fact alone doesn't make it a "bad" book. Please, remember that Java is growing by leaps and bounds, and you are as likely to buy snake oil that will cure all your problems as you are to find the Holly Grail of Java books that will teach you everything--including the basics. I have learned OO and Java on my own and these are a few recommendations: Sorry, you have to read a 'few' books like Thinking in Java (watch for the 2nd Edition,) use an excellent reference like Java Class Libraries (3 books that come close to the Java Holy Grail,) or Java in a Nutshell before you become familiar with the subject and move on to the intermediate level.Lastly, p.l.e.a.s.e avoid taking the geeky road to success, learn UML (Applying UML and Patterns), the whole life cycle, and the business for which you are going to be developing these applications-we tend to forget that this is the hand that feeds us.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY Mediocre
Review: I bought this book at a discount book wholeseller that sells off the leftover merchandise from book returns or out-of-business stores. These places usually have books that are a little out of date and aren't of the highest quality.
This book is both.
The book is aimed towards novices that want to learn Java as their first programming language or slightly more experienced programmers that are trying to learn Java. The examples in the book are kind of difficult for someone who has NEVER programmed, but it does go into great detail about the code line-by-line.
The real drawback to this book is the author's poor code wrting technique. His Java coding in no way resembles Sun's documentation, so if you're looking to learn good coding habits, this is NOT the book for you.
In short, the examples are good, but a little meaty for the "Dummies" crowd. This book can broaden your understanding of Java IF you're willing to correct the syntax as you go. A better complete-beginngers-guide would be the Sams TY Java2 in 21 days or the Wrox Beginning Java by Ivor Horton.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't learn much
Review: I bought this book because I thought that building a single application throughout the book would be a good way to learn Java. Unfortunately, this did not happen. The author generally presents a code listing and then explains what it does. That's nice, but I would have liked to have some end-of-chapter exercises so that I could have applied what was covered in the chapter. There were also some omissions in the code starting in Chapter 8, which kept the class from being able to compile correctly. While this book may appeal to those that can pick up the nuances of a programming language by just reading code, those of us who learn by doing would be better off looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't learn much
Review: I bought this book because I thought that building a single application throughout the book would be a good way to learn Java. Unfortunately, this did not happen. The author generally presents a code listing and then explains what it does. That's nice, but I would have liked to have some end-of-chapter exercises so that I could have applied what was covered in the chapter. There were also some omissions in the code starting in Chapter 8, which kept the class from being able to compile correctly. While this book may appeal to those that can pick up the nuances of a programming language by just reading code, those of us who learn by doing would be better off looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: I'm pretty much a beginner.... most helpful Java book I own
Review: I disagree with those who say this is not good for beginners. I'm the type that I can't learn by just reading and doing aimless examples. This book holds my interest because everything is in the context of "We need to know this because it'll be in our application later..." It's really easy reading because it's written sorta like this really cool professor I used to have used to speak. I've gone through a couple of different Java books. This one is the most helpful because there is CONSTANT reinforcement of the basics throughout the whole book. There are better, more realistic explanations of where things are derived from, and architecture and design concepts. I think this book is TOTALLY for beginners. Even though you are writing a swing app, as a beginner, you still need to know loops, datatypes, exception handling, etc., no matter what you end up doing with Java, and this book takes you through all of it. I think it's best for beginners who are willing to do it 'cover to cover'. I don't think it's wonderful as a reference, 'cos it's not laid out that way.
Rating:
Summary: Java 2 from Scratch
Review: I found this book to be one of the best Java books for beginners. I spent a considerable amount of time looking for a well written Java book and I believe that Java 2 from Scratch is the best one out there. The author clearly describes all aspects of the Java language, including OOA and OOD, in easy to comprehend language. If you have absolutely no Java experience and want to get a quick start, this is the book for you. Lee, Dallas
Rating:
Summary: Able to see it through...
Review: I have been working with this book since October. I have had good success until Chapter 8. I have not been able to javac or java the code from the book. In these chaps, you are instructed to javac these programs [does that mean not to java them?] I have e-mailed Mr. Liberty with no repsonse. I have enjoyed working with this book so far [I've also worked with VB 6 Scr].
This is an excellent book to learn beginning Java 2 but some of the instructions in the book could be a little more clear.
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