Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Introduction - Specific Reasons
Review: An interested reader let me know my previous review was too general, and therefore unhelpful, after all, the devil is in the details... So, here's the DETAILS why I believe this book is an excellent introduction to both Java and JBuilder3. I'm taking the time and trouble to tell you this because I feel I owe it to the author. This book really worked for me. One of the biggest reasons it worked for me is that I rigorously worked through each example. I strongly recommend this "workbook" approach to this textbook. I hope the following detailed review helps you with your decision to purchase this book.The book is absolutely about version 3. It wasn't written about a previous version and grafted onto JBuilder3 a few weeks before going to print. The book is both a text book and a workbook. It's really intended for you to work your way through the examples. Immediately before and immediately after each example you'll find an explanation on multiple levels of abstraction regarding the whys and hows of the example. The examples throughout the book THOROUGHLY demonstrate the discussed topics, and they work. The examples don't contain defects and typos. After each example is an Example Review section that reinforces key or tricky elements of the preceding example. The chapter on Event Handling is terriric. You'll never find a better explanation or coverage of Event Handling anywhere. After MASTERING this chapter you'll be extremely confident in your ability to make your application respond to any GUI event, and make your GUI components interact with each other any way you choose. Take the time to master this chapter, and you'll FULLY UNDERSTAND the all important topic of event handling. The chapter on objects and classes contains lots of great examples that truly demonstrate important OO aspects, and highlight the differences between instance and class members, so you instantly see things such as where you're trying to refer to instance members in a static context, and why you can't do this. The book really delves into the Java API, so that you understand how the classes and interfaces in the library are structured, what they offer, and why you do things a certain way when using the API. You'll totally understand the whys behind syntax such as "this.getContentPane().setLayout(new FlowLayout() );" The book's solid coverage of the API is important because understanding the API means you'll never (...o.k., rarely) be confused by anything you see in the JBuilder source pane. The chapter on GUI (Java Swing) deftly covers Swing components. The explanations cover the component hierarchy and essential Swing component methods and attributes. The examples nimbly show interaction among swing components The chapter on error trapping is solid. Exception Handling is made crystal clear. You'll also find good coverage of the String Tokenizer, and String operations. The chapter on network programming makes sockets easily understandable. The chapter on input/output makes streams easy to understand, and has many terrific examples, including a nice "student registration" example of random access file operations. You open a file, locate a student record in the file, input new student records, and save the info. back to the file. After studying this book you won't be a JBuilder database application developer. That's the next step. Remember, this book is exactly what it says, an "INTRODUCION to Java with JBuilder3." In this book you won't find database development or a large application example from which to copy code. However, after mastering this book you'll be very confident and comfortable with your knowledge of the essential Java topics I mentioned above, as well as many others, such as anonymous objects, wrapper classes, and implementing multiple interfaces. Those are my detailed reasons for highly recommending this book to anyone wanting an introduction to Java and an introduction to JBuilder3 without database development. My parting comment is to strongly advise you to not just read this book. You should manually key in the examples, and work your way through them, analyzing each line of code at a time. This book works great when you take this "workbook" approach.
Rating:
Summary: A well Crafted Study on Java
Review: Beginning a study of java can be a frustrating stop and go experience. You can spend valuable time and money concentrating your efforts in the wrong direction. Please, don't be a time waster and BUY THIS BOOK. This book will cover all the areas you will need to know in order to become a competent beginner Java/Object Orientated programmer. The key to this book is the examples. They are well crafted and succinctly demonstrate the concepts being taught. If you know UML, chart the examples and discover the architectural design of java and of the authors programs. You will discover how the author builds classes, and then reuses those classes in other examples. You will discover Patterns that the author uses. You can then incorporate them into your programming vocabulary. I recommend that you seriously study this book from start to end not using any other reference. You should learn it right the first time, thus avoiding the old One step forward Two steps back syndrome. Obviously, Java is more then syntax and this book will help you discover all the potential this great language has.
