Just Java and Beyond 1.1 (Java Series)

Rating:
Summary: Dull and Boring,NOT This book is GREAT
Review: Although not what K&R is to C, _Just Java_ is a wonderful way to become immersed in the language. Clear, thought-provoking and laced with humor, van der Linden explains the language accurately and thoroughly. More importantly, you'll share the sheer joy he feels for the language. His candor is also refreshing (citing those areas in Java that weren't really well designed). Sun is indeed most fortunate to have an individual with the talent, knowledge, humor and passion of PvdL on their team.

Rating:
Summary: The quality and style one expects from PvdL
Review: Although not what K&R is to C, _Just Java_ is a wonderful way to become immersed in the language. Clear, thought-provoking and laced with humor, van der Linden explains the language accurately and thoroughly. More importantly, you'll share the sheer joy he feels for the language. His candor is also refreshing (citing those areas in Java that weren't really well designed). Sun is indeed most fortunate to have an individual with the talent, knowledge, humor and passion of PvdL on their team.

Rating:
Summary: This book is very good for learning Java-easy to read, clear
Review: Just Java 1.1 is required reading for anyone trying to learn and use Java version 1.1. Peter van der Linden does an excellent job teaching the reader about the object-oriented paradigm and the specifics of the Java language without using technical jargon. His writing style is down-to-earth and a pleasure to read. He takes every new task step-by-step so the reader may easily understand the topics presented. He delves into the design philosophy behind Java as well as the mechanics of writing and compiling a program. There are plentiful examples for the reader to see exactly what Peter is talking about.

Rating:
Summary: Good for beginners; Not good for professional programmers
Review: On the advice of a coworker, I picked up this book by Peter. I have experience in C and C++, and this book is a *fun* read and doesn't have the overly stuffy, boring elements of most programming books. Learning can be enjoyable, and this book is a great read. I like the fact that his style does assume you have some programming knowledge; all too often I find books that waste hundreds of pages giving you the basics, and other books that jump completely into the middle - i.e. "Let's write a database application!" Here you get the classic "Hello World" followed by a slow buildup in Java programming concepts. Peter also takes pains to point out the uniqueness of Java in many areas, giving the experienced programmers something to hold on to (and look forward to). Get it!

Rating:
Summary: Best Book on Java for Programmers
Review: Peter Van Der Linden authored a great book on Java. This book can be benificial for beginners as well as programmers who were exposed to C. If you were exposed to C++, you definetely have your OOP cables messed up. This book will fix them for you.

The book is not really jam-packed with tons of applicable examples. It rather requires the reader to do a little bit of tuning to the examples he provides. However, the words the author gives are worth the book's price and more. This book really requires a marker handy. Whenever you're stuck you will always find a sentence which will prevent you from a falling down. Make sure to highlight what you find interesting! This book is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Dull and Boring,NOT This book is GREAT
Review: This book is pretty good in the sense that it covers a lot of stuff providing a lot of background and presenting the whole thing in a interesting manner (with a lot of anectodes and humourous asides). But the problem with the book is the very same thing -- it simply has too much noise (idle chatter). For a beginner the book may be a good experience, but for a programmer coming from a C/C++ background, the book is frustrating when you are trying to learn Java fassssst. The book is also not very useful as a reference. So if you are a beginner go for it, if not look for another book.

Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading!
Review: This book really sticks out of the many books written about Java. Having no previous experience of Java programming I found this book very helpful and still not too shallow for later use.

Rating:
Summary: There Are Better Books
Review: This is one of the best books for Java to understand the Java concepts.