Rating: 
Summary: Some Book CD code does not compile?
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a very good book.
Review: I read this book. It is not a book for beginners. I ended up buying another book instead and using this one as a TV stand!
Rating: 
Summary: Best book to start with
Review: I think the best way to learn any language is to get a expert sit next to you and guide through all your problems in your learning process,the book accomplishes the same, It further goes ahead to guide you through a project in java, which would give you sufficient confidence in your real world projects.
Rating:
Summary: Starts out good
Review: I thought the author gave a good foundation to the project that was discussed. The explanation of AWT tools was the best of all the 7-8 books on Java I own.He did go a little too deep into the analysis process of program development. His chosen project (stock market analysis) was intended to use "one of everything" in the Java language but was too deep a venture for my liking. Que's web site does not provide source code for the book and so I am stuck with a scratched disk - Ugg!
Rating: 
Summary: Good book overall - only one complaint
Review: I'm a long time programmer working towards more Java. This book has been great. It's a good tutorial. It is NOT a reference book. If you only need a language refernce, look elsewhere. It walks you thru' a complete evolving application. My only complaint is that as the code evolves, the author does not spend as much time discussing the changes as he could (should). You'll see alot of "Refer to the source code on the CD to see the actual changes". I'm disappointed in that, but overall, I've found it a good book. Since I already had some familiarity with Java and I'm experienced in other languages, I was also able to make some optimizations (and code shrinkage) along the way. Overall, I recommend the book!
Rating:
Summary: Good Book as a Second Book.
Review: I'm learning Java right now. I've taken some C and C++ classes in the past, so I know about object oriented programming vs. structural programming. This book is not enough as an introduction. You will need some other beginning book like the Barron's Java Programming the Easy Way. I used chapters 1-8 of Barron's Java Programming to just get a bit of practice from the examples within the text of the chapters (but don't do the exercises). Then because the explanations of the "theory" of Java in Barron's Java Programming was INADEQUATE, I switched over to Java from Scratch. So far, Java from Scratch is great! To understand the theories of Java, the "geekspeak" definitions should be thoroughly read. (I've even typed them up separately as notes). Java from Scratch fills out many of the important things that the Barron and other books gloss over..such as an EXPLICIT explanation of classes, methods, use case, etc... It does so succintly. There is no verbosity in the geekspeak notes. I also have Horton's Java2 (SDK 1.3) as backup. I don't believe that you can have just one book that will teach you Java. The best way to learn Java is to take a class in it, IF you have the time, which I don't. So, if you understand basic concepts like loops and all, then Java from Scratch is definitely the book you will need because it teaches programming in addition to just the coding.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book as a Second Book.
Review: I'm learning Java right now. I've taken some C and C++ classes in the past, so I know about object oriented programming vs. structural programming. This book is not enough as an introduction. You will need some other beginning book like the Barron's Java Programming the Easy Way. I used chapters 1-8 of Barron's Java Programming to just get a bit of practice from the examples within the text of the chapters (but don't do the exercises). Then because the explanations of the "theory" of Java in Barron's Java Programming was INADEQUATE, I switched over to Java from Scratch. So far, Java from Scratch is great! To understand the theories of Java, the "geekspeak" definitions should be thoroughly read. (I've even typed them up separately as notes). Java from Scratch fills out many of the important things that the Barron and other books gloss over..such as an EXPLICIT explanation of classes, methods, use case, etc... It does so succintly. There is no verbosity in the geekspeak notes. I also have Horton's Java2 (SDK 1.3) as backup. I don't believe that you can have just one book that will teach you Java. The best way to learn Java is to take a class in it, IF you have the time, which I don't. So, if you understand basic concepts like loops and all, then Java from Scratch is definitely the book you will need because it teaches programming in addition to just the coding.
Rating:
Summary: Progressive Stock Tracker Application Example
Review: If you have intermediate or more knowledge of Java then this book is worth a look at. I have read many Java books and this is the first which walks through a full-blown stock-tracker application from USE case analysis/design to coding. It progressively adds features until you have the working application. I found this type of example more practical than "figure" examples in other books. If you have the background knowledge in place, this book is worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Shows you the full picture of developing software
Review: Java 2 from Scratch is an excellent book. It begins at the beginning, taking you through analysis, design, learning Java, then actually writing the app. I think it's better than one of my previous favorites, The Tao of Objects. I've searched a long time for a book that shows the whole picture of creating software. There are plenty of books on languages, plenty on OO methodologies, etc., but this is the first that integrates the various disciplines. This is not a ...for Dummies book. It does seem to assume some experience, although I think a determined beginner could digest all the things presented. I would recommend it to anyone. If you should get stuck, you can post a message to the newsgroup comp.lang.java.programmer for clarification.
Rating:
Summary: Systematic,Highly Organized and Highly Informative
Review: Teaching How to program in Java is just one aspect of this book. There is much more to it. For anyone wishing to pursue software programming career and wish to know the complete software development life cycle from design to implementation, This is the best book to start with. From the design phase, Author Discusses the various design methodologies and converts the design into the technical requirements and then prepartion of USE CASES in a very crystal clear fashion. The confidence of the reader builds up as each chapter progresses. Each Chapter builds on the previous one and the running example of STOCK TRACKER APPLICATION continues throughout the book. Each Java Programming concept is discussed and incorporated as the need arises depending on the functionality of the application being built along the way. I liked the analysis of the problems and the logic with which the application is being built. The book also discusses the best practices of coding and naming variables too including the structured way of writing the source code. One excellent aspect of this book is, it does discuss the syntax and semantics in the relevant context as the features are being added to the application rather than first discussing the capabilities and features of Java. This is the good book to start learning and gaining confidence in the Object Oriented Programming and Java. The book is very neatly organized for reference. The Author Holds the attention of reader throughout the book. Curiosity builds chapter after chapter. It really gives a solid base as far as the fundamentals are concerned. Recommended both for novice and expert programmer.
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