Rating: 
Summary: Super Java Book
Review: I bought this book with the intention of learning Java, this after buying a number of other books on the subject, which either assume you have advanced knowledge of C++ or concentrate on coding applets. The book covers Java from a structured programming point of view, with plenty of exercises for hands on practice. If you are really serious about developing industry standard code this book is for you. If however you just want to liven up your personal web page with some applets, perhaps try one of the 'Dummies ' range.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to Java - Well structured book
Review: I purchased JBuilder3 over 6 months ago hoping to learn Java using it. I discovered immediately that the help was useless and the examples shallow, to say the least. The CD gathered dust for months... I purchased this book recently and finally found a book that I could REALLY use and apply in the JBuilder environment. This book is well-structured and uses a step-by-step approach to introduce you to Java with relevant examples and exercises. I took the approach of manually typing in each example as I went through the book which is what I would recommend. In addition, at the end of each chapter there are exercises that I would recommend you go through. The book details all the building blocks needed to get started with Java, including class inheritance, event handling, exceptions, basic graphic programming, the development of applets, and networking. Another person's review mentioned that the book code had syntax errors; and the menus, and wizards did not correspond to JBuilder. I did not find this at all. Perhaps he was using JB3.5 (which I have not seen), but I found all the examples worked perfectly. I would recomend that if typing in the examples or doing exercises, you DO NOT use the components on the speed bar provided by JB as it adds a lot of 'gunk' which would normally help you, but in this case hides the basics of what you are trying to learn. The Tips and traps sprinkled through the book are also really good. I just ordered the author's more advanced book... Need I say more?
Rating:
Summary: Super Java Book
Review: I suppose if you've had extensive experience with OOP and C++ you'll be able to deal with this book. Otherwise, you're in deep trouble. The book introduces terms and topics long before they're adequately explained, blows through complicated topics without much illustration, and insists on using example programs that are obtuse. I spent more time trying to understand the example programs than learning the construct the program supposedly demonstrated. This was the assigned textbook for a class on Java I was taking, and after 5 chapters, I gave up on it. After searching amazon, I found the truly excellent book by Walter Savitch, Java: An Introduction to Computer Science and Programming. I've completed all my assignments using the Savitch book.
Rating: 
Summary: Obtuse++
Review: I suppose if you've had extensive experience with OOP and C++ you'll be able to deal with this book. Otherwise, you're in deep trouble. The book introduces terms and topics long before they're adequately explained, blows through complicated topics without much illustration, and insists on using example programs that are obtuse. I spent more time trying to understand the example programs than learning the construct the program supposedly demonstrated. This was the assigned textbook for a class on Java I was taking, and after 5 chapters, I gave up on it. After searching amazon, I found the truly excellent book by Walter Savitch, Java: An Introduction to Computer Science and Programming. I've completed all my assignments using the Savitch book.
Rating: 
Summary: Introduction to Java Programming with JBuilder 3
Review: If you know some Java, and you want a third party description of JBuilder -- Watch out, JBuilder 3.5 is what Borland ships today and this book is full of assumptions about JBuilder 3.0. Few of the dialogs match, which makes the early tutorials almost useless. The book was published in February 2000 and I bought it in May, and it is already outdated. I couldn't recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs correction
Review: The book would be much better if there weren't so many errors. Apparently, the author was using a different verion of JBuilder than the one supplied with the book. References to menus, tools and wizards were totally off - making the book more of a pain to deal with than it should have been.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Introduction
Review: The first two words of the title are "An Introduction." That's exactly what this book is, an excellent introduction to both Java and JBuilder3 sans database development. This is a well laid out software engineering text book. The format is excellent. The writing style is excellent. The examples are excellent. The book contains very few errors. It reinforces many sound software engineering practices. This is the best introduction to JBuilder I've seen. Database development is a large, complex topic that is outside the scope of this book. If you're looking for an introduction to JBuilder, buy this rather than the "JBulder Essentials" book.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but could be better
Review: This book provides a comprehensive intro to Java 1.2 using JBuilder 3, with some minor caveats: For an "introduction", the book assumes a bit too much. A prime example is the frequent use of "packages" in the sample code without any mention of what they are or why they are used, until page 175 in Chapter 5. Also, the step-by-step instructions on using the IDE are quite frustrating if you have purchased a copy of the "Professional" version, as I have. The menus are just different enough that the Author should have included steps for both, when giving specific instructions to the first-time user. Although the book has a web site, I couldn't find an errata page at the site. I did find a few errors, which might frustrate a self-studier like myself. Beyond these points, I consider it good as a textbook or for self-teaching using JBuilder 3.
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