<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Definative starting point for learning JAVA
Review: Horstmann is a great author bringing complex subject matter explainations down to the rest of us. However, you will need Volume II: Advanced features if you really want to program is JAVA though..
Rating:
Summary: Love the small font/book size of this 6th edition
Review: I absolutely love this edition's small size, resulted mainly from using a smaller font by the printer, in sharp contrast to many other bloated door stoppers. The excellent, solid, and comprehensive tutorial/reference materials are jampacked into about 700 pages. Definitely looking forward to a similarly printed Volume 2, which is currently in its 5th printed in a larger font--thus significantly thicker and heavier. After some extensive browsing, sampling, and committing time seriously going through a number of Java books, I concluded that "Core Java 2" (both volumes together) is the best on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: perfect
Review: I am a somewhat experienced programmer and this book was the text for my graduate-level course on Java. I also purchased some of the optional books, and this book is far and away the best purchase. Sun publishes this book, so it contains the definitive information. In fact, it goes into great detail without being boring or elementary. The sample programs are quick and to the point. I admire that the discussion of the programming language admits the language's flaws as well as its benefits. The book also talks about how the language is really used, vs. how it was designed. A particular feature of the book are sections where they explain how Java is different from C++. This is very useful for a C++ programmer.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for experts, not so good for everyone else
Review: If you're an experienced C++ programmer, this book might be right for you. However, this book starts too quickly for someone who doesn't have experience with this language or an equivalent language. For example, the "Welcome to Java" program in chapter 1 uses an array and a loop without explaining the details of this syntax works. If you're an experienced programmer, you can probably follow along. Otherwise, you might want to opt for another book. I think Murach's Beginning Java 2 is one of the best for people new to object-oriented programming. One problem with Core Java is that the topics aren't presented in an effective order. Often, skills that are critical to most Java applications are presented after skills that aren't usually necessary. For example, handling exceptions (a skill that's critical to all types of Java applications) isn't covered until after chapters on graphics programming and Swing components (which aren't necessary for many types of Java applications). Another problem is that topics aren't broken down into manageable chunks. For example, Swing components are presented in a single chapter and that chapter is a monster -- over 100 pages long. Although there's some good material in this chapter, it's hard to digest due to its sheer size. To be fair, there are some good things about this book. The author is obviously an expert programmer, and some of the code examples are useful and illuminating. But if you don't have a lot of experience with other object-oriented languages, you might want to start with another book.
Rating:
Summary: Great for C++ developers learning Java
Review: If you're an experienced programmer with a solid C++ background and need to learn and master Java, this book and Core Java 2, Volume II are must-haves. These books cut to the essentials quickly and concisely. The C++ NOTEs are excellent -- pointing out how similiar language tasks are done in Java in relation to C++. The authors definitely have been there, and know that experienced programmers will constantly be thinking in terms of their language of experience.
The books do a great job of covering the core Java language and much of Java's broad class libraries. I wish there was more complete coverage of Collections but this is a minor drawback. Overall the books will give you excellent exposure to the core areas of Java.
<< 1 >>
| 
