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Rating: 
Summary: Expired !! Don't buy it don't pick it ...
Review: As others mentioned this book is not for J2SE/J2EE and should be thrown into the garbage now. The style is good but it is outdated now. I recently picked it up from our company's library and quickly found that most of the examples won't work as they are saying in the book. One Star Rating for Style!!
Rating: 
Summary: A very gentle, easy way to get started programming with Java
Review: I bought this book to help me with a class I was taking, in which I was quickly falling behind. The book introduces a concept in a few pages and then follows that introduction with a short quiz so you can test your understanding and review the material you didn't understand before moving on to more complicated concepts. This way you don't ever get "left behind". At the end of each chapter is a "Test Your Thinking" exercise which helps you learn to apply the knowledge you just gained. So you also learn the "whys" and not just the "hows". I had some programming experience, self taught, when I bought this book, and it has helped me fill in the gaps in my knowledge and extend my programming skills. It has increased my confidence immensely. Java's a cool language and this is a great way to get started.
Rating:
Summary: A very gentle, easy way to get started programming with Java
Review: I bought this book to help me with a class I was taking, in which I was quickly falling behind. The book introduces a concept in a few pages and then follows that introduction with a short quiz so you can test your understanding and review the material you didn't understand before moving on to more complicated concepts. This way you don't ever get "left behind". At the end of each chapter is a "Test Your Thinking" exercise which helps you learn to apply the knowledge you just gained. So you also learn the "whys" and not just the "hows". I had some programming experience, self taught, when I bought this book, and it has helped me fill in the gaps in my knowledge and extend my programming skills. It has increased my confidence immensely. Java's a cool language and this is a great way to get started.
Rating:
Summary: Riddled with holes
Review: I have been working through this book with my husband (C Mills) - he's experienced and I'm a beginner.I have found many errors and it seems obvious it was originally written for an earlier version of Java. If it weren't for my husband's expertise and other reference materials I would have given up with sheer frustration. Some of the things they say just don't work in Java 2, others are plain wrong (warnings that Java would throw errors in certain circumstances when it doesn't, for e.g.) and some simple, basic things (like ASCII code 62 for A, it's actually 65) show the inexperience of the authors. The book needs serious proof-reading, updating and editing (e.g. the simple exercises on a topic should come BEFORE the complicated ones) and then it could become a good book. The 4-and-a-half star rating I found here is wrong - no doubt an anomoly caused by the very small sample it was created from.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect book for beginners -- HIGHLY recommended
Review: I've read a number of books on Java to try to learn the basics of the language, and none was better for a true beginner than this book. The authors explain the subject matter in a way that any layman can understand, and they use copious examples to drill home their points. This book is perfect for anyone who doesn't know programming and wants to get a basic understanding of the subject. An entertaining read as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't try this at home!
Review: This book is for the "absolute beginner" and it is a good book for someone taking a class in Java, but not for someone hoping to study it at home. As is often the case, an inexperienced person trying to install development software at home will be simply out of luck. If the "absolute beginner" wants to install Java and learn it from home, they will need a cable modem to get all the downloads, a lot of patience to figure what patches are needed, and a couple hours help from an experienced person to set it up. Although Chapter 1 Compiling and Running a Java Program is supposed to help the "inexperienced user" "hit the ground running," the Java2 standards changed after the book was written, so the setup instructions do not work. Chapter 1 suffers from several problems: 1) Obviously written at the last second, it is garbled mess. 2) It uses the overly cute device of emphasizing how easy it is by showing nonworking examples, then the right way to do it. Does this need to be part of the installation process? 3) The "right" examples don't work. 4) You won't find this out without going to the companion web site. 5) The companion web site provides some examples, but not clear solutions. Source code examples were not updated. 6) Users will need to find, download, and install the HTML Converter patch from the Java website. Java works across platforms, but the hurdles to getting something running at home are as high as they've ever been.
